MTA Service Restored After Isaias, But Some Delays Remain

NEW YORK CITY — Strong winds from Tropical Storm Isaias blew down thousands of trees across tracks and streets, snarling MTA's subway and bus routes and leaving Penn Station commuters in fear of being stranded.

And less than a day later, MTA service is largely restored — albeit with some exceptions. The relative return to normal was thanks to crews working round the clock, said Patrick Foye, MTA"s chairman and CEO, in a statement.

"Not since Superstorm Sandy has our system experienced this type of wind," Foye said. "We had crews working well into the night and early morning to restore service and I cannot stress the herculean effort it took to accomplish this."

MTA shut down above ground subway service as high winds lashed the city on Tuesday. More than 2,000 trees fell across the system's network, according to MTA.

The winds outside the city caused more downed tree, utility poles and other damage to Long Island Rail Road lines than Hurricane Sandy, an MTA release states.

MTA scrambled more than 11,000 workers to clear debris before the morning rush, the MTA said.

Subways were back to full service on Wednesday morning but several bus routes across all five boroughs ran with delays and detours, according to MTA. Those were:

• Manhattan - M2
• Brooklyn - B4, B9 and Q55
• Bronx - Bx1, Bx2, Bx8, Bx13, Bx18 and Bx24
• Queens South - Q7, Q9, Q40 and B104
• Queens North - Q4, 12, 15, 18, 17, 23 28, 30, 31, 34, 38, 39, 47, 66, 72, 83, 84 and 88
• Staten Island - SIM30, S55, S74/84 and SIM22

Staten Island Railway express service remained suspended Wednesday morning, and its trains were running about every 30 minutes. All trains will arrive and depart from the Tottenville-bound platforms between Old Town and Jefferson Avenue and between Eltingville and Huguenot stations, MTA said.

Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North are a mixed bag.

LIRR is running, with the exception of its Port Jefferson, Montauk, Oyster Bay and Greenport branches. Metro-North's Hudson line is on a weekend schedule, as is the Harlem line, while the railway won't offer service at its New Rochelle, Pelham, and Mt. Vernon East stations.

Check new.mta.info for updates on service.