As we all know, another storm is approaching that is expected to dump considerable amounts of snow on the city overnight and into tomorrow (not too bad, compared to December's storm). Though the city assures us that streets will be plowed, the snow is going to affect the morning's commute--and not just the streets.
The Daily News is reporting that in the event of another major snow storm, the MTA would consider suspending service completely on exposed subway lines, including the F, B, and Q.
"We may need to shut down the system," an internal Metropolitan Transportation Authority document says. "We need to change the philosophy of how we operate, particularly in snowstorms. Keeping the service running regardless might not be the best option."
The MTA doesn't believe it will have to go to that extreme tomorrow, but admits there may be delays or slower service (bus service, to no one's surprise, is barely even mentioned). Even so, MTA chairman Jay Walder has cautioned people to not use mass transit if they don't have to. He told NY1:
"We recognize the importance of public transportation, especially when conditions on the road are difficult," said Walder. "But doing this safely means services could be suspended to avoid stuck trains and buses. In the unlikely event that we do have customers stuck on a train for an extended period, we have new plans in place to ensure we communicate with customers and provide them whatever support we can."
As for communication before you get on that train, you can try to check the MTA site or this Twitter account for service updates tomorrow, but be warned, those have been pretty useless in the past. If you experience a succesful (or unsucessful) commute in the morning, let us know in the comments!
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