Limited NYC subway service to resume

2012-10-31 23:13

New York - Limited service will resume on Thursday on New York's subway trains, state Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday, with lower Manhattan still cut off because of ongoing power outages.

"Limited New York City subway service supplemented by a bus bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan will begin tomorrow," Cuomo told a news conference.

"There will be no service in Manhattan below 34th street because there's no power for that service below 34th," he added.

In a statement, his office said limited service would be offered on 13 lines, with the other eight suspended for now.

The underground transport system was shut down ahead of Hurricane Sandy and suffered significant damage during the storm after being flooded in some places.

Bus service in New York has already been largely restored, with the city offering passengers free rides as residents struggle to get around.

However, heavy traffic has made for slow journeys and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Wednesday afternoon new rules preventing vehicles with fewer than three people from entering Manhattan over the East River.

"The streets just cannot handle the number of cars that have tried to come in, so I've ordered that the four East River bridges be restricted to high occupancy vehicles only tonight, coming into Manhattan, meaning three or more people," he said.

The restrictions will continue through Thursday and Friday until midnight.

"The bottom line is the streets can only handle so much, hopefully we can find ways for you to pick up people who will be standing by the bridges," he said.

"You're their solution and they're your solution as well."

But there was also some good news for commuters coming from outside New York. Cuomo said earlier there would be "limited commuter rail service on Metro North and on the Long Island Railroad which will begin at 14:00 today."

An estimated 8.5 million people use the Metropolitan Transport Authority commuter networks daily.

- AFP