The Slatest

Limited Service on NYC Subways Could Begin Soon

A NYPD officer stands guard at the 42nd street subway station in Times Square October 29, 2012

Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images.

Some tentative good news for the millions of New Yorkers who rely on the city’s subway system: limited service could start up as early as tomorrow, if tests on the 108-year-old system go well tonight. But don’t expect to see trains flying under lower Manhattan any time soon.

Here’s what the MTA has posted on their site, summarizing a press conference by Governor Cuomo:

…beginning Thursday morning, there will be limited subway service on several routes, supplemented by a bus shuttle between Downtown Brooklyn and Midtown. There will be no subway service between 34th St in Midtown and Downtown Brooklyn.

The agency also announced that some commuter rail service is expected to restart today on selected Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road lines.

According to MTA chief Joe Lhota, three of the seven flooded subway tunnels under the East River have been cleared. But service won’t be restored to lower Manhattan until the tip of the island has electricity again, which could take days.

Brooklyn Borough president Marty Markowitz tweeted out a few more details on which lines New Yorkers can look to see running at least partially tomorrow: “MTA to test B, D, N, Q and R trains over the Manhattan bridge tonight. If satisfied with results, they will have limited service tomorrow.”