MTA Updates New Yorkers on Weather Preparations Ahead of Forecasted Nor’easter Beginning Sunday, Oct. 12

Crews to Clear Drains, Prepare Equipment, and Be Strategically Pre-Positioned to Respond Quickly to Any Instances of Flooding or Other Weather-Related Challenges

MTA Bridges and Tunnels Will Ban Certain Trucks Due to High Wind Conditions from 3:00 p.m. Sunday Through 6:00 p.m. Monday

View Photos of NYC Transit Storm Preparations

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today is updating customers on weather preparations being made ahead of the forecasted nor'easter with heavy rain and high winds for the New York metropolitan area from Sunday to Monday morning.

MTA employees will be poised to respond to any weather-related issues, including removal of trees that may fall across tracks. The MTA reminds customers to avoid unnecessary travel, and stay alert for service updates by visiting mta.info or the MTA and TrainTime apps.

New York City Subway

NYC Transit is focused on minimizing impacts to service by responding to and removing water quickly.

NYC Transit has deployed a fleet of emergency response equipment including emergency trucks, debris trains, and pump trains to respond to flooding conditions.

Field personnel are inspecting and cleaning drains and covering vents at flood-prone locations ahead of the storm, and personnel are staged at critical locations including stations and yards, ready to deploy and respond if flooding conditions develop.

New York City Buses

NYC Transit Department of Buses personnel will monitor routes for known flooding situations, and have detours prepared. Extra personnel will be on standby in the event of service disruptions or subway shutdowns.

All bus facilities will have roof drains checked and ensure they are clear of debris and any loose materials will be secured. Emergency generators are being checked and will be ready in the event of a power outage.

MTA Bridges and Tunnels

Bridges and Tunnels personnel are checking all flood-prone locations for debris and will continue to monitor throughout the storm.

Due to heavy wind and rain in the forecast, a ban will be implemented on empty tractor-trailers and tandem (piggyback, dual, triple, etc.) trucks on its bridges beginning Sunday, October 12 at 3:00 p.m. though Monday, October 13 at 6:00 p.m.

These times are subject to change. For real time updates on service changes, motorists can visit mta.info. Customers can sign up for real-time email and SMS alerts from MTA Bridges and Tunnels here.

Personnel will continue to monitor wind conditions and implement appropriate traffic or speed restrictions, if necessary.

Maintenance teams will be on standby throughout the storm to respond to any incidents or emergencies.

Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad

The MTA's commuter railroads are pre-positioning crews and diesel locomotives to be in position to minimize service disruptions.

Starting Sunday through the end of the event, additional personnel will be added to identify and quickly address possible track, signal, and power challenges caused by flooding, washouts, downed trees and other potential storm damage. Personnel will survey and clear drainage areas where necessary, fortify key locations, and look for trees requiring removal as well as any track structures requiring attention.

Railroad crews have equipment on hand to be able to respond quickly as conditions warrant - chainsaws for clearing downed trees, pumps in the event of flooded areas, and identifying locations and availability of supplies for replacing damaged utility poles and crossing gates.

The railroads have worked aggressively to proactively protect infrastructure, tackling poor drainage locations, improving vegetation management adjacent to tracks, and strengthening and replacing utility poles, among other actions.

Access-A-Ride

Access-A-Ride paratransit will continue to provide service, and the Paratransit Command Center will monitor the storm to track and respond to any customer or day of service issues.

Customers may experience delays in travel times depending on storm impacts.