Railroads Extend Waiting Room Hours
Increased Patrols to Inspect Rails
Personnel Added to Rapidly Respond to Weather-Related Issues
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View Photos from News Conference with Mayor Adams
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chair and CEO Janno Lieber today joined Mayor Eric Adams and the New York City Office of Emergency Management to discuss plans to combat high heat and how the MTA will ensure reliable and safe transportation this week during expected extreme heat, while protecting the health and safety of all employees and keeping customers cool on their commute.
With a forecast of high heat and humidity with heat indices approaching or exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit today, tomorrow and Wednesday, health officials raised concerns about extended exposure and increased risk of heat-related illness for vulnerable populations. The MTA has taken steps to ensure that riders are comfortable while waiting for trains where air conditioning is available, and on trains and buses.
“At the MTA, we are no stranger to extreme weather preparations, whether it’s snow, rain, or extreme heat. Our game plan is the same – keep employees and riders safe while providing great service,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “The Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North are also going to have all air-conditioned waiting rooms open for everybody to come and cool off.”
“Because high heat can sometimes have an impact on track alignment, there will be an increase in heat patrols proactively inspecting track and extra staff has been scheduled across subway and buses to respond quickly to any situation, if needed,” said New York City Transit Interim President Demetrius Crichlow. “Employees have been briefed on how to stay cool, safe and hydrated; and riders can count on 99% of subway cars and buses to have functioning air conditioning to stay cool.”
New York City Subways
On an average day, 99% of subway cars have functioning air conditioning. NYC Transit will monitor conditions and take additional actions as needed. Subways personnel will be staged at key locations and will have extra coverage throughout the system to be able to respond quickly to any weather-related issues.
In order to ensure a state of readiness to respond to any station power outages, additional coverage teams have been added to shorten response time and facility equipment in machine rooms, including generators, cables, and connections, are inspected and tested throughout the day.
Crews will inspect subway cars prior to their trip and when they re-enter the yard to ensure air conditioning is working as intended. In addition to inspecting subway cars, crews will pre-stage emergency equipment.
To reduce potential impacts to service, NYC Transit implements heat patrols during unusually hot weather to proactively increase track inspections and stage extra personnel in key risk areas. NYC Transit also completes a continuous welded rail watch when rail temperatures exceed 100 degrees to be vigilant of rail kinks or other issues.
New York City Buses
All bus depots pay special attention to heat-related impacts to service and inspect all buses to ensure air conditioning is functioning as intended. In the event of a power outage, each depot is equipped with generators to keep buses on the move.
Buses and operators will be on standby for any support needed with subways or emergency service.
Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad
Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad crews will be staged at key locations to be able to respond quickly to weather-related issues, including additional personnel at locations that pose a high risk for brush fires.
The LIRR will keep station waiting rooms open 24/7 through Wednesday evening and Metro-North has extended operating hours of their waiting rooms, including some to remain open around the clock.
The railroads will monitor rail temperatures and deploy heat patrols to inspect the rails for any track defects.
Metro-North’s Track Department is scheduling special inspections over the next several days in order to ensure protection at critical locations throughout the Metro-North territory, in particular interior sections of the railroad, where there is expected to be more extreme heat conditions.
Metro-North's catenary system is supplied by five separate substations along the New Haven Line in New York and Connecticut. Additional Power Department personnel will be deployed to protect substations and overhead aerial line locations. There will also be additional signal maintainers to protect critical central interlocking locations and against Con Ed service disruptions near substation locations.
Access-A-Ride
Access-A-Ride sent a heat advisory to all carriers and notified them to check air conditioning on all vehicles. Superintendents have been deployed to depots to monitor vehicle pullouts, and floater vehicles will be deployed throughout the system to respond to any emergencies.
The Access-A-Ride Call Center has been instructed on excessive heat procedures for customers and will monitor trip and vehicle cancellations.
MTA Bridges and Tunnels
Bridge and Tunnel Officers are ready to respond to any incident, event or emergency. The agency is ensuring appropriate staffing levels to address any heat related issues, and is assigning maintenance crews to stay close to facilities.
The agency is prepared to work with ConEd to assist with electrical grid loading by shifting to generator power if requested, and is ensuring grid stability by checking substations at randomized intervals. It is monitoring temperature of traffic systems and coordinating with Transcom as necessary for messaging to motorists.
Climate Resilience: Long Term Investments to Prepare for Extreme Heat
In April, MTA Construction & Development released the Climate Resilience Roadmap, which provided a comprehensive framework to fortify the transit system against the impacts of climate change, including increased duration and intensity of heat waves. Included in the report is progress the MTA has made to date to mitigate high heat. This includes improved air circulation on passenger platforms and air conditioning in temperature-sensitive areas such as communications rooms and electrical rooms, and innovative approaches such as applying white reflective paint on the rails to reduce rail temperatures.
In addition to the initiatives underway, the Climate Resilience Roadmap outlined $6 billion of future investments that will be needed to address climate change in the coming years. The MTA will be looking to future capital programs to provide the funding to make the system resilient to heat and other climate threats.