A Train Passengers Stuck At Least 6 Hours Overnight
CBS 2Hundreds of commuters, most coming back from JFK last night, have
been trapped on an A train since roughly 1 a.m. Please be patient! (We've also
been told that passengers have been stuck on the N train near Bay Parkway
since 9 p.m. last night.) The A train, which is stuck above ground at the
Aqueduct Race Track station, is packed with travelers who were turned away
from the airport last night. With the Air Train shut down due to the
blizzard, many of them were escorted to the A train via shuttle bus. But once on
board, they didn't get very far. They could, however, pass the time with
Twitter. Here are some transmissions from the "dead" A train:
About two hours ago, stranded passenger and Twitter user OMJohnnyG (who
describes himself as "random as fcuk" in his Twitter profile) wrote, "Son!!! I
wanna go home!!! Dudes on the train talking about cannibalism lol I want
out!!!" And then: "6 o clock we gonna be live on abc news... But that don't
mean nothing!!! I'm hungry." But amidst the despair, a note of triumph:
"I'm lucky I'm a dude. I'll just whip it out n pee out the last car. Lol."
The train is reportedly disabled because the storm shut down power to the
third rail, and riders say they're cold. It initially stalled between the
Aqueduct and Rockaway Blvd. stations, and sometime overnight managed to crawl
to the Aqueduct Station. But the Daily News reports that the MTA was not
opening the doors so that passengers could get off. At some point during the
night, passengers were told that a rescue train was on the way, but they
were later informed that the rescue train had died as well.
"It wasn't like the storm just snuck up on us," one rider tells the News.
"They were aware ... They need to have a backup plan. This isn't a Third
World country. This is New York City." An MTA spokesman tells us they're still
attempting to get a rescue train in there, but NY1 says they've been
rescued. We are hearing reports of other stranded trains, and will update when
we know more. In the meantime, check the MTA site for updates on your subway
line. (Right now it looks like only the 7 and the G are running normally.)
The MTA issued this statement:
Due to the unprecedented severity of this storm, there are major
disruptions across our system that we expect to continue through the morning rush
hour. For the sake of safety, we are urging people to stay home if at all
possible. If travel is absolutely necessary customers should log onto mta.info
before commuting this morning.
New Yorkers Dig Out And Brace For Messy Commute
By: NY1 News
New York City residents are steeling themselves for a wintry commute this
morning as snowfall inched past the 15" mark of accumulation. | _View the
mayor's press conference on snow removal and city winter services_
(http://ny1.com/content/131226/story) | _See a gallery of viewer images_
(http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/131198/story#gallery)
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New Yorkers are digging out this morning after more than a foot of snow
fell yesterday.
While winds are still strong, temperatures still low and some snow is still
falling, no additional significant accumulation is expected.
A blizzard warning remains in effect today. Department of Transportation
and the Department of Sanitation are urging people to stay at home this
morning if possible.
Snow drifts of three to five feet will make getting around incredibly
difficult.
Send Us Your Winter Pictures
See a _gallery of viewer images_
(http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/131234/new-yorkers-dig-out-and-brace-for-messy-commute#gallery) and send
your own photos and videos to [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) .
The winter's first blizzard closed JFK and Newark International Airport
and has forced LaGuardia to cancel flights in and out of the airport.
The Port Authority has provided the hundreds of stranded passengers with
cots and blankets. The airports are expected to reopen later today.
As of Sunday night, the city had received 7 to 10 inches of snow according
to the National Weather Service. Forecasters are predicting the storm will
dump a total of 10 to 15 inches by the time it ends on Monday.
The area's airports, the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North and the city's
subway and bus system all reported _varying degrees of operation as of
early Monday morning_ (http://ny1.com/content/top_stories/131233/story) .
About 200 straphangers had to be evacuated when a Q train got stuck in
Brooklyn.
And about a dozen subway riders were stuck for more than 10 hours on a
Queens A train.
ConEd officials said 5,484 Queens customers lost power during the storm, as
did a handful of customers in Brooklyn and Staten Island.
Power to customers in the Bronx has been restored.
Thousands of city workers ended their holiday breaks early Sunday to
prepare the five boroughs for the wintry weather.
At a press conference on Sunday afternoon, Mayor Michael Bloomberg urged
New Yorkers to use mass transit and to set aside extra time if they are
headed home on the roads.
"The latest weather reports are qualifying this storm as a blizzard, and
unfortunately our city is directly in the path," said the mayor. "The
meteorologists at the National Weather Service are telling us that we may see up
to 16 inches of snow, as well as gale force winds that could reach up to 55
mph."
The mayor also said that the city Department of Homeless Services was
holding its Code Blue Cold Weather Emergency Procedure Sunday night, and the
city shelters would forgo the usual intake process to get people off the
streets.
Department of Sanitation officials were encouraging people to stay off city
roads, due to poor visibility and possible interference with their work.
"Tonight, there's going to be whiteouts. Anybody who's driving, visibility
is going to be very, very limited, with the wind and the snow coming down.
We really request people to leave their cars at home, stay where you are,
don't be driving tonight. It's going to be very dangerous, and we need to
stay out there to try to get the streets cleaned up," said Sanitation
Commissioner John Doherty.
There is no need to move cars during the storm, as meter rules were
suspended Sunday and alternate side of the street parking was suspended through
Monday.
Mayor Press Conference On City Blizzard
Watch Sunday's press conference held by the mayor and other city officials
on _how the city is coping with the blizzard_
(http://ny1.com/content/131226/story) .
Sanitation crews, including 365 salt spreaders and more than 1,700 snow
plows, are cleaning the streets. All 4,800 sanitation workers will be out in
full force, working two 12-hour shifts to take on the snowy and icy
streets.
The DOS clean-up efforts costs millions for each storm, but officials say
it will help emergency vehicles get around the city and other vital services
in the five boroughs.
"It is expensive, but when a snow storm is in New York City, we can't look
at the expense. We have to go out and get the roadways cleared," said
Doherty. "New York is a city that doesn't sleep. It's a very busy city, Monday
morning people will be looking to get about, but thank goodness there's no
school tomorrow, so that cuts down on some of it."
Recycling and trash collection has also been suspended citywide to
facilitate the clearing of the streets.
DOS officials are also looking for private companies to provide extra
heavy-duty equipment to assist in ice and snow removal.
The city is looking for licensed operators of front-end loaders, bobcats,
excavators, dump trucks, tractor trailers, and more.
If your company is interested, call the city's hotline at 311 for more
information.
DOS officials also want New Yorkers' help in salting and shoveling out
sidewalks.
In that spirit, many city residents _flocked to hardware stores_
(http://www.ny1.com/?ArID=131217) Sunday morning to buy salt, shovels, snow blowers
and other supplies.
At the Home Depot in Park Hill on Staten Island, a store manager told NY1
that 400 shovels were snatched up within the first hour.
Meanwhile, more than 1,400 flights in and out of local airports _were
cancelled_ (http://www.ny1.com/?ArID=131225) .
The Port Authority suggested travelers check with their carriers before
they head out.
"We don't want people going to the airport and having to spend days at the
airport waiting for a flight to open up," said Steve Coleman of the Port
Authority. "So it's better to stay where you happen to be, whether it's a
private home or a hotel. All the airlines make the accommodations you can make
and stay put wherever you happen to be today."
Most carriers were waiving fees they normally charged for one-time changes
in affected areas.
On the lighter side, the mayor said that Broadway shows continued
performing Sunday night and that theatergoers were advised to take mass transit.
He also noted that the city Parks Department will hold offer free hot
chocolate and sleds in one spot in each borough.
Sunny conditions are expected to return Tuesday and Wednesday, and
temperatures by the end of the week will reach the low 50s.
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