Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Subway Service Slowly Begins To Partially Resume After Ida Flooding
By
Ben Yakas
Published Sep 2, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Jen Chung / Gothamist
By
Ben Yakas
Published Sep 2, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Tropical Storm Ida utterly battered the city's infrastructure, bringing the subway system to an almost complete halt Wednesday night and into Thursday, and paralyzing most commuter rails.
Now the mass transit agencies are trying to bring back service after historic amounts of rainfall hit the region in a few hours. NJ Transit suspended all but one of its lines, Metro-North Railroad suspended all trains on all lines, Long Island Rail Road service shut down, and at least 17 subway trains were reportedly evacuated during Wednesday night's storm. There were dozens of videos pouring in from all across the city showing the extent of the damage to the system.
"We all know that the subway system in New York is not a submarine," MTA Acting Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said on FOX 5 earlier Thursday. "It's pretty shallow below the surface...so we definitely are subject to weather and water, especially when like last night the surface level, street level, drainage and sewer system is overwhelmed. So that's what keeps happening in these flash floods, last night was the worst of all, and that water obviously makes his way down into the system."
As of mid-day Thursday, Lieber claimed that LIRR is operating in every branch, Metro-North is operating on two of three branches, and the subway system is...semi-functioning, at best.
NJ Transit says that its Atlantic City Rail Line and Morris and Essex line are in service, while all other lines are suspended.
You'd be wise to check MTA.info or NJTransit.com before trying to use them today, because most lines are either partially suspended or facing big delays still. We will update when we hear more about service returning in full.
The damage to transit extended well beyond the city on Thursday. Some state lawmakers who'd spent a marathon session Wednesday night hashing out an extended eviction moratorium, found themselves stranded in Albany, when Amtrak canceled all trains indefinitely.
"I am stuck," said Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte-Hermelin, who was refunding her train ticket at the Albany-Renasslier station Wednesday morning. She’d been fielding calls all morning from residents in her district whose homes had flooded. Her office, which was full of supplies for Haiti following a devastating earthquake there last month flooded too. “Everybody's basement is flooded. It’s just crazy.”
Amtrak said service could be out for several days. A spokesperson for Metro-North said they hoped to restore limited service to the region by Thursday afternoon.
Also Wednesday, Governor Kathy Hochul promised to investigate whether the state was truly unprepared for this week's flash flooding. She said that the historic storm—which brought over seven inches of rain to Central Park, dwarfing the typical amount of rainfall the city gets in the entire month of September in just hours—was "unprecedented, a 500-year event, that's the scale we're talking about. We're not treating this as if it's not going to happen again in 500 years."
Earlier this year, Gothamist reported on efforts to update the transit system and better prepare for future storms and sea level rise. Although they have mostly completed repairs and upgrades on the 11 tunnels that Hurricane Sandy damaged, many pieces of its infrastructure remain at or below sea level, complicating any future endeavors: "Once complete, these upgrades are intended to protect the yard and the five boroughs from future cyclones and torrential downpours—calamities whose rains, surges, and winds are being boosted by the climate crisis. For those who have assessed the threat of sea level rise in New York City, even this may not be enough."
Asked today about what is being done to prevent or minimize the next flooding event like this, Lieber said, "What we're seeing now is these repetitive flash floods which are at higher ground, and as I said, the street level drainage system gets overwhelmed and then the water gets into the subway in mass quantities. So we are, we're going to expand the resiliency efforts to look at these higher ground areas, higher elevation areas, in tandem with the City of New York which operates the street level drainage and sewer system. We have to attack that now in this era of climate chan
As for roadway, New York City issued this update around 3 p.m., "NYC streets and highways continue to experience flooding conditions following yesterday's severe weather. Expect extensive traffic delays and road closures throughout NYC. Avoid unnecessary travel while clean-up operations continue. If you must travel, New Yorkers are advised to exercise caution when traveling, especially while driving, walking, or biking, and allow for additional travel time."
Tagged
we the commuters
MTA
weather
tropical storm ida
flooding
subway
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
ICE agent fires 7 rounds, shoots man in neck in NYC's Marble Hill, NYPD says
The man is hospitalized in stable condition and a 5-year-old boy who was in his SUV is safe, police say.
By
Giulia Heyward
and
Arya Sundaram
Published Oct 8, 2026 at 5:33 p.m. ET
Modified Oct 8, 2026 at 11:48 p.m. ET
Lazy drivers in Prospect Heights lose chance for 1 less day of alternate-side parking
A pilot found that drivers actually complied with alternate-side less when fewer days were in effect.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Lazy drivers in Prospect Heights lose chance for 1 less day of alternate-side parking
A pilot found that drivers actually complied with alternate-side less when fewer days were in effect.
By
Liam Quigley
Jersey City mayor shakes up staff amid $255M budget gap
By
Michael Sol Warren
Bronx residents will be exempt from new Medicaid work rule, state officials say
By
Caroline Lewis
MTA chair accuses Andy Byford, who's leading Penn Station rebuild, of going 'full MAGA'
By
Stephen Nessen
and
Carol Chen
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .