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New York subway makes first trip to Rockaways since hurricane Sandy New York subway makes first trip to Rockaways since Hurricane Sandy
(35 minutes later)
Just after noon in Thursday, a New York transit employee called out to a group of impatient commuters: "This train is heading to Far Rock. This train is heading to Far Rock."Just after noon in Thursday, a New York transit employee called out to a group of impatient commuters: "This train is heading to Far Rock. This train is heading to Far Rock."
The commuters broke into applause, then boarded the first train to New York City's Rockaway peninsula since the subway track was damaged by hurricane Sandy in October last year. The commuters broke into applause, then boarded the first train to New York City's Rockaway peninsula since the subway track was damaged by Hurricane Sandy in October last year.
"It brings a sense of relief and hope to people that have been affected real bad by Sandy, that at least now the A train's running if they want to go to Manhattan and the city they can hop on the A train, no problem," said Jason Williams, who was born and raised in the Rockaways."It brings a sense of relief and hope to people that have been affected real bad by Sandy, that at least now the A train's running if they want to go to Manhattan and the city they can hop on the A train, no problem," said Jason Williams, who was born and raised in the Rockaways.
Williams lost electricity and water for several weeks after the storm. He had unintentionally made it onto the first A train back to his home in seven months. Williams lost electricity and water for several weeks after the storm. He had unintentionally made it on to the first A train back to his home in seven months. "Now you don't have to get on the shuttle bus – which takes at least another 45 minutes – be late to work, be late to events. It's just running through, it's a beautiful thing."
"Now you don't have to get on the shuttle bus – which takes at least another 45 minutes – be late to work, be late to events. It's just running through, it's a beautiful thing." The storm damaged 3.5 miles of the line, which crosses Jamaica Bay to reach the Rockaways on the western tip of Long Island. Its destruction left 35,000 people without a direct connection to Manhattan. In the intervening seven months, residents have had to use a shuttle bus that circumvents New York's John F Kennedy airport, extending commute times by 45 minutes to an hour. To travel on the peninsula, people would take the resurrected H shuttle train or buses.
The storm damaged 3.5 miles of the line, which crosses Jamaica Bay to reach the Rockaways on the western tip of Long Island. Its destruction left 35,000 people without a direct connection to Manhattan. Michelene Mosley, a Rockaway resident, works in Manhattan but was taking the train only a couple of stops, before the bridge that crosses Jamaica Bay, to pick her daughter up from school. "I'm kind of nervous. I don't want to go over that bridge," she said.
In the intervening seven months, residents have had to use a shuttle bus that circumvents New York's John F Kennedy airport, extending commute times between 45 minutes to an hour. To travel on the peninsula, people would take the resurrected H shuttle train or buses. The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) says the stretch is the most exposed in the city's subway network; it built a two-mile seawall to protect against future damage from coastal seastorms. "I think they just rushed to open it up and now they're saying they have signal problems, so," Mosley said. She plans to go all the way across the bridge on Friday, in order to get to work.
Michelene Mosley, a Rockaway resident, works in Manhattan but was taking the train only a couple of stops before the bridge crosses Jamaia Bay to pick her daughter up from school. The A train was subject to the same delays as a normal train on its first day back. An MTA worker said people were complaining as usual about service, though they admitted it was quicker than the bus and shuttle train. The city has also updated two subway stations on the A line that were flooded in the storm.
"I'm kind of nervous. I don't want to go over that bridge," she said, referring to the part of the A train track that crosses Jamaica Bay. The MTA chairman, Fernando Ferrer, interim executive director Tom Prendergast and other MTA executives took the first trip on the line from Howard Beach to the Rockaway/Beach 166th St station in vintage train cars from the 1930s, as part of a ceremony at 10.30am on Thursday.
MTA said the stretch is the most exposed in the city's subway network and built a two-mile seawall to protect against future damage from coastal seastorms.
"I think they just rushed to open it up and now they're saying they have signal problems, so," Mosley said. She plans to go all the way across the bridge to get to work on Friday.
The A train was subject to the same delays as a normal train on its first day back. An MTA worker said people were complaining as usual about service, though they admitted it was quicker than the bus and shuttle train.
The city also updated two subway stations on the A line that were flooded in the storm.
MTA chairman Fernando Ferrer, interim executive director Tom Prendergast and other MTA executives took the first new trip on the line from Howard Beach to the Rockaway/Beach 166th St station in vintage train cars from the 1930s as part of a 10.30am Thursday ceremony.
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