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With a heat wave passing through the New York City area this week, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today detailed precautions it is taking to maintain reliable service and keep customers cool on their commute, including adding personnel at strategic locations, increasing equipment inspections, and monitoring rail temperatures.
“As we all know and feel, a heat advisory is in effect across the region through the end of the week. We want customers to stay hydrated and fully informed when using the system,” said MTA Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara. “We are using all 10,000 digital screens, the MTA website and all social media channels to keep customers updated in real time, and we encourage sign-ups for text and email alerts in the event of weather impacts.”
“All of the MTA network can be affected by high heat, from tracks and signals to customer waiting areas above and below ground, to critical infrastructure like communications rooms and power equipment” said MTA Construction & Development President Jamie Torres-Springer. “That’s why investments in state-of-good-repair are our most critical priority and why we have outlined a Resilience Roadmap as we head into future capital programs.”
“We are no strangers to summertime in New York City, and the extreme heat that occasionally comes with it,” said NYC Transit Interim President Demetrius Crichlow. “Fortunately for riders, when a train or bus arrives, it has air conditioning measured at 99% daily reliability. Both subway cars and buses will be inspected prior to their trip to ensure that reliability remains the same and anyone who needs to travel are provided a cool, comfortable ride.”
“As temperatures continue rising to extreme levels, our crews at Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road are working diligently to maintain service and enhance customer experience,” said Long Island Rail Road President Rob Free. “We will continue to monitor the extreme heat and have crews on stand-by to respond to any abnormalities that may occur.”
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. The railroads will monitor rail temperatures and deploy heat patrols to inspect the rails for any kinks.
Train crews have been instructed to report any rail conditions that need attention, and additional personnel will be staged at locations that pose a high risk for brush fires.
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. Metro-North's Track Department will be conducting special track inspections and patrols throughout the territory, including critical locations, during all periods of the day. Additional Power Department personnel will be deployed to protect substations and overhead aerial line locations as well. There will also be additional signal maintainers to protect critical central interlocking locations and against Con Ed service disruptions near substation locations.
Metro-North tested the application of white reflective paint near Rye station on the New Haven Line in 2018. The paint application successfully reduced rail temperatures by up to 12 degrees. The successful approach has since been expanded to Connecticut’s Walk Bridge, where prolonged heat has caused rail issues that have prevented the bridge from opening safely.
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.
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.