Area Transit Shuts Down for Storm

As tropical storm Sandy neared the area, all transit systems in the region shut down on Sunday, October 28.  By Monday morning all trains and buses in the region were at a standstill, and states of emergency were in effect.  NJ Transit announced that major stations such as Newark Penn Station, Secaucus Junction,  and Trenton would remain open as storm shelters; in contrast, the Long Island Rail Road announced that the LIRR portion of Penn Station in New York and the major station in Jamaica, Queens, were “restricted”.  Accessibility of other major facilities remained unclear.  Shutdown of facilities was handled differently by the various agencies; NJ Transit announced an orderly shutdown, with most train lines having service until late in the evening, and buses running until 2 a.m.  An exception was NJT’s services to Atlantic City, directly in the path of the storm; trains there completed their runs at 4 p.m. on Sunday, while buses ran until midnight.  In contrast, in New York, all subway and suburban rail services ended at 7 p.m., with New York City buses continuing until 9 p.m.  In the Philadelphia area, SEPTA shut down its rail network at the end of regular service, and the PATCO high-speed line connecting Phiadelphia with New Jersey set a 2 a.m. Monday shutdown.  Amtrak cancelled all services in the area as well.