Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Andrew Cuomo

Advocates Demand 24/7 Subway for Phase 4

Advocates want this finished by the end of July. Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit

Rider advocates took a page out of Gov. Cuomo's book Tuesday afternoon and did a slideshow-heavy news conference to demand the return of normal 24/7 subway service by the time the city reaches Phase 4 of its economic reopening later this month.

"Twenty-four-hour service needs to be fully restored to ensure New Yorkers who are essential workers, or work non-traditional hours like myself, can travel back and forth," Riders Alliance member Rachel Collins said during the press conference that also called for more off-peak service and the cancellation of the MTA's planned hiring of 500 police officers.

via Riders Alliance
via Riders Alliance
via Riders Alliance

Phase 4 of the state's reopening plan allows for higher education, low-risk indoor and outdoor arts and education and media production all to begin again. New York City is scheduled to enter Phase 3 on July 6, and will be allowed to enter Phase 4 on July 20, if it stays on track with its positive health numbers.

The demand for a specific date to restore 24/7 service comes one day after Gov. Cuomo said that 24/7 service will return once trains don't have to be disinfected overnight on a daily basis, the kind of big "if" that was dismissed by advocates as no longer scientifically supported. The subways have been shut down every day between 1 and 5 a.m. so homeless New Yorkers can be removed and each subway car can be disinfected before the morning rush hour. But advocates have recently suggested that the science behind coronavirus transmission shows that surface spread is not the same threat as person-to-person spread, which they say proves the need for increased service that would allow riders to spread out more.

"The disinfection is in significant part for show," said Riders Alliance spokesperson Danny Pearlstein. "What riders need is genuine focus on actual, measurable safety enhancements, and what we're hearing is that more frequent service that will ease crowding is the key to making riders safer, and that cosmetic improvements like power washing the exterior of trains overnight doesn't contribute to that."

The rider advocates also went back to an old demand for the MTA to cease the hiring of 500 additional police officers and instead use the $249 million that would cost to increase off-peak service. According to an analysis Riders Alliance did in December 2019, the $249 million that the MTA is spending on police could pay for 15 percent more service during off-peak hours. The MTA recently announced that while it hired 150 police from the 500 it had budgeted for, the other 350 police hires were on hold due to budget constraints caused by tanking revenues during the coronavirus pandemic.

An MTA spokesperson dismissed the claims and dug in on the decision to not return the subway to 24/7 service anytime soon.

"As we have said 2,000 times, the overnight closure will last for the duration of the pandemic," said MTA spokesperson Abbey Collins. "The trains are cleaner and safer than they have ever been and in the middle of a global health crisis, which couldn’t be more important. Guidance on surfaces from the CDC has continually shifted and we are going to continue to do everything possible to keep our customers and employees healthy and safe."

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Beach Reading: Zohran Mamdani’s Answers to Streetsblog’s Mayoral Candidate Survey

Spend the holiday weekend with Zohran Mamdani's answers to Streetsblog's mayoral candidate questionnaire.

July 4, 2025

Friday Video: Why NYC Needs ‘Low-Traffic Neighborhoods’

London's Church Street, like so many of our business corridors, was choking on cars — until the advent of the low-traffic neighborhood.

July 4, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: E-Bikes in Parks … Permanently Edition

The Parks Department will permanently allow e-bikes in city parks following a two-year pilot. Plus more news.

July 4, 2025

Anti-Miracle On 34th Street: Adams Administration Pauses Work On 34th Street Busway

The highly-anticipated 34th Street busway may not happen under Mayor Adams after all, sources said.

July 3, 2025

Manhattan DA Says Alleged Central Park Hit-and-Run Cyclist Didn’t Flee, Drops Charges

Prosecutors said the 30-year-old cyclist "remained on the scene for about 45 minutes after the crash and waited for paramedics to arrive to treat the injured person."

Sean Duffy’s ‘Great America Road Trip’ Wants You to Drive to Central Park

Sean Duffy's "Great American Road Trip" encourages Americans to drive to sites in the most transit-rich and car-choked parts of the country.

July 3, 2025
See all posts