By Philip Newman
Transit officials are considering shutting down entire subway lines for one day in order to perform inspections and maintenance of tracks and equipment.
New York City Transit Authority President Thomas Prendergast spoke about the idea at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Transit Committee Monday.
So far, the idea is just under discussion. No decision has been made.
“We’re not going to throw away the 24-hour, seven-days-a-week railroad,” Prendergast said. “But maybe one day a month, we can take a line and shut it down.”
He said such a shutdown might be on the weekend or overnight.
The discussion of possible shutdowns for maintenance and inspection of signals and other equipment came after a recent report that thousands of inspection reports had been faked by overwhelmed Transit Authority employees.
The city subway system has more than 15,000 signals and some inspectors have said the number of employees assigned to the work is insufficient to get the job done on schedule.
The discussion of a brief shutdown of subway lines is not a result of the MTA’s financial straits.
Reach contributing writer Philip Newman by e-mail at timesledgernews@cnglocal.com or phone at 718-260-4536.
