Subway system still recovering from flooding, but MTA says it 'could have been worse'

Hours after the remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia drenched New York City with record breaking rain, much of the subway system remained suspended, running reduced service or facing delays. Only one of the three Metro-North lines was running anything close to regular service.

Still, MTA Chair Janno Lieber said, “it could’ve been worse.”

“This may be a little bit better than Hurricane Ida, but who's comparing?” Lieber said. “This seems to be a regular occurrence in the era of climate change and it really hits New York hard because we are so dependent on our mass transit system to move people.”

Lieber added that while the MTA has the ability to pump millions of gallons of water, it’s still reliant on the city’s sewer system, which can only process 1.75 inches of rain an hour.

During the morning downpour there was, at one point, 2.5 inches of rain in an hour.

"Part of it is the capacity of the city's storm sewer system which doesn't measure up to this particular level of rain in a short period of time," Lieber said.

He added he was "proud" of how the system had responded to the storm.

“It’s a flooding emergency – and our members aren’t huddled in safe or dry locations. We’re out there keeping NYC moving as long as we can,” Transport Workers Union Local 100 President Richard Davis wrote in a statement. “Bus Operators are driving through waters so high passengers are standing on their seats. Ventilation and Drainage Maintainers – embedded in subway pump rooms in tunnels in between stations before the deluge – are operating pumps capable of removing up to 1,500 gallons of water per minute. Station Agents are evacuating stations and directing riders to shuttle buses. Cleaners are assisting water conditions on mezzanines and platforms. It’s all hands on deck.”

But the brutal morning commute, stressful school day and familiar images of water pouring into subway stations highlighted an undeniable reality: the subway system remains vulnerable to floods, despite billions in investment since Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and Hurricane Ida in 2021.

The water collecting on subway tracks and causing signal failures was a sign that the MTA still has a long way to go before it can say the system is even somewhat flood-proof.

The MTA allocated $7.7 billion for storm-related projects following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, with money going toward both repairs and flood prevention, according to a report last year from the state Comptroller.

Much of those efforts were focused on sections of the subway system that are closest to city coastlines.

Some of the projects completed include $345 million on the L train tunnel connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan. During Friday’s storm, that tunnel was out of service due to flooding.

In July, the MTA’s Office of the Inspector General reported that the MTA had spent $350 million on 3,500 flood mitigation devices like “flex gates, flood logs, manhole covers and marine doors” meant to block water from entering subway stations, among other measures.

The MTA watchdog credited the agency for purchasing the devices as part of improving flood preparedness. But the inspector general’s office recommended the MTA better maintain the new equipment and refine training on how to deploy the gear.

“NYC Transit has not gathered sufficient information on deployment timelines, which is necessary to verify that all required deployments are feasible in the time allotted in the agency’s Hurricane Plan,” the OIG report found.

The report noted that the subways can handle about 1.5 inches of rain per hour, which is pumped into city drains.

“Amounts above that level will tax the subway system’s ability to clear the water,” the report noted.

The National Weather Service tweeted that 7.88 inches of rain were recorded at JFK Airport between midnight and 3 p.m., making Friday the wettest day on record since 1948.

Hurricane Ida’s record-breaking rainfall caused as much as $100 million in damage to the subways. The MTA pumped 75 million gallons of water out of the system, but did get subway service moving hours after the rain stopped. Metro-North however, took five days to recover.

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What you need to know

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• Gov. Hochul declared a state of emergency in New York City.
• The subway system is still recovering from flooding, but the MTA says it "could have been worse."
• "If anyone was caught off guard, they had to be living under a rock," Mayor Adams said defensively during an interview on 1010 WINS later Friday evening.
• Stranded commuters said their experiences reflected poor planning by city and state officials and severe lack of communication in the face of a cascading situation.
• Here's an updating list of closures and delays affecting mass transit, roads and flights.
• Here’s what to do if you're experiencing flooding in your home or neighborhood.