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Queens Midtown Tunnel Resumes Full Service After Sandy

By  Jeanmarie Evelly Julie  Shapiro Alan Neuhauser and Aidan Gardiner | November 5, 2012 9:05am | Updated on November 16, 2012 7:00am

 A sign points to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel.
A sign points to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel.
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Flickr/ehavir

NEW YORK CITY — Full service resumed Friday to the Queens Midtown Tunnel, as Governor Andrew Cuomo announced trucks would be allowed through for the first time following Hurricane Sandy.

“The progress that was made in bringing the Queens Midtown Tunnel back is nothing short of miraculous,” Cuomo announced on the 72nd anniversary of the tunnel's opening. “The tunnel had never flooded in its 72-year history, but after being under water, it is back in service."

The tunnel has been opened incrimentally to different types of vehicles, first buses on Nov. 6, cars on Nov. 9, and now finally large trucks.

The tunnel's opening marks the latest development in the city's efforts to get its entire transportation system, which was crippled during Hurricane Sandy, up and running again. 

The Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel resumed some rush hour traffic Tuesday, but full service has yet to be restored as crews work to repair damage from massive flooding during the storm.

Buses and cars can drive into Manhattan between 6 and 10 a.m. along one lane of the Eastern tube and out again between 3 and 7 p.m. The tunnel remains closed for the rest of the day because crews are still pumping out all of the 43 million gallons of water that flooded it and repairing damaged electrical equipment inside. 

All subway lines are now running, and service along other commuter rails is gradually returning normal.

The R train is still running in two sections — one between Forest Hills-71 Avenue Station and 34 Street-Herald Square Station, and the other between Jay Street-MetroTech Station and Bay Ridge-95 Street Station.

Here are the latest service warnings as of Tuesday morning. Be sure to check back with DNAinfo.com New York for the latest updates.

MTA Subways
Here's a line-by-line rundown of subway service:

1 trains between 242nd Street and Rector Street. South Ferry remains closed.
2 trains between 241st Street and Flatbush Avenue
3 trains between Harlem/148th Street and New Lots Avenue
4 trains between Woodlawn and Crown Heights/Utica Avenue
5 trains between Eastchester/Dyre Avenue and Flatbush Avenue/Brooklyn College
6 trains between Pelham Bay Park and Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall
7 trains between Times Square/42nd Street and Flushing/Main Street
A trains between 207th Street and Howard Beach-JFK Airport Station. There is no A train service between Howard Beach-JFK Airport Station and the Rockaways.
B trains between Bedford Park Boulevard in the Bronx and Brighton Beach in Brookyn
C trains between 168th Street and Euclid Avenue
D trains between Norwood/205th Street and Bay Parkway
E trains between Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer and the World Trade Center
F trains between Jamaica/179th Street and Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue, with limited service
trains between Court Square and Church Avenue
J trains between Jamaica Center/Parsons/Archer and Chambers Street
L trains between 14th Street-Eighth Avenue and Canarsie-Rockaway Parkway
M trains between Forest Hills/71st Ave and Metropolitan Avenue
N trains between Astoria/Ditmars Boulevard and 59th Street
Q trains between Astoria/Ditmars Boulevard and Stillwell Avenue-Coney Island
R trains run in two sections: one between Forest Hills/71st Avenue and 34th Street/Herald Square; the other between Jay Street/MetroTech and and Bay Ridge/95th Street
Z trains between Jamaica Center/Parsons Archer and Chambers Street

Staten Island Railway (SIR) is operating on its normal schedule.

MTA Buses
Most bus routes in all five boroughs were running normally. Those routes that go through the Hugh L. Carey Tunnelformerly the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel—will be able to do so when it is open for rush-hour traffic, otherwise they'll be rerouted. Many Rockaways buses are also temporarily rerouted. Check the MTA website for details.

Bridges and Tunnels
All MTA and Port Authority bridges are open, though the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel has limited rush-hour service for buses and cars only.

Long Island Rail Road
LIRR trains resumed weekday schedules on every branch except Long Beach, which has limited service. Some trains have been diverted or cancelled due to repairs. 

The Long Beach branch reopened Wednesday to a diesel powered shuttle train. The train will run between Long beach and Lynbrook branches once every hour during peak times, and once every two hours during off-peak times. 

Metro-North
Metro-North trains on the Hudson and Harlem lines, and on the Danbury and Newbury branches of the New Haven Line, were operating on their normal schedules. The New Canaan branch, which had been closed since the storm, resumed normal service Tuesday.

PATH
Limited PATH service is operating in both directions between Newark-Penn Station in New Jersey and 33rd Street in New York. Along the route, trains stop at Journal Square, Grove and Newport stations in New Jersey, and the 14th Street and 23rd Street stations in Manhattan. The 9th Street station reopened to limited service on Tuesday, and the Christopher Street station is still closed. 

Staten Island Ferry
The Staten Island Ferry is running as scheduled between St. George Terminal and Whitehall Terminal.

New York Waterway
NY Waterway ferries were running on their normal schedules Friday morning. Check the NY Waterway website for details.

New Jersey Transit
Some lines resumed limited service Monday including the Morris and Essex and Pascack Valley.

Montclair-Boonton Service resumed modified service Wednesday between Hackettstown and Hoboken/New York. 

Raritan Valley, Northeast Corridor and Main/Port Jervis trains are also running on modified schedules. The Princeton "Dinky" service on the Northeast Corridor Line was also running.

NJ Transit urged riders systemwide to expect crowing and delays and to allow extra time for travel. Visit the NJ Transit website for details.

November monthly passes and tickets will be honored throughout the system until further notice. 

Amtrak
Amtrak restored Empire Service between New York City and Albany Rensselaer Friday morning. All other trains on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor are also now operating on normal schedules.