MIDTOWN — Amtrak’s “summer of hell” repairs kicked off at Penn Station early Monday morning — but many straphangers took to social media to say their commutes hadn't "lived up to the hype."
After Amtrak announced it would be carrying out track maintenance work at Penn Station beginning Monday morning and ending Sept. 1, Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned it would likely be a “summer of hell” for Amtrak, NJ Transit and the Long Island Rail Road riders.
The train companies devised a range of alternatives for passengers whose regular commutes would be disrupted, but some passengers said Monday that the service changes hadn't affected their travels.
Some commuters maintained the journey went more smoothly than their usual commutes.
Transfers from the LIRR to Atlantic Terminal and the Hunterspoint Avenue stations seemed to be smoother sailing than officials had warned.
A few straphangers expressed excitement about the discounts and free transfers being offered by LIRR and NJ Transit.
Others only encountered delays when they transferred to the subway.
Some passengers, however, did encounter delays and overcrowding on their commutes into the city.
A few people were irked more by press coverage of the service changes than by the changes themselves.
Others warned the evening commute could end up being worse than the morning one.
Officials said Monday evening that they were pleasantly surprised with the morning commute and hoped the evening rush would go as smoothly.
MTA Chairman Joe Lhota said more Long Island commuters took ferries and those riding trains opted to sit in the middle seats instead of standing in aisles, helping the system move.
While there were more people coming in from Long Island, many chose to get off at Jamaica or head to the Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, decreasing the number of commuters into Penn Station by about 7,000, according to Lhota.
"This morning it worked really well and for that I’m grateful," the chairman said at a Penn Station press conference, adding that he wished he "had a piece of wood to knock on" for the evening commute.