PEDAL POWER: These two intrepid travelers are on a roll last night in snowy Manhattan on their three-wheeler. (AP)
Getting around will be a snowy hell for New Yorkers today, with most subway, commuter-train and bus service curbed and hundreds of airline flights canceled.
“Limit travel or stay home if possible,” the MTA warned in a statement.
Express service on some subway lines was expected to be suspended so underground tracks could be used for train storage amid the storm, the MTA said.
The MTA said late last night that there will be full service on the 7 line all weekend.
The agency said earlier that 7 service would be partially suspended, but less-than-expected snowfall prompted the change.
Some bus service was also expected to be canceled, depending on local weather conditions.
Metro-North Railroad service was suspended until further notice last night at 10 p.m. and Grand Central Terminal closed at midnight.
The Long Island Rail Road suspended service on parts of the Montauk branch, and the Long Island Expressway and Sunrise Highway were closed down in Suffolk County except for emergency vehicles.
NJ Transit said last night that it planned regular Saturday service, depending on the snowfall.
Amtrak canceled Acela service to Boston and curbed service between New York and other points north. Service to Washington, DC, was expected to be running as usual.
Commuters rushed from work early yesterday as transit agencies cut evening train and bus service.
The MTA canceled some trains and buses last night as the snow piled up.
To help commuters get home early, extra Metro-North and LIRR trains made runs to the suburbs in the afternoon.
NJ Transit also canceled evening trains but offered extra afternoon service out of Penn Station.
“I figured I needed to get out while I can,” said Michael Kennedy, a lawyer from Summit, NJ, who bailed from work yesterday afternoon in hopes of grabbing an early NJ Transit train.
“Right now it’s not bad — but who knows what it’ll be like later. This place can get crazy,” Kennedy said.
Steve Bondi, of East Williston, LI, decided yesterday that the train was a safer option than driving to work and joined throngs of LIRR riders catching an early ride home.
At the airports, the big carriers, including Delta, American and JetBlue, shut down their New York operations until at least this afternoon.
Some 471 inbound flights and 222 outbound flights were canceled today at Kennedy, La Guardia and Newark airports, according to FlightAware.com.
That’s on top of 1,061 outbound flights and 760 inbound flights canceled yesterday.
More than a few flyers were stranded. Michele Uwins of Nova Scotia planned to sleep last night on a chair at La Guardia after her flight was canceled.
“I couldn’t afford a hotel,” said Uwins, 49, who stopped through La Guardia on her way home from a trip to Cambodia — her first vacation in 30 years.
If all else failed, a lot of commuters had a plan B — sofa surfing.
“I used to live in the city, so I have a lot of friends here,” said Yvette Petty of Woodbridge, NJ, who was hoping for a train home yesterday at Penn Station.
“I have my backup plan ready in case!” Petty said.
Additional reporting by Kevin Fasick