STAMFORD, Conn. (WCBS 880) — Metro-North is ready to welcome back commuters, increasing service on all three lines servicing customers east of the Hudson River.
A handful of additional trains are now running during the morning and afternoon peak periods on the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines.
Metro-North calculates it's time to increase service as more people get vaccniated, restrictions are eased, and businesses prepare to welcome employees back to the office.
Commuter Danny Burton has noticed more people on board of late.
He remembers during the height of pandemic being the only person on the train.
"It was kind of like, I don't know if you have seen the movie 'I am Legend?' Will Smith movie where it is like New York, it's just him and some dog or something. It was like that," he said.
Metro-North hopes to return to 83% of pre-pandemic service during the week by the end of August.
Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi says those who do return to the trains will find a number of changes have been made amid the pandemic.
“For those of us who haven’t ridden for a while for now, you’ll be returning to a railroad that is better and safer than ever,” Rinaldi said. “We've made a lot of improvements over the last 15 months. Stations and trains are cleaner than ever thanks to a comprehensive disinfecting program. We’ve installed hand sanitizer dispensers and all of our stations. The real-time capacity tracking feature on Metro-North app was just expanded to the M8 fleet on the New Haven line and positive train control has been installed across our system, making our train operation safer than ever.”