2015 Snowstorm, 2016 Blizzard, and 2017 Nor’easter
Shoveling on the Q train tracks in Brooklyn. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
In January of 2015, the subway was shut down due to a snowstorm — the first time in 110 years — yet although passenger services was halted, equipment trains still ran. Governor Cuomo made the decision to close passenger service “to err on the side of caution,” noting that it is easier to return a fully closed subway to its full capacity than to operate a subway with modified service. This shutdown resulted in a loss of millions of dollars for the day, yet it potentially saved a number of lives.
There were also a number of partial subway closures in the 2010s due to the January 2016 blizzard and the March 2017 nor’easter, in which all above-ground stations were closed.