NY Times: Damaged Portions of Subway Could Take Years to Rebuild
Today's New York Times reports that the damaged parts of the New York Subway system may take years to rebuild. Our reading of this article is that the damage to the 1 and 9 subway lines, in particular, is similar to that which could be expected if Lower Manhattan had been hit by a major earthquake.
The article explains that many subway lines serve Lower Manhattan, in part because there were larger numbers of residents and workers in Lower Manhattan when construction began 90 years ago. The article does a poor job of explaining the effect that the loss of these subway lines will have on commuting. During peak commuting times, all of the lines are heavily used. If they are not restored to service soon (and the article strongly suggests that at least one will not), commuting into and out of the area will continue to be a hardship.