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State Unveils Winter Operations Plan For NYC Buses, Subways

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- As the Tri-State Area sank into wintry conditions, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday announced that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has activated its winter operations plan.

The plan, which affects New York City subways, buses, and the Staten Island Railway is put into effect in mid-November every year in anticipation of the inclement winter to come.

The 2014-2015 plan involves new snow-fighting equipment for the MTA Department of Buses, new cold-weather and communications equipment, more cooperation with the Department of Sanitation, and more alerts and service checks.

Also for the first time this year, articulated buses will be retrofitted with all-season tires, and overnight buses will have either all-season tires or snow chains, Cuomo's office said. Special winter weather bus schedules will be instituted to substitute for service problems on a route-by-route basis, Cuomo's office said.

On the subways, eight new locomotives and 79 trains with ice scraper sh0es will be brought into service to help keep ice levels low on the third rails.

Snow-fighting equipment, winterization of signals and other efforts are also planned.

"New York's mass transit system is vital to keeping the city going – and we're doing everything necessary to make sure that the system runs as smoothly as possible through the cold winter months," Cuomo said in the release. "By activating this winter operation plan, the MTA is doubling down on its preparations for inclement weather and taking important steps to help buses and trains avoid delays and keep commuters safe."

Although the winter operations plan is enacted at this time every year, it happened to come on a day where the temperature was below freezing for all the hours after 6 a.m. On Wednesday morning, temperatures will be between 10 and 20 degrees in the Tri-State Area, CBS2 Weather reported.

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