The last time subway riders took the B or W trains was the last week of December. The MTA say that's due to persistent staffing shortages related to the pandemic.

The agency says it had to make choices about what service to run with the staff it has available. So it suspended those two lines, and cut back several more because it says the affected stations are served by other lines.

But more than three weeks later, the MTA says it still doesn’t have enough operators or conductors to return to full service.

A spokesperson for the MTA says the number of people calling in sick each day is trending in the right direction.

Still, nearly 20% of subway workers aren't coming in to work, and there's no timetable yet for when subway service will resume pre-omicron levels.