Days or weeks to drain tunnels?

NYC Tunnels will take many days to drain
After reading exactly how much water they have in new York tunnels in above word button article (NYC Tunnels-----") and what kind of pumps presently being used it appears right now it is a logistical nightmare for now.

What actually appears to be happening is that the pumps that are large enough to actually drain the tunnels anytime soon are elsewhere in the country. Also 12 inch pumps are easier and quicker to put into place than 24 inch pumps it appears. So, what appears to be going on is that large enough pumps to actually drain the 86 million gallons of water are being trucked to NYC now. I think the crews have mostly already flown or driven in. But then, logistically assembling all these pumps and power sources and suckers and piping and filter screens so the pumps don't get clogged or burn out of large objects (including mud) get in the way of the screened entrances to the pipes leading to the pumps (unless they are submersible pumps which is an entirely different problem to address. Also, finding the lowest point in the flooded tunnel to put the screened entrance to the pipes is important so they don't lose the water prime again and again.

Then after all the water is drained all structures of the tunnels must be inspected to see if they are still safe for people to travel through them. Then, the tracks need to be safe enough to still carry a subway train or cars and trucks depending upon the tunnel. Then all the electrical systems need to be inspected to see if the salt water has completely destroyed the tracks and other electrical systems throughout the tunnels that are for subways.

So, it looks like a multi-week or even a several month job at the least for now as I look at it from the outside.

I can see why they are letting people ride public transportation for free for now because when the people find out how long they are going to have to wait for these tunnels they might be upset. And the other problem is these tunnels are 108 years old, so there is a possibility that new tunnels might need to be created or the old tunnels might need to be reinforced and that could take months or years too.

Note: I live in California so some of the details might not be perfect because I don't live in New York. However, I come from a long line of Electrical Contractors through my Grandfather and my father and Uncle since about 1900 or so, and I was trained starting when I was 12 to  be an electrician's helper starting in 1960 during the summers. So, looking at this from this point of view it is going to take some time to make sure all the water is out and it is safe enough for the general public to travel through these tunnels.

By the way salt water and electrical components don't mix. If it was fresh water it wouldn't be such a big problem. So even if you drain tunnels for subways, most of the electrical components for subway trains exposed to salt water even for a short time will be basically not usable. (However, if they were all rinsed with fresh water and then dried well enough some might be salvageable. However, even this is very debatable.