Note: This report was filed late Sunday night, when the MTA was expecting more limited subway service. As of Monday morning, all subway lines were running.

The unprecedented weekend shutdown for the city's mass transit systems during Hurricane Irene was quickly reversed, and the drastic measures taken by the MTA helped lead to an almost normal Monday morning commute. NY1's Transit reporter Tina Redwine filed the following report.

More than 24 hours without mass transit was more than most New Yorkers could bear. But the good news Sunday afternoon, as at 4:30 p.m. the Metropolitan Transportation Authority resumed limited bus service, first in Manhattan and the Bronx, and later in all five boroughs.

Then late Sunday, MTA officials announced that subways would reopen at 6 a.m. Monday and that the Staten Island Railway would reopen at midnight Sunday.

It took eight hours on Saturday to shutdown service, and MTA Chairman and CEO Jay Walder said restarting the system was a demanding process.

"What we have is a staff-wide process. It involves us literally walking tracks, with our staff repairing things that we see with crews, and then running non-revenue trains over tracks to be able to see everything is safe," said Walder.

The MTA said the East River tunnels did not flood, but there was still plenty of flooding in the system on Sunday, like on the N line in Brooklyn.

Walder said the unprecedented shutting of the system was the right decision.

"The yards where we relocated trains out of are yards that are underwater right now. So it's very clear that the actions to protect the system have helped us," said Walder.

The MTA also had to get equipment back where it belonged. For example, the agency said all Brooklyn trains were stored outside the borough.

Despite the inconvenience, many people throughout the shutdown was a good idea.

For the latest transit information, visit mta.info.