On Thursday, a subway train carrying roughly 300 people collided with an out-of-service train near West 96th Street in Manhattan, causing both trains to derail, according to Metropolitan Transportation Authority authorities.
According to M.T.A. officials, twenty-four individuals were hurt when a northbound No. 1 train going at a slow pace collided with a second train carrying four transit personnel around 3 p.m. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening.
At a news conference on Thursday, M.T.A. officials stated that the crash did not appear to be the result of a technical issue.
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According to M.T.A. officials, the incident began when a No. 1 train paused at 79th St. when vandals triggered its brakes. The train was out of service and slowly making its way uptown when, in front of it, a train carrying 300 passengers was switching back to a local track. Officials stated the passenger train had been given the green light to proceed.
Richard Davey, president of New York City Transit, the M.T.A. subsidiary that manages the subway, said during a news conference at the station on Thursday that the sabotaged train had many of its emergency brake cords ripped. According to a spokeswoman for the M.T.A., an inquiry into the cause of the accident has begun.
“Thankfully, there were no serious injuries,” stated Mr. Davey. “Obviously, two trains should not collide with one another.” We’re going to find out what’s going on.”
Mr. Davey stated that, in addition to the 300 passengers on the passenger train, firefighters and M.T.A. employees evacuated another 300 to 400 passengers from a train behind it after electricity was shut off in the station.
Following the derailment, service on the 1, 2, and 3 lines was suspended across most of Manhattan.
The northbound 1 train between 42nd and 137th Streets had yet to resume service by 6:30 p.m., according to M.T.A. social media posts.
Mr. Davey stated that he expected teams to work at the station all night. “It’s a little messy down there,” he said. “It’s going take us a while to get this service back and running.”
He stated that he hoped to restore service for rush hour on Friday morning but could not promise it.
Lucas Mann, a 17-year-old Special Music School student in Lincoln Center, was in the first car of the No. 1 train when he and other passengers “felt a big jolt.”
“I was scared,” he continued.
Purvi Thacker, 41, was aboard a northbound 2 train that abruptly halted at 86th Street following the collision between the trains farther north. When the power went out, she added, other passengers became impatient and opened a window. Some others walked on the tracks after the train stopped, she claimed.
“It was just frustrating,” Ms. Thacker, a Manhattan resident, said. “It was really hot.”
Subway derailments have been uncommon since a string of service failures in 2017. The mishaps highlighted how much maintenance had been ignored at the time, and following an overhaul, the system’s performance much improved.
The last passenger train accident happened on September 20, 2020, when an A train fell off the tracks near 14th Street. There were more than 100 individuals on board, and three of them were injured.
As it recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, New York City’s public transportation system has been rather stable. Ridership is increasing, and a state funding influx has balanced its books until at least 2027. It is also poised to start collecting billions of dollars through a congestion pricing program, which will generate income for enhancements to the city’s subway and bus networks.
Mariame Diallo, 15, claimed she was aboard the No. 3 train, which was following the No. 1 train when the derailments occurred.
Some individuals aboard opened the subway doors to get out onto the tracks as she and other passengers waited for approximately an hour to get off the train.
Ms. Diallo, who was on her way home from school, stated that she was almost on the No. 1 train when it crashed. Instead, she awaited the next train to ride with three of her classmates.
“I guess it pays to stick with your friends,” she told me.