The New York subway closed, trapping passengers in the dark for 84 minutes



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New York subway riders who were trapped in the dark after the transportation system was paralyzed for five hours may blame an MTA employee who pressed the wrong button and not a power outage, the people said on Friday. investigators.

The anonymous MTA employee hit the ’emergency shutdown’ button around 8:30 p.m. on August 29, according to HDR and WSP, the engineering companies hired to conduct the investigation, said New York Governor Kathy Hochul .

Numbered lines, as well as the L train, were hit – half of the city’s transit system – leaving 80 trains and more than 500 passengers affected, according to the Washington Post.

Five trains were still in the tunnels at the time of the power cut, the last entering the station around 1.30am.

Hochul (pictured outside Bowling Green Underground Station) reported that two more trains had been evacuated by authorities and the remaining train was eventually able to resurface.

Hochul (pictured outside Bowling Green Underground Station) reported that two more trains had been evacuated by authorities and the remaining train was eventually able to resurface.

Numbered lines and L trains have been affected

The system was not fully restored until around 1:30 a.m., leaving passengers on the trains for five hours.

Numbered lines and L trains were affected. The system was not fully restored until around 1:30 a.m., leaving passengers on the trains until five a.m.

Half of the New York City subway line was closed on August 21 after an MTA employee pressed the button

Half of the New York City subway line was closed on August 21 after an MTA employee pressed the “emergency stop” button, causing the signal and connection to be lost. system with the rail control center.

Electricity company Con Edison reported a momentary power outage around 8:30 p.m. that lasted only a few milliseconds and said it could not have caused the power outage, according to Bloomberg.

However, the blip would have forced the power system on a back-up generator. When power returned to the main system, a power surge occurred, causing the metro to lose communication and signal with the train control center, investigators found.

The rail control center reportedly worked to restore power after mechanical equipment ceased to function properly while this was happening.

During this time, the employee allegedly pressed the button, which caused all electrical equipment connected to the power distribution units to fail at 9:06 p.m.

Investigation reports say power was restored at 10:30 p.m. after leaving passengers in the dark for 84 minutes.

Officials blame human error for the delays due to inadequate organizational structure and a lack of guidance, according to the Washington Post.

An investigation has been launched to understand why the rail control center and trains are losing signal with each other and to ensure this does not happen again.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul reported that two trains had “self-evacuated,” meaning passengers exited subway cars and walked along the tracks instead of waiting for authorities.

This delayed restoration efforts because the New York Fire Department had to make sure no passengers were left on the tracks.

Additionally, Hochul said two trains were successfully evacuated by authorities and the remaining train was laid flat.

A total of 80 trains and more than 500 passengers were affected.  Five trains remained stuck in the tunnels.  The governor of New York reported at a press conference that two trains had

A total of 80 trains and more than 500 passengers were affected. Five trains remained stuck in the tunnels. The governor of New York reported at a press conference that two trains had “self-evacuated”, meaning that passengers got off the trains and walked on the tracks instead of waiting for authorities. evacuate them safely.

She has launched an investigation into the matter to ensure that New Yorkers never have to go through this again.

She has launched an investigation into the matter to ensure that New Yorkers never have to go through that “frightening situation” or “the anguish” of being trapped underground again. She also said that “it is our job to restore that confidence” in New York’s transit system for all New Yorkers.

“It’s a scary situation. Again, this is something we don’t want New Yorkers to have to relive, ”Hochul said at a press conference on Aug. 30, standing outside Bowling Green subway station.

“It was a scary time, if it’s 15 minutes you just don’t know when you’re underground what’s going on. And I don’t want anyone going through this anxiety.

Two days after the subway system closed, New York City suffered heavy flooding from Hurricane Ida, forcing all subway lines to be suspended and several New Jersey Transit trains were also affected.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also banned travel from midnight to 5 a.m. and effectively closed the five boroughs, a first in history.

New Jersey Transit train 3881 was stranded for 10 hours after the tracks flooded, leaving passengers without toilets or ventilation.

The train left New York’s Penn Station at 7:43 p.m. on September 1 and was bound for Trenton when it became disabled east of Newark International Airport around 8:30 p.m., a spokesperson for CNN told CNN. the transport agency.

Passengers crowded into cars at one end of the train after three cars at the other end took a few inches of water, according to NJ Transit. Within hours of its failure, the train’s air conditioning and ventilation were running on electricity.

NJ Transit train 3881 was stranded without power or ventilation for 10 hours on September 1

NJ Transit train 3881 was stranded without power or ventilation for 10 hours on September 1

Heavy flooding in New York and New Jersey from Hurricane Ida left passengers stranded.  The train left New York's Penn Station at 7:43 p.m. on September 1 and was bound for Trenton when it became disabled east of Newark International Airport.

Heavy flooding in New York and New Jersey from Hurricane Ida left passengers stranded. The train left New York’s Penn Station at 7:43 p.m. on September 1 and was bound for Trenton when it became disabled east of Newark International Airport.

Some passengers did not reach their destination until 7 a.m. due to flooding

Some passengers did not reach their destination until 7 a.m. due to flooding

It was almost six hours before the roughly 200 passengers on board received relief, when cops arrived and opened the doors around 4 a.m. to give them water.

But they remained stranded until a rescue train could tow them to the Newark Airport station an hour later.

From there, passengers were able to board other trains – several told CNN they didn’t reach their destinations until well after 7 a.m.

“I’m leading mitigation measures to ensure runners are never interrupted by these causes again. New Yorkers deserve absolute confidence in a fully functioning subway system, and it is our duty to restore that confidence, ”Hochul said at the time.

She thanked the conductors for handling the majority of the situation and keeping the passengers informed.

“I would like to thank all public transport workers, especially the drivers, who had the weight of responsibility on their shoulders. Take all the trains, sometimes 10 in number, to verbally let people know what they are going through, ”she said. “There was no communication that the conductor could say over the public address system or verbally on the trains.”

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