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MTA Restores A, B, C, D Service For Morning Commute
By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 20, 2011
Modified Sep 20, 2011
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Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 20, 2011
Modified Sep 20, 2011
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After pumping water out of the A, B, C & D tracks all night, the MTA has announced that service is restored on those lines for the morning commute. So it looks like your big dream of kayaking to work through the subway system has been foiled. After a water main break at West 106th Street and Central Park flooded the system (and created a spectacular sink-hole) yesterday morning, crews toiled through the night to repair the damage, and full service was restored to all tracks shortly after 5:00 a.m. Here's how they did it:
Using both stationary and portable pumps, crews were successful in removing water three to ten feet deep along the tracks stretching from the 103rd Street station to 125th Street. Crews also replaced approximately 30 motorized signal stop arms that were damaged by the water. A massive clean-up of mud and debris was done, while tracks and third rails were power-washed. Work trains were called into service to remove debris as it was collected and bagged.
The water main break occurred shortly before 11:30 a.m. Monday at 106th Street and Central Park West with reports indicating that the ruptured 36-inch water main was nearly 100 years old. Maintainers responded quickly and discovered eight to ten feet of water in the system between 103rd Street and 110th Street and nearly four feet of water as far north as 125th Street. Pumps located in the 125th Street Station were able to move about 6,000 gallons of water per minute out of the system.
6,000 gallons pumped out per minute! It is truly impressive how much the MTA can suck sometimes.
Tagged
MTA
subway
water main break
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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