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Good luck getting to Manhattan: Series of transit meltdowns frustrates thousands of riders
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
and
Elijah Hurewitz-Ravitch
Published Jul 16, 2025
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Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
and
Elijah Hurewitz-Ravitch
Published Jul 16, 2025
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Thousands of commuters struggled to get to work in Manhattan on Wednesday morning after a series of issues hammered the area’s transit networks.
The A, B, C, D and E subway lines all experienced extended wait times and delays after a train was removed from service because its brakes were activated at Penn Station around 8 a.m., the MTA said.
Around the same time, a disabled bus in the Lincoln Tunnel sparked more than an hour of delays for New Jersey commuters. Riders took to social media to describe traffic in and out of the tunnel as a “complete standstill.”
“I had no idea what was going on," said Steve Kreitzberg after he arrived at the Port Authority Bus Terminal following the tunnel delay. "It's the middle of the week. Why is there a delay?"
Railroad riders didn’t have much better luck, as several NJ Transit lines reported delays of up to 45 minutes after, the agency said, a person was struck by a train near the Newark Liberty International Airport station.
NJ Transit said it would cross-honor tickets at PATH stations. But riders on that system were still facing delays of their own while crews continued to fix track issues near Hoboken. PATH officials did not say when they expected to resolve the problems.
The delays came on a sweltering summer day when the heat index headed toward 100 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
The problems only added to commuters’ pain this week. Monday night’s storms inundated New York City's subway system, hammering service on the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 lines, as well as several commuter railroads. The heavy rainfall flooded much of the 1 line, prompting the MTA to shut down service for nearly two hours.
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new jersey
new york city
transportation
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Elijah Hurewitz-Ravitch
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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