Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYPD Says Cause Of Subway Fire Unknown
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 27, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 27, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Subway riders are still grousing about the C-line suspension, even though C will be running again in a few months. One of the main reasons might be because having the C, plus part of the A out, many other subway lines are affected (the A is running on the F/V), making everyone's subway commute feel twice as long and harrowing in a way only the MTA can do. One person told Newsday, "the rats look bigger, too."
But the big news is that the police won't say that the fire was caused by a homeless person. One cynical rider told the media:
"That's suspicious as it is. You think a homeless man is going to stop a whole system? It's probably some faulty wiring or antiquated systems they had for a long time that they never bothered to check up on. It blew up on them and maybe they used this homeless guy as an excuse."
Given that there are 100 track fires a month, who knows what shape the signal relay rooms are? And what about the homeless in the subways? Some feel there are less homeless in the subways, since there have been less homeless subway deaths, but a former transit official admitted to the NY Times that they didn't really pay too much attention - they just wanted to chase the "undesirables" out. Gothamist hopes the truth about the fire will come to the public's attention; we were worried that there would be an anti-homeless backlash. And while there has been opposition to using a computerized system, such as the one the L train will be upgraded to this summer, given how antiquated the current system is, this may be an opportunity for the MTA to accelerate plans to computerize the 722 miles of track.
Related: The NY Times on the fate of real estate on the A/C line: One broker puts it into perspective for the rich people bitching, "If you have money to plunk down for an apartment on Central Park West, you can take a cab or the 1 train or hire a car service. You won't be flinging yourself out of your Central Park apartment window." Gothamist wonders if that's true and if apartments with a history of suicide sell for less.
Diagram from NYCSubway's single-line signal explanation
Tagged
central park
central park west
city
fire
gothamist
headlines
history
homeless
manhattan
media
money
MTA
new york
new york city
News: NYC
ny times
Park West
people
police
rats
real estate
rich people
running
subway
subways
suicide
The NY
the ny times
The Police
train
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NY Archdiocese will soon settle $800M clergy sexual abuse claims
The deal would compensate over 1,300 alleged victims and help the church avoid bankruptcy.
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Oct 24, 2026 at 6:31 p.m. ET
Chinatown residents file lawsuit against after-hours construction on new 'mega jail'
Residents cite sleep disruption and dust-induced illness from nearly ‘round the clock’ construction.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
Chinatown residents file lawsuit against after-hours construction on new 'mega jail'
Residents cite sleep disruption and dust-induced illness from nearly ‘round the clock’ construction.
By
Arya Sundaram
Peepapalooza: NYC is heading to the Hudson Valley to watch the leaves
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
Sean Carlson
NYPD: Officer shot, injured knife-wielding woman during ‘chaotic’ night at Queens home
By
Ryan Kost
3 slates vying to run Jersey City school board as city stares down major tax hikes
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .