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Wednesday 7 Train Problems Triggered A Claustrophobic Nightmare
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Jan 22, 2020
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Photo by Alice Zhu
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Jan 22, 2020
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7 train riders were forced to scramble for other options this morning after service was suspended following back to back problems with the Awkwafina-voiced subway line which runs from Flushing to Hudson Yards. At 8:46 a.m., the MTA tweeted that a train with mechanical problems near Grand Central-42 St. had caused service to halt in both directions. By 9:12 am, limited express service had resumed but then a report of smoke at 33 St-Rawson St. surfaced, adding further confusion.
Alice Zhu, 29, said she got on at Woodside around 8:30 a.m. When the delay hit, she said she and other Manhattan-bound passengers hurried out of the Hunters Point Avenue station and got on a train in the opposite direction back to Court Square, where they could transfer to E/G/M lines. But the mass exodus at Court Square wreaked havoc. "All the stairwells were completely crowded," she told Gothamist. "When I was trying to get to the M train, there was just a sea of people trying to get into that corridor."
Once she finally got onto the platform, she said the crowded conditions made it so that she was nerverackingly only a few inches away from the edge of the tracks. "If someone were to push me, I think I would have fallen," she said.
Another person who snapped a photo of the packed platform also noted the dangerous conditions. "Unsafe crowding. Thanks @NYCTSubway @andrewcuomo @NYCMayor."
An MTA spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about Wednesday's delays.
The chaos on Wednesday followed other recent severe disruptions on the 7 line. On January 6th, a misplaced transponder coupled with a switch malfunction created hours of delays. Trains that were running did so at a seeming crawl.
“Our signals weren’t able to correctly identify the placement of the train and they appropriately slowed the trains down and spaced them farther out so we could operate safely," explained Sally Libera, senior Vice President of subways at New York City Transit, during a press conference.
Riders were also beset by slow-running 7 trains on at least two occasions in December. According to the MTA, the problem had to do with the snowy slush that covered the transponders installed as part of the line's new $600 million digital signaling system.
Nearly an hour and a half after leaving home, Zhu said she finally made it to her work at Lower Manhattan at 9:50 a.m. The ride typically takes 30 minutes, she said. But nothing was normal about this day. She doesn't even usually take the subway, but opts instead for the Long Island Railroad.
"Today, it was the worst timing," she said.
Tagged
wethecommuters
7 train
subway delays
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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