Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Why riders can easily trip emergency brakes on NYC’s subway trains
By
Stephen Nessen
and
Clayton Guse
Published Feb 23, 2024
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 .
Clayton Guse
By
Stephen Nessen
and
Clayton Guse
Published Feb 23, 2024
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
In New York City, it only takes the pull of a handle to bring a subway train to a screeching halt. It’s so easy, in fact, that vandals do it hundreds of times per year.
The most recent incident where a subway emergency brake caused mayhem was last month, when a vandal pulled the cord on a train on the 1 line. The train was disabled, and later derailed.
MTA Chair Janno Lieber said emergency brakes on subway trains were pulled 1,700 times last year — but only 30 of those instances were for legitimate emergencies.
All those prank pulls can add up and cause hours of delays. Dozens of people were injured in January's derailment, although that was due to an apparent operator error while moving the car with locked brakes to the train yard. Still, it all started with someone pulling an emergency brake.
But the MTA makes it easy: The emergency brake cord dangles at the end of each car on the agency's older subway trains. On its newest trains, the trigger is tucked away in a small cabinet that is officially referred to as a “Passenger Emergency Handle Unit.” But it’s still in public view and easily accessible.
So why does the MTA leave emergency brake cords hanging out in the open in its older train cars, where they tempt would-be vandals with their bright red swinging handles?
While the Federal Railroad Administration requires them to be in place on trains, that agency doesn't govern the subway.
An MTA spokesperson said emergency brake cords aren't required on subway trains, but noted “we’re keeping in best safety practices.”
So when is the right time to pull the brake?
The MTA’s own website leaves it somewhat open to interpretation. It directs riders to “only pull the brake if the train's continued movement presents an immediate danger to people.”
The New York Times in 2010 reported the MTA said “if someone gets caught between the train’s closing doors, or between subway cars,” it’s a good time to pull the emergency brakes. The grim occasion for that piece was a stabbing that took place on a subway train that was between stations. Someone pulled the emergency brake, trapping everyone in a dark tunnel with the knife wielder.
An MTA spokesperson clarified that examples of when pulling the brake would be appropriate include when a parent or child are separated or if someone is having a “medical episode.”
This week in New York City transit news
Listen here:
- The MTA said it plans to replace orange-tinted fluorescent lights with LED bulbs by the end of 2026 in an effort to make stations feel safer. Read more.
- The city comptroller’s office is suing two MTA contractors for underpaying workers hired to clean subway cars and stations during the height of the pandemic. Read more.
- Police said a man lying on the tracks of the West Fourth St– Washington Square station was struck and killed by an F train early Thursday morning, marking the second fatality on the F line this week. Read more.
- The company that runs the NYC Ferry service has filed for bankruptcy. (It's a financial maneuver — the boat operator says ferry service won't be affected.) Read more.
- Several disability rights groups have sued the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission for failing to comply with a previous settlement requiring half of the city's taxis to be wheelchair-accessible. (The New York Times)
- The mom of a Manhattan teen who died while subway surfing last year is suing TikTok, Instagram and the MTA for not doing enough to prevent her son from attempting the deadly stunt. (The New York Post)
Curious Commuter
Question:
Why is the G train so short?
–VS, from Brooklyn
Answer:
Most of the city’s subway trains have 10 cars — but the G line only runs with five. And the shorter trains often require riders to sprint down a platform to board. The MTA says this isn’t an accident, and claims there aren’t enough G train riders to justify longer trains. “The MTA routinely monitors ridership on all lines to assess crowding and the G train is not experiencing a capacity issue,” spokesperson Joana Flores wrote in a statement.
The MTA recently boosted midday and weekend service on the G line, while evening service is supposed to run every 8 minutes.
Have a question? Follow @Gothamist on Instagram for special opportunities and prompts to submit questions.
If you're not on Instagram, email [email protected] or [email protected] with the subject line "Curious Commuter question."
You must provide your first name and borough (or city if outside of NYC) to have your question considered.
Tagged
new york city
public safety
transportation
On The Way
Stephen Nessen
Stephen Nessen covers transportation. Since 2008 he has reported on everything from Occupy Wall Street, the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, Hurricane Sandy, to Trump’s campaign for president. His transportation reporting has taken him everywhere from the MTA’s secret Rail Control Center to the gleaming subways of Seoul. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
Read more
Clayton Guse
Clayton is the editor of the Transit and Infrastructure desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
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 .