The Commute: It’s Been A Rough Week For Transit

THE COMMUTE: First we had massive delays on Metro-North last Monday due to snow and ice. Passengers were stuck on a cold train for two hours when they were promised a train would arrive for them in 10 minutes. Then we had the “umbrella incident” on the #7 Flushing Line, which knocked service out for more than 24 hours.

Just one day later, a Metro-North accident killed six. Both of the weather related incidents on Metro-North and the #7 service outage could have been handled much better. The MTA totally screwed up, but at least did not try to sugar coat it, which is unusual for them. They even apologized for the Metro-North delays.

So far, by all indications, there is no evidence that Metro-North had any involvement in contributing to the accident there, unlike the one in 2013, in which the engineer was traveling at 80 mph in a 30-mph zone. This train was traveling within the speed guidelines of 60 mph. The engineer behaved properly, followed all rules, and performed heroically after the collision in evacuating passengers. The investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board will take up to one year.

If these three incidents weren’t bad enough, we also had the maniac slasher at Union Square and a smoke condition at Rockefeller Center, which delayed B trains. I have no comments on those stories.

Flushing Line Incident

This was a disaster in miscommunication. A total of five trains lost power due to an umbrella wedged in the subway tracks, which supposedly knocked out the servers. (The exact role the umbrella played in the incident is still being investigated.) It took up to three hours to evacuate passengers from the crowded stuck trains.

If that weren’t bad enough, commuters during the evening rush hour were advised that the line was in operation between Queensboro Plaza and Flushing when it wasn’t. Many #7 passengers took the N and Q lines from Manhattan, only to be stranded at Queensboro Plaza because, in fact, #7 trains were not operating between Queensboro Plaza and Jackson Heights. That was due to the fact that an electrified third rail froze due to icing buildup and lost power near Queensboro Plaza because of trains not running. That is another reason not to shut down service during a snowstorm.

It also took three hours for buses to rescue the stranded passengers at Queensboro Plaza. The MTA admitted that an inadequate number of buses were dispatched to handle the huge crowds, which resulted in the subway equivalent of road rage, in which passengers fought with one another to board buses. Inadequate emergency shuttle buses are not a new problem. The chaos was captured on video.

Most passengers were unaware, because no one told them, that they could have walked a quarter-mile to the Queens Plaza Station and board the IND Queens Boulevard line to Jackson Heights, where they could have accessed the #7. The MTA also did not provide a free transfer so passengers could do that.

It was also misreported that the Long Island Rail Road was cross-honoring MetroCards at the Flushing, Mets-Willets Point, Woodside and Hunters Point stations, when, in fact, LIRR trains were not stopping at Willet Points leading to additional stranded passengers. This blog discussed the miscommunication between NYCT and the LIRR.

This is what the MTA had to say about the incident. Channel 4 had additional coverage.

Although, icing problems on the #7 line lingered for days, and it is unclear how these problems should or could have been prevented, the real story is the MTA’s grossly inadequate response and how to prevent future occurrences.

Metro-North Crash

However, the media forgot all about the #7 incident after a Metro-North train crashed into an SUV in Valhalla, New York one day later. The New York Times provided coverage of the accident here. Here is additional coverage.

This is how the situation appeared from the passengers’ viewpoint. The New York Times also discussed the human behavior aspect here.

Thus far, it appears that the driver of the SUV wasted valuable time investigating damage to her new SUV without realizing that a train was only seconds away. Why she continued onto the tracks and lingered there for 30 precious seconds remains a mystery. She might have been worried about damage to her brand new Mercedes if she backed up without realizing the gate was made of fiberglass and in fact was designed to easily break away upon impact with an automobile.

When I studied for the driver’s written test 45 years ago I remember learning never to enter upon railroad tracks unless there is space for you to clear it on the other side. Yet, whenever I detoured to 88th Street in Queens when traffic was backed up in Woodhaven Boulevard I crossed what might be the only remaining railroad gate crossing in New York City.

I was astonished to see the number of drivers regularly stopping on the tracks when there was heavy traffic, seemingly totally oblivious to any impending danger. Although, there are only two passenger trains a day, and perhaps a freight train or two at that location, there still is no reason to put yourself and others unnecessarily at risk. Yet, many drivers are ignorant of the dangers posed by trains. Better driver education is definitely needed.

The role of the third rail is also being investigated in the Metro-North crash and why it pierced the first car, subsequently igniting it on fire. It is a miracle that, with the hundreds aboard, there were only five fatalities on the train.

The Commute is a weekly feature highlighting news and information about the city’s mass transit system and transportation infrastructure. It is written by Allan Rosen, a Manhattan Beach resident and former Director of MTA/NYC Transit Bus Planning (1981).

Disclaimer: The above is an opinion column and may not represent the thoughts or position of Sheepshead Bites. Based upon their expertise in their respective fields, our columnists are responsible for fact-checking their own work, and their submissions are edited only for length, grammar and clarity. If you would like to submit an opinion piece or become a regularly featured contributor, please e-mail nberke [at]sheepsheadbites [dot]com.