CBS New York takes an exclusive ride on the MTA's vacuum train, used to prevent track fires
NEW YORK -- The MTA has a powerful tool, called the VakTrak, that sucks up trash and prevents track fires.
CBS New York's Elijah Westbrook recently had an exclusive opportunity to ride with crews overnight.
The so-called vacuum train sucks up garbage along hundreds of miles of subway tracks, aiming to prevent service disruptions and improve track safety.
Its big, loud and slow-moving presence almost dominates any station it rolls through.
Just after 11 p.m. at 145th Street in Harlem on the B and D lines, special operator Louis Sarmiento and his crew showed Westbrook how the behemoth of trains keeps tracks clear of debris and trash.
"We vacuum, basically, rail dust and combustible stuff, anything that can cause a fire," Sarmiento said. "The rotation is very important, because we always -- no matter how much we vacuum -- there's garbage the next day."
Uncollected garbage or debris can cause track fires, like the one in mid-October on the 4 and 6 trains at Grand Central-42nd Street. Later that same day, service was also halted on the J line after a train struck debris near an elevated stretch of tracks in Jamaica, Queens, resulting in the evacuation of more than 100 passengers.
"You'll find pizza boxes, you find Dunkin' Donut stuff, you'll find basically stuff that can cause a fire," said Sarmiento. "It's very vital to the system."
The train is equipped with an on-board high efficiency vacuum used to clean the track bed from dust and litter. The procedure is monitored through multiple cameras placed under the train.
Moving at just between 5 and 10 miles per hour, the crew said the train is able to collect up to 6 cubic yards of debris from various suction hoods.
"We vacuum systemwide with three trains," Sarmiento said. "We have dump sites in Brooklyn -- two locations in Brooklyn, one location in the Bronx -- where we dump every day."
So the next time you happen to encounter this train, know it collects thousands of pounds of waste that could have been the fuel to disrupt your commute.
