Manhole Fire, Delays, Malfunctioning Doors Plague Subway System All At Once
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The entire subway system was hit with numerous problems Thursday evening, from power outages and a manhole fire to doors that opened onto the tracks.
The problems were expected to persist into the morning commute.
Shortly after 6 p.m. Thursday, a manhole fire just south of the West 4th Street damaged signal power cables.
The incident prompted the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to reroute southbound C and E trains to the express tracks up to Canal Street for a period of time. A, B, D, F and M train service was also disrupted, and delays continued on all of the lines as a result, the MTA said.
The R Train was also affected.
As CBS2's Matt Kozar reported, the delays were not sitting well with straphangers.
"Now I'll have to wait even longer," one woman said. "I'm going to get home even late; I'll probably get home like 12, something like that."
"I have to be at work and I have to be at school, so when the train delays, it actually puts me in jeopardy, because when I have to be at work, I have to be at work. When I have to be at school, I have to be at school," another woman said. "So it's like whenever they're late, it makes me late."
Repairs were under way as of late Thursday evening, but delays on the A, C and E trains were anticipated to continue through the Friday morning rush, the MTA said.
Meanwhile, a power outage that caused signals to go out earlier affected lines across the city, including the No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 lines. Some northbound No. 5 trains were running express from Third Avenue-149th Street to East 180th Street in the Bronx, due to signal problems at West Farms Square-Tremont Avenue.
And passengers on a 42nd Street shuttle train at Times Square-42nd Street were shocked to see the doors open onto the tracks instead of the platform. Rider Eric Bienenfeld documented the incident on Twitter.
There were no reports of injuries.
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