New York City subway drivers who were trapped in the dark after the traffic system was paralyzed for five hours may blame an MTA employee who pressed the wrong button and not a power outage, the investigators said Friday.
The unnamed MTA employee pressed the “emergency shutdown” button around 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 29, according to HDR and WSP, the engineering companies hired to conduct the investigation, the governor of New York, Kathy Hochul.
The numbered lines, as well as the L train, were affected – half of the city’s traffic system – and left 80 trains and more than 500 passengers affected, according to the Washington Post.
Five trains were still in the tunnels when the power supply was turned off, and the last one entered the station around 1.30am.
Hochul (pictured at Bowling Green Tube Station) reported that two other trains were evacuated by authorities and that the remaining train was able to return to platform.
Numbered lines and L trains were affected. The system was not fully restored until approximately 1:30 p.m., leaving passengers on trains for up to five hours.
Half of the New York subway line was shut down on Aug. 21 after an MTA employee pressed the “emergency shutdown” button, causing the system to lose signal and connect to the Rail Control Center
Power company Con Edison reported a momentary power outage around 8:30 p.m. that lasted only milliseconds and said it could not have caused the power failure, according to Bloomberg.
However, it was reported that the block forced the power system into a backup generator. When the main system was refueled, there was an overvoltage that caused the subway to lose communication and signal with the Railroad Control Center, the researchers found.
According to reports, the Railroad Control Center was working to restore power after the mechanical equipment stopped working properly while this was happening.
During this time, it was reported that the employee pressed the button, which caused all the electrical equipment connected to the power distribution units to not work at 9:06 p.m.
Investigation reports indicate that electricity was restored at 10.30pm after leaving passengers in the dark for 84 minutes.
Officials blame human error for the delays due to inadequate organizational structure and lack of guidelines, according to the Washington Post.
An investigation was initiated to understand why the Railroad Control Center and trains are losing signal to each other and to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul reported that two trains self-evacuated, meaning passengers got out of subway cars and walked the tracks instead of waiting for authorities.
This delayed restoration efforts because the New York Fire Department had to ensure that no passengers remained on the tracks.
In addition, Hochul said two trains were successfully evacuated by authorities and the remaining train was returned to platform.
A total of 80 trains and more than 500 passengers were affected. Five trains were trapped in the tunnels. The New York governor reported at a news conference that two trains self-evacuated, meaning passengers got off the trains and walked the tracks instead of waiting for authorities to evacuate them safely.
She has launched an investigation into the matter to make sure New Yorkers never have to go through this “terrifying situation” or the “anxiety” of being trapped underground. He also stated that “it is our job to restore that confidence” in the New York traffic system for all New Yorkers.
‘This is a terrifying situation. Again, that’s what we don’t want New Yorkers to ever have to experience again, ”Hochul said at a news conference on August 30 standing in front of Bowling Green Underground Station.
“It was a scary moment, if 15 minutes pass, you don’t know what happens when you’re underground. And I don’t want anyone to have this anxiety.”
Two days after the closure of the subway system, New York City experienced heavy flooding due to Hurricane Ida, which forced all subway lines to be suspended and several New Jersey Transit trains were also operated.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also issued a travel ban from midnight to five in the morning and effectively closed all five municipalities, the first in history.
New Jersey Transit train 3881 was trapped for 10 hours after the tracks were flooded, leaving passengers without restrooms or ventilation.
The train left New York’s Penn Station at 7:43 p.m. Sept. 1 and was heading to Trenton when it turned off east of Newark International Airport around 8:30 p.m., he said. on CNN a spokesman for the transportation agency.
According to NJ Transit, passengers were crammed into cars at one end of the train after three cars at the other end grabbed a few inches of water. Within hours of being abandoned, the air conditioning and ventilation of the train accompanied the electricity.
NJ Transit train 3881 was trapped without power or ventilation for 10 hours on September 1st
Heavy flooding through New York and New Jersey from Hurricane Ida left passengers stranded. The train left New York’s Penn Station at 7:43 p.m., Sept. 1, and was bound for Trenton when it turned off east of Newark International Airport.
Some passengers did not arrive at their destinations until 7 a.m. due to flooding
It was almost six hours before the approximately 200 passengers on board received any relief, when police arrived and opened the doors around four in the morning to give them water.
But they remained trapped until a rescue train could tow them to Newark Airport Station an hour later.
From there, passengers were able to board other trains, and several told CNN that they did not reach their destinations until well after 7 p.m.
“I am leading mitigation measures to ensure that pilots are never interrupted by these causes again. New Yorkers deserve absolute confidence in a fully functioning subway system, and our job is to restore that confidence,” he said. Hochul moment.
He thanked the train drivers for handling most of the situation and keeping the passengers informed.
I want to thank all the traffic workers, especially the drivers, who had the weight of responsibility on their shoulders. Going through all the trains, sometimes 10, to let people know verbally what they were going through, “he said.” There was no communication other than what the driver could say on the public address system or verbally on the trains. ”