NEW YORK — Several trains were delayed in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens during rush hour Monday morning, the MTA said.
As of 10:30 a.m., F and G trains were running with "extensive delays" in both directions, but both trains were making regular stops in Brooklyn, the agency said.
Earlier in the day, F train service was suspended in both directions between Coney Island and the 2nd Avenue station in Manhattan, and G train service was suspended between the Bedford-Nostrand Avenues station and the Church Avenue station, according to the MTA. Service was restored to the Smith-Ninth Streets station in Brooklyn on both lines at around 9:20 a.m. Limited northbound F service, and southbound F service to Church Avenue, was restored at 10:12 a.m, the agency said.
“Three different issues in three boroughs combined to create delays affecting several subway lines, including a homeless individual on tracks at Grand Central-42nd Street snarling 456 service, a track circuit interruption in Queens that impacted EFMR lines and a power system malfunction in Brooklyn that delayed F and G trains," MTA spokesman Tim Minton said in a statement. "Service is now running normally on all affected lines. We are committed to reliability but riders had a tough commute this morning and we apologize for the resulting inconvenience.”
The Riders Alliance compared the lapse in service Monday to delays during the summer of 2017, dubbed by communications director Danny Pealstein the "Summer of Hell."
"While Governor Hochul cannot make the subway reliable overnight, she can run buses and trains much more frequently and deliver some relief for riders in her budget passing at the end of this month," Pearlstein said in a statment. "Today's widespread delays bring back bad memories of the regular meltdowns during the 2017 Summer of Hell and remind all of us that homelessness and mental illness are far from the only challenges on the minds of millions of daily public transit riders."
According to the MTA, the service issues are due to a “loss of power” causing signal problems at Church Avenue.
F G trains are running with extensive delays in both directions.
— NYCT Subway. Wear a Mask. (@NYCTSubway) March 21, 2022
F G trains have resumed making regular stops in Brooklyn.
What Happened?
Our crews are fixed a problem with the signaling system at Church Av. This problem was caused by an earlier loss of power from Con Edison. https://t.co/sEFBf8c1V3
In Manhattan, 4, 5 and 6 trains were held, and then ran with “extensive delays” in both directions, after a train struck a person at Grand Central Terminal, the MTA said.
4 5 6 trains are running with extensive delays in both directions after emergency teams responded to someone struck by a train at Grand Central-42 St. https://t.co/FYezURGeZL
— NYCT Subway. Wear a Mask. (@NYCTSubway) March 21, 2022
Police said a 40-year old man was struck by a southbound train on the tracks at the Grand Central station and was transported to Bellevue Hospital with a leg injury. He is expected to survive his injuries, according to police.
There are still delays on the 6 line in both directions as of 10:05 a.m., the MTA said.
In Queens, meanwhile, fewer Manhattan-bound E, F, M and R trains operated during the morning rush – and the ones that did operated at “slower speeds” – due to a signal problem near the 67th Avenue station, the MTA said.
“Our crews have investigated the signal problem at 67 Av and cannot fix the issue at this time,” the agency tweeted at 8:10 a.m. “To help keep trains moving during the rush hour, our crews are pausing their investigation and leaving the tracks.”
Our crews have investigated the signal problem at 67 Av and cannot fix the issue at this time. To help keep trains moving during the rush hour, our crews are pausing their investigation and leaving the tracks.
— NYCT Subway. Wear a Mask. (@NYCTSubway) March 21, 2022
That means that E/F express trains can move at regular speeds and... pic.twitter.com/oZbfQ6Q3Do
E and F trains express trains were moving at “regular speeds” as of 9:45 a.m., but M and R trains were still moving at slower speeds as they passed through the 67th Avenue station, according to the MTA.
“Longer waits between trains in both directions” were expected, the agency said.
...M/R trains will only be required to move at slower speeds as they move through 67 Av, where the signal problem is. All M trains will make local stops in Queens.
— NYCT Subway. Wear a Mask. (@NYCTSubway) March 21, 2022
Service is moving faster now, but continue to expect longer waits between trains in both directions.