( 📸: New York Times )
Cousins, nearly 25 New York City passengers have been left injured following the collision of two Subway trains!
According to the New York Post, the tragic incident occurred on Thursday afternoon in the Upper Westside area of Manhattan. Reports read that a northbound 1 train occupied with nearly 500 passengers had pulled out of the 96th Street station around 3 p.m. when it ultimately collided with a disabled 1 train causing both trains to derail.
Sources state that the NO. 1 train had been at a stand still following repairs due to vandalism. Officials confirm that someone had previously gone through several carts of the train and pulled a series of emergency cords.
There were no passengers on the NO. 1 train as four MTA employees worked on resetting the train’s breaks. Customers were evacuated on the passenger train through the station’s platform.
“Fortunately, nobody was seriously injured. The injuries that were sustained were consistent with a low-speed train derailment,” stated FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Ian Swords.
It has been stated that another 300 to 400 passengers who occupied a train that wasn’t involved in the collision but was stuck behind the included trains were evacuated. Passengers exited through the train that was derailed.
MTA President Rich Davey tells the New York Post that the tragic incident is currently under investigation and that he doesn’t believe the crash was equipment related.
“The equipment was working as intended,” said Davey regarding the train’s switches and signals.
“Obviously, two trains should not be bumping into one another,” he said. “We are going to get to the bottom of that.”
A transit official explained that the train shifted from the express track and that the stuck train began moving again for unknown reasons while the two front cars slammed each other, causing both trains to derail.
Passengers who were onboard the trains as the incident occurred described the gut-wrenching moment as pure chaos.
“The train did fill up with smoke, we saw lots of sparks,” said Daniel Torres to ABC News “Everyone said to open the window. So, everyone quickly opened the windows, which helped dissipate the smoke.”
“This train derailed. My daughter has been stuck for an hour and a half in between tracks on the express,”‘said Jamie Levy mother to 15 year old Tamar who was stuck on a 2 train for over an hour.
“People are climbing out of the windows and crossing the local track and then climbing up. She won’t do that, obviously,” Levy added.
“She’s in between stations so she’s close enough.
“I started crying and started having a panic attack,” said passenger Zor Sanchez, one of the passengers. “I drank water and threw up and everything.”
“People were asking that everybody was OK, it was a good New Yorker experience,” said Danny White. “It was as good as it could have been.”
MTA officials have advised commuters to expect major delays in 1,2 and 3 train service. As an alternative, they suggest utilizing the A/C and B/D train lines.
“It’s going to take us a while to get this service back and running. We have crews down there now and I expect we’ll be out there all night,” said Davey.
“My hope is we will have service tomorrow for rush hour, but I cannot guarantee that,”
No 1 trains suspended between 137 St-City College and Times Sq-42 St
-No 2 trains on the West Side of Manhattan
-No 3 trains suspended between135 St and Times Sq-42 St
-Some 4/5 trains are running local in Brooklyn, and some 5 trains are running local in the Bronx.
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