June 9, 2008
Brooklyn Manhole Fires Cause Subway Problems
Photograph of a makeshift stop sign, since traffic lights were out, at Bergen St. and Flatbush Ave. by steuben on Flickr
Yesterday afternoon, a few manhole fires caused a load of problems for Brooklyn residents in the middle of a sweltering weekend.
One fire, at Smith and Dean Streets in Boerum Hill, seriously compromised subway service for the G, F, and 4 lines, not to mention affected the 2 and 3 lines. WNBC explained that the fires caused as "resulting loss of alternating current power for the signal system," which meant delays and disruptions. The fire only affect the signal system, not rail power, so no one was trapped and all trains had air-conditioning--the trains just moved slowly. Power was also out in the neighborhood, starting around 5:45 p.m. and didn't come back on until the middle of the night.
There were two other manhole fires: One in Flatbush that reportedly affected 300 customers and another in Williamsburg that hit 150 customers. Con Ed said it wasn't sure if the fires were in part due to the hot weather and thunderstorms.
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The F is still F-ed up this morning. Came down to the York St. station to find people standing three-deep on the platform, and a Coney Island-bound F sitting there motionless. The people I talked to had been waiting there for at least 20 minutes. Finally an A came along to run on the F line from Jay St. to West 4th so most of us took that train.
Seriously, it's 2008, don't we have backup signal systems by now? Oh wait, it's the MTA, which spent over $600 million on new headquarters downtown but still has to raise fares because they're "out of money".
Gah.
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Smith St. is still closed and there are news trucks down there. Hopefully it looks worse than it actually is.
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Actually, this is inaccurate.
Power was out the the neighborhood in the afternoon -- specifically on Smith Street -- and then it blew for the entire neighborhood at around 9:45 PM. All of the lights on Smith, Dean, Wyckoff, Bergen went out. Some power has been restored, Smith street seems to be back on, however the east-west streets were still off as of 9:00 AM this morning.
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Waited twenty minutes for the F at Carroll Street with no announcement. Guess those signal repairs that shut down service on the weekends reaaaally was a good use of MTA funds.
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It sounds like Brooklyn is about to get a nice taste of the Fuck You from ConEveryone that Queens got 2 summers ago.
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That's right. Power is still out on Wyckoff Street and part of Smith, Con Ed still doesn't know what the defect is. "Hopefully" back on by tonight, they say.
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G train wasn't running this morning. C and F seemed OK.
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Waited over an hour for a 2 to show up yesterday at 14th and ended up catching a 3 when no 2 ever appeared. Tried to take the 2 back (after catching a bus) around 6:30 up on Flatbush, only to find out the trains were stalled on the tracks due to lack of power. We were all turned away and told to take the bus. Again.
I can't wait for the next fare hike!
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The F bergen st. station, visible out my window, is currently taped off and apparently closed. Power came on at Bergen and Smith around 8:30am but the cost of power aboveground was a shutdown of the subway below.
from what i understand, ConEd will be reimbursing me for the Mexican leftovers I'm not eating today and for the gatorade i accidentally fed my dog.