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Commuting woes continue for 1 train riders north of 168th Street, as the MTA has continued to suspend service—details here—as it works clear up debris from a ceiling collapse at the West 181st Street station. (And if yesterday's commute was any indication, 2 and 3 line riders are also being squeezed.) The MTA explained that around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, "A section of the brick architectural façade fell 35 feet to the track bed below. A downtown 1 train was in the station, but did not sustain any major damage." And luckily no one was injured.
While the cause of the collapse is being investigated, "A contractor has been called in to remove any remaining loose brick and make temporary repairs, but those repairs may take several days to complete. 1 service will not resume until it is safe to operate trains through the area." Which means riders may have to deal with shuttle buses to the A for a while.
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer issued a statement, "The MTA faces extraordinary financial challenges, but this is no excuse to allow the subway system to fall into disrepair. New York City, state, and MTA leaders must find ways to dedicate money for infrastructure to ensure that this city's great mass transit system is efficient and safe for the millions of people who ride it daily."
According to the MTA, "The 181st Street station is listed in the National Register of Historic Places." More on its history after the jump.
The station is a two-track side platform station located within the Fort George Tunnel. It is one of three stations along this stretch of tunnel which includes the 168th Street, 181st Street and 191st Street stations. All three stations are of round bored-tunnel construction, approximately eight to ten stories (in this case 121 feet) beneath the street.It is rather lovely—see pre-collapse photographs here.The central portion of this station features soaring ceilings that are approximately three stories high. The keyblock of the central arch is heavily embellished with a volute draped with a laurel wreathe. Along the center of the ceiling are six evenly spaced, multi-colored terra cotta medallions that once held light fixtures.
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Stringer's statement seems to imply the MTA is going to let the system fall into disrepair. He's about 50 years too late. That shit is falling apart all over.
If Scott Stringer or any other of the City Council members bothered to enter the subway-and I am not including their nauseating photo ops either, they would see the infrastructure is crumbling. The MTA's inability to repair cracks or leaks is astonishing. The MTA's solution to a stream of water raining down on the platform is to place a trash can underneath with some orange cones.
Yeah, that sign looks useful. Where is the shuttle bus, you dumb bastards?
That station is one of the worst I have had the dis-pleasure to use on a regular basis. Not only is it falling apart smelly trash ridden mess, your only recourse to get up to ground level is to take an elevator….of which there was usually 1 of 4 working. Meaning you would be crowded in by throngs of people (remember this is da Heights, lovely people) rushing for elevators.
I still thank my lucky stars I don’t have to use this station any longer. Here’s hoping they do fix it for those that live there.
There is a chance that a collapsing MTA could do for the city in the next ten years what out of control crime did for it in the 70s.
If only there was someway to get money for the people of NYC from all the commuters who come in & out of here...