MTA Says Cause Of Snarled 7 Subway Train Service Was Human Error
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - It was another day of overcrowded trains and platforms for some commuters Monday morning.
The MTA admitted the first in a series of problems was caused by human error.
Monday morning was hectic for Queens residents riding the 7 train. Major delays hit just in time for rush hour.
This 7 train is about to leave Main St and go to your station. Nobody is getting on. It's a mess. pic.twitter.com/ohdLl3FsXo
— Mike from Queens (@MGJohnson24) January 6, 2020
"It was horrible," Queens resident Luis Adames told CBS2's Valerie Castro.
Adames says his coworkers gave him the heads-up, sending messages on a group chat about the problems.
"Saying, 'Hey I'm going to be this late,' already sending ETAs and everyone got there way later than what their ETA was," he said.
The disruption came after a weekend of no 7 train. The shutdown was for scheduled repairs.
The MTA admitted Monday's mess was human error.
"We did track work in the area over the weekend, and in order to do the track work, we removed a transponder. When we returned it, we returned it to the incorrect location," said Sally Librera, MTA's senior vice president of subways.
Watch: Official Addresses MTA's 7 Train Signal Problems --
Riders didn't like hearing that explanation.
"Extraordinarily frustrating because the weekend work you accept as something to make the system better, but to have it cause further problems during the work week commute is really just unacceptable," Sarah Rosenthal, of Queens, said.
At the same time, riders who switched to avoid the 7 train were met with unrelated switch problems on other lines.
The MTA says regular train service finally resumed around 2:30 p.m., long after that morning rush was over.
But after the fix, the Riders Alliance slammed the MTA and called for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to step in.
"This morning was unacceptable on the subway and I think the MTA realizes that, but what riders need is for the governor to expedite the signal repairs that'll fix the subway so we can rely on it again," said Danny Pearlstein, with the Riders Alliance.
The governor did focus on transportation Monday but set his sights on the redevelopment of Penn Station.
Riders say it's the subway that should be top priority.