NYC subway system suffered massive shutdown that trapped riders in the dark for an hour and half after MTA worker 'pressed wrong button'
New York City subway riders who were trapped in the dark after the transit system was crippled for five hours can blame one MTA employee who pressed the wrong button and not a power outage, investigators said Friday.
The unnamed MTA employee pushed the 'emergency power off' button around 8.30pm on August 29, according to HDR and WSP, the engineering firms hired to perform the investigation, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said.
The numbered lines, as well as the L train, were affected - half of the city transit system - leaving 80 trains and more than 500 passengers affected, according to The Washington Post.
Five trains were still in the tunnels when the power went out, with the last one pulling into the station around 1.30am.
Hochul (pictured outside Bowling Green Subway Station) reported that two other trains were evacuated by authorities and the remaining train was able to eventually re-platform
The numbered lines and the L trains were affected. The system was not fully restored until approximately 1.30am, leaving passengers on the trains for up to five hours
Half of the New York City subway line shut down on August 21 after an MTA employee pressed the 'emergency power off' button, causing the system to lost signal and connection with the Rail Control Center
Electrical company Con Edison reported a momentary power interruption around 8.30pm that lasted only milliseconds and said it could not have caused the power failure, according to Bloomberg.
However, the blip reportedly forced the power system onto a backup generator. When the power switched back to the main system, a surge happened, causing the subway to lose communication and signal with the Rail Control Center, investigators found.
The Rail Control Center was reportedly working to restore the power after mechanical equipment stopped functioning properly while this happened.
During this time, the employee reportedly pressed the button, which caused all the electrical equipment connected to power distribution units to fail at 9.06pm.
Investigation reports indicate the power was restored by 10.30pm after leaving passengers in the dark for 84 minutes.
Officials are blaming human error for the delays because of inadequate organizational structure and lack of guidelines, according to the Washington Post.
An investigation was launched to understand why the Rail Control Center and the trains lose signal to each other and make sure it doesn't happen again.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul reported that two trains 'self-evacuated,' meaning passengers exited the subways cars and walked along the tracks instead of waiting for authorities.
This delayed restoration efforts because the New York Fire Department had to ensure no passengers were left on the tracks.
In addition, Hochul said that two trains were successfully evacuated by authorities and the remaining train was re-platformed.
A total of 80 trains and more than 500 passengers were affected. Fives trains were stuck in the tunnels. New York Governor reported at a press conference that two trains 'self-evacuated,' meaning passengers exited the trains and walked on the tracks instead of waiting for authorities to safely evacuate them
She has launched an investigation into the matter to make sure New Yorkers never have to experience this 'scary situation' or the 'anxiety' of being trapped underground again. She also stated 'it is our jobs to restore that confidence' in the NYC transit system for all New Yorkers
'This is a scary situation. Again, this is something we don't want New Yorkers to ever have to experience again,' Hochul said at a press conference on August 30 standing stood outside the Bowling Green Subway Station.
'It was a scary time, if it's 15 minutes, you just don't know when you're underground what's happening. And I don't want anyone to go through that anxiety.'
Two days after the subway system shut down, New York City experienced heavy flooding due to Hurricane Ida, forcing all subway lines to be suspended and several New Jersey Transit trains were effected as well.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also issued a travel ban from midnight to 5am and effectively shut down all five boroughs, a first in history.
New Jersey Transit's Train 3881 got stuck for 10 hours after the tracks flooded, leaving passengers with no bathrooms or ventilation.
The train left New York's Penn Station at 7.43pm on September 1 and was bound for Trenton when it became disabled east of Newark International Airport around 8.30pm, a spokesperson for the transportation agency told CNN.
Passengers crammed into cars at one end of the train after three cars at the other end took on a few inches of water, according to NJ Transit. Just a few hours into being marooned, the train's air-conditioning and ventilation went with the electricity.
NJ Transit's Train 3881 was stuck without power or ventilation for 10 hours on September 1
Heavy flooding across New York and New Jersey from Hurricane Ida left passengers stranded. The train left New York's Penn Station at 7.43pm on September 1 and was bound for Trenton when it became disabled east of Newark International Airport
Some passengers didn't make it to their destinations until 7am due to the flooding
It was nearly six hours before the roughly 200 passengers on board received any relief, when cops arrived and opened the doors around 4am to give them water.
But they remained stranded until a rescue train was able to tow them to the Newark Airport station an hour later.
From there, the passengers were able to get on other trains - with several recounting to CNN that they didn't make it to their destinations until well after 7am.
'I am directing mitigation steps to ensure riders are not interrupted by these causes ever again. New Yorkers deserve absolute confidence in a fully functioning subway system, and it is our job to restore that confidence,' Hochul said at the time.
She thanked the train conductors for handling the majority of the situation and keeping passengers informed.
'I do want to thank all the transit workers, especially the conductors, who had the weight of responsibility on their shoulders. To go through all the trains, sometimes 10 in number, to let people know verbally what they were experiencing,' she said. 'There was no communication than what the conductor could say on the PA system or verbally on the trains.'
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