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ConEd problems cripple Brooklyn subway service

By Matthew Sweeney, amNewYork Staff Writer | msweeney@am-ny.com

June 9, 2008

Subway service was expected to be normal Monday morning after problems at two Con Edison manholes in Brooklyn caused major disruptions on five lines Sunday evening.

But some residents of Park Slope and Boerum Hill were without power Sunday night as temperatures hovered in the lowers 90s.

Around 5:45 p.m., a manhole fire at Dean and Smith streets disabled power to signals on F and G lines, while nearby, at Bergen Street and Fourth Avenue, problems on the power lines cut electricity to signals on the Nos. 2, 3, and 4 lines.

Subway service was shut down along section of the lines, mostly between Brooklyn and Manhattan, for more than an hour.

The third rail never lost power, said NYC Transit spokesman Paul Fleuranges. Trains, with lights and air conditioning still working, were able to slowly make it to the nearest stations aided by manual signals.

Limited service was restored shortly before 7 p.m. with signals powered by portable generators.

Meanwhile, above ground, some 350 customers were without electricity. Con Ed defines a customer as a single meter, making it unclear how many apartments or buildings were without power Sunday night.

It was also not immediately clear if the Con Ed lines failed because they were overburdened by demand during the heat wave, said company spokeswoman Elizabeth Clark.