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Trifecta of subway issues leads to 150-some train delays across 5 lines Monday morning

More than 146 trains on five subway lines, including the 7 in Queens, were delayed during the morning rush hour on Monday.
More than 146 trains on five subway lines, including the 7 in Queens, were delayed during the morning rush hour on Monday. Photo Credit: Todd Maisel

It was not a pleasant start to the week for Queens subway riders.

A broken rail was part of a trio of MTA issues that delayed at least 146 trains on the 7, E, M, R and F lines during the Monday morning rush hour, according to internal MTA incident reports obtained by amNewYork.

“Reliable subway service is vital to the NYC economy & the daily life of so many. This morning’s 7 train shut down & E/M/F/R delays are outrageous — and it’s all too common,” tweeted Queens Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer. “[The MTA] must fix this persistent issue to ensure the sustainability of our city.”

Photos circulated on social media showed riders packed wall-to-wall in stations across Queens and Manhattan as the MTA grappled with widespread delays.

This broken rail on the 7 line near Queensboro Plaza station crippled service Monday from about 6:50 a.m. to 9 a.m. 
This broken rail on the 7 line near Queensboro Plaza station crippled service Monday from about 6:50 a.m. to 9 a.m.  Photo Credit: MTA

“Happy Monday to us,” Adriana Popa tweeted with a photo of a subway stairwell overflowing with people. “I’ve been waiting for the F train for over 20 mins !”

Another commuter, Sultana Rubi, said on Twitter that a trip that typically takes her an hour turned into a three-hour ordeal.

Morning service started inauspiciously: The first issue arose just south of the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue station, where the MTA was about an hour late clearing a construction site for service when the third-rail power was restored at 6 a.m. The late clearance delayed dozens of trains that pass through the station.

Then came the broken rail spotted on the 7 line near the Queensboro Plaza station, crippling service from about 6:50 a.m. to 9 a.m.

But the MTA’s alternatives were also hampered, giving 7 line riders few choices. A track circuit failure, along with signal and switch trouble, delayed 52 more E and F trains for more than an hour starting at around 6 a.m.

While the repairs were taking place, the 7 was running in two sections — between Flushing-Main Street and Queensboro Plaza, and between Court Square and Hudson Yards — and the LIRR was cross-honoring MetroCards.

The MTA had, for a period of time, assembled shuttle buses and provided free transfers via the Long Island Rail Road at Flushing-Main St, 61 St-Woodside and Penn Station.

Full service was finally restored at 9:03 a.m.

“Crews were mobilized and began making repairs immediately,” said MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan.