The MTA says it knows how to fix the subway system but it will take lots of work and will cost about $8 billion. Katherine Creag reports.
The dreaded "switch problems" mucked up subway service for yet another Friday morning commute, with the MTA reporting delays and service changes for straphangers who use the No. 1, No. 6, No. 7 and A lines through the morning.
There was a new issue, too, affecting service. According to the MTA, No. 3 trains were bypassing the 145th Street stop in both directions because of "no station lighting." The issue was fixed within about 30 minutes, shortly after 11 a.m.
Switch problems at a single station, Van Cortlandt Park-242nd Street in the Bronx, caused intermittent headaches for commuters on the No. 1 line for hours starting around 11 p.m. Thursday. The problems were fixed - -then they returned -- then they were fixed -- then returned -- and so on and so forth.
By 9:20 a.m., the switch issues at the Bronx station were back for the fourth time in 11 hours. The MTA said some uptown trains were terminating at 215th Street as a result, and that "maintainers are on the scene investigating."
Riders were advised to expect delays in both directions.
The first issue was reported around 11 p.m. Thursday. Trains were not running on the No. 1 line between 238th and 242nd streets in the Bronx for about an hour. Service resumed around midnight with extensive delays, then the switch problems returned around 5 a.m. Friday. Again service resumed after about an hour. But shortly after 8:30 a.m., the switch problems were back. The issue was fixed after about half an hour. And less than 30 minutes later, it was back.
Local
Switch problems were also affecting service for No. 7, A and No. 6 train riders. Express No. 7 service was suspended in both directions for about half an hour because of ongoing switch problems at the 33rd Street-Rawson station, the MTA said. By 10 a.m., express service was restored but Hudson Yards-bound No. 7 trains were running with delays, according to the MTA.
Service had resumed on both the No. 1 and 7 lines by 11 a.m. with residual delays. Earlier, northbound A trains and No. 6 trains were subject to delays because of switch problems at 207th Street and Third Avenue-138th Street, respectively.
