Jan. 7 (UPI) — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has resumed service to train lines impacted by a collision Thursday that caused days of disruption in New York City, authorities said.
Two subway trains were traveling north from the 96 Street Station on the Upper West Side of Manhattan around 3 p.m. on Thursday when they collided at a slow speed and derailed. There were 24 people with mild injuries and no reported serious injuries.
The impacted 1, 2, and 3 trains remained out of service until the tracks were cleared and damage to the tunnel and third rail was completed. A safety inspection was also conducted and the lines were cleared to begin running trains again by the early hours of Sunday morning.
“Whether it’s extreme weather causing a disruption or extremely rare accidents like this one, the MTA always bounces back on the double,” MTA chair Janna Lieber said in a statement.
“I want to thank the amazing MTA workers for their efforts, and our customers for their understanding during the last two days.”
The National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the cause of the derailment remains ongoing.
According to the New York Daily News, one of the trains involved in the trash was out of service at the time after the emergency brakes were pulled by alleged vandals.
The NTSB said Friday that crew members were unable to reset the brakes on the vandalized car. MTA sources who spoke to the Daily News confirmed that this meant the track mechanisms that would normally keep a train from running a red signal would not have worked.
An internal MTA report reviewed by the Daily News revealed that a crew member on the vandalized train had ordered it to stop before the collision.
