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Jan. 6, 2020 By Allie Griffin
The 7 train was once again running with delays Monday morning, creating a hellish commute for Queens residents beginning their work week.
The delays were caused by a signal problem near Grand Central-42nd St and halted express service around 7 a.m., according to the NYC Subways twitter account.
The transit authority reduced service to alleviate congestion. The MTA website said service along the line between Queens and Manhattan was “extremely limited.”
“Expect longer waits for trains and crowded platforms,” the tweet read.
About 20 minutes later, NYC Transit recommended commuters to avoid the 7 train altogether.
The agency strongly urged customers to take nearby subway lines, including the E, F, M and R, or the LIRR. However, the F and M trains were re-routed due to a switch problem at 36th Street and all four lines were experiencing delays as a result.
“Does the 7 train ever run smoothly? Like at all?” one Twitter user tweeted.
Another twitter user from Queens said the 7 train cars were so packed, it looked comical.
“The 7 Train seriously looked like a clown car this morning,” she tweeted. “Unreal how many people poured out and it was still crowded.”
A third commuter noted that work was being done along the line all weekend and yet come Monday morning rush hour, issues still arose.
“Only the 7 train could have work done on it all weekend to then only not work come Monday,” the commuter tweeted.
Shortly after 9:30 a.m., the transit agency said limited 7 train service is resuming between Queens and Manhattan, but said delays will likely continue as it works to make repairs.
Later in the evening, the MTA said the cause of the delays was human error. A worker had re-installed a transponder in the wrong location along the tracks before the morning rush hour.
Last month, 7 train service in Queens was delayed during a Wednesday morning commute because a dusting of snow interrupted the line’s expensive new signaling system on the raised tracks.
This is the scene at Roosevelt Avenue – AFTER I hoofed it here from 82nd Street because the #7Train isn’t running. Great way to start 2020 @MTA Help @jessicaramos @CatalinaCruzNY pic.twitter.com/Iod7fhgfq9
— Susan Latham (@SusanLatham9) January 6, 2020
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20 Comments
Jimmy VB will fix the subway problems, as soon as he gets the cops’ cars off the sidewalk.
I feel like every time after the holidays and even long weekends the MTA forgets how to operate!
I once almost missed a midterm because I was stuck on the 7! Unacceptable, we need more funding for the MTA, direct oversight and accountability. More funding and hopefully high speed trains in the future, let’s invest in our future today.
The morons at the MTA who don’t even take mass transit said to take the R train? On Monday there were trains with mechanical and signal problems, not to mention somebody needing medical help. Every Monday there is a problem on the R train after work is done every weekend on tracks, signals, electrical parts, etc.
I have noticed a lot of people on the 7 train who have moved to NYC from Beijing, Chengdu and Xian, all of which have more modern, safer and reliable metros than NYC. Which begs the question – why would someone move from a functional city to a non-functional one.
The service runs 24/7 Never stops and they do the maintenance and repairs during the overnight, weekends and mid-day hours. This happens one morning and all hell brakes loose. The MTA offers a great and reliable service.
This incident capped off a shitty weekend for Queens subway riders. Do you ever notice how frequent the delays are the Monday morning following weekend work on the 7 train?
meanwhile more new buildings in LIC & sunnyside and even talk of building a mega platform over sunnyside yards for even more buildings! we’er gonna need a bigger train!
idiots cant even get us up and running to get to work after the winter/holiday break. Very very frustating to have to deal with this 1st thing monday morning. The 7 trains were delayed and werent moving monday on all 3 tracks. We were all packed like sardines!!!!! it took me 1hr 45 mins to finally make it to work in the city. They tell us to take the E train when we cant even get to the E train from flushing main st..once i got to 74st to take the e train that too was having signal problems and were delayed. WTF!!!! The intercoms on the trains and in the subway at main st you cannot hear what the heck they are saying it is soo low and you cant hear anything. what is the point of the announcements really!!!! everything always goes up in fares but the service keeps going DOWN DOWN DOWN
Why one year later, after Communications Based Train Control has been up and running since January 2019 (which was supposed to have been completed by October 2016), are there
still signal problems and service disruptions on the #7 Flushing subway line? How many more months or years must we wait for MTA NYC Transit resume mid-day express service between 10 AM and 3 PM which last ran in the mid 1980’s? Was it be worth investing $600 million in CBTC when it may only result in increasing the number of rush hour trains by 2 from 27 to 29 in each direction? Going forward, MTA NYC Transit no longer has any other opportunity for increasing rush hour capacity on the #7 line.
Given the tremendous growth in #7 ridership 24/7, riders would welcome restoration of mid day service, Saturday and holiday express services (which briefly ran in the early 1950’s) along with more frequent local service off peak, late evenings, overnight and weekends(
Larry Penner — transportation historian, advocate and writer who previously worked 31 years for the US Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration Region 2 NY Office. This included the development, review, approval and oversight for grants supporting billions in capital projects and programs on behalf of the MTA, NYC Transit bus and subway, Long Island and Metro North Rail Roads, MTA Bus and NYC Department of Transportation).
. .
A couple of soup cans stretched between the stations connected by string would be a better signal system than what we have on the subway.
The problem with this train, is based on incompetence of the MTA, there were problems yesterday, today and it’ll get worse on the future.
Never had these problems with the old signals rode the 7 for 35 years until I retired
Moan moan moan, the 7 is generally quite reliable. The poor downtrodden denizens on LIC can also stroll over to the E&M on 23rd St, not really a hardship.
Except when a broken rail created mayhem on those lines as well. People aren’t exaggerating the problems. How can NYC expect to be a modern leading city when we have rotting early 20th century infrastructure?
I heard about the delays, so took the ferry in!
I have told you for years….there is not going to be another subway to Manhattan for 25 years……..and I have never lived in a city where everyone wants to work 9-5 M-F and has a terrible commute.
If you reverse commute to say flushing the trains are Empty at 8 am
I nearly always take it at 6:15, and the problems seem to happen later, at what most would regard as “peak” rush hour
Millions of dollars were spent for the brand new CBTC signal system
for the number 7 line. Signal malfunctions still continue to delay 7 train riders. Yet another example of the incompetence of management for the MTA.
The service runs 24/7 and everyday you get to work, school or wherever you are going on time. One day this happens and everybody turns to management? This has nothing to do with management or the people that work there. It is normal problems that occur when something never stops. The service is great and reliable.
Feel like they might as well just stick and iPhone to each train and use find my iPhone. This is just ridiculous!