More than 20 people suffered minor injuries after a subway carrying more than 300 straphangers collided with another train in New York City.
The low-speed collision unfolded around on 3pm on Thursday at the West 96th Street station on the Upper West Side. According to the MTA, a northbound 1 train rear-ended an out-of-service train, causing a derailment.
Four MTA employees were on the out-of-service train, which had been vandalised earlier that day. NYC Transit Authority President Richard Davey said that somebody had pulled the train’s emergency cords.
About 300 people were on the other train when it derailed, and 26 commuters suffered minor injuries during the ordeal, NBC reports. Hundreds of passengers were also evacuated from another train that was stopped in a tunnel following the collision.
“Thankfully, there were no serious injuries,” Mr Davey said during a press conference. “Obviously two trains should not be bumping into one another. We are going to get to the bottom of that.”
Mayor Eric Adams said that FDNY and NYPD officers were on the ground assisting efforts.
Disruptions are expected to continue throughout Friday.
“Our crews are conducting an investigation after a train derailed near 96 St,” NYCT Subway said in a statement on X. “We are also preparing to make repairs to the train that derailed, move it to its storage facility, inspect the tracks, and make any needed repairs to the tracks and infrastructure.”
Videos recorded by commuters show the moments of panic they experienced as they waited to be evacuated by fire department personnel.
Daniel Torres, who was on the train that derailed, told ABC7 that he saw his subway car fill up with smoke.
“The train did fill up with smoke, we saw lots of sparks,” Mr Torres said.“Everyone said to open the window. So, everyone quickly opened the windows, which helped dissipate the smoke.”
Governor Kathy Hochul said that she had been briefed on the incident.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the collision.
