A water main break on the Upper West Side sent a flood of water into a New York City subway station on Wednesday, shutting down two lines as floodwater overflowed the platform and onto the tracks.
Multiple lines were fully or partially suspended for several hours as frustrated commuters faced long delays getting home the day before Thanksgiving.
A 12-inch city water main that dates back to 1951 burst around 1:40 p.m., also impacting surface roads on the Upper West Side, according to the MTA. Drivers were forced to maneuver around puddles on the road near Central Park as FDNY and NYPD officers directed traffic.
Heavy water poured into 103rd Street and Central Park West Station. According to footage on social media. Video provided by the MTA showed several inches of water on the tracks in the aftermath.
Hundreds of transit workers worked through the afternoon and evening rush hours to restore service at the station by manually clearing drains and shutoff valves, pumping water from tracks and platforms, and removing dirt and debris.
“Our team did an excellent job arriving on scene and assessing the situation,” New York City Transit Authority President Demetrius Crichlow said in a statement.
“They worked with NYC-DEP to quickly isolate the area and cut off the flow of water into the system.”
Service was restored at the 103rd Street station around 6:30 p.m., the MTA said, but passengers who had previously faced delays were upset.
“When I first got here, there were cops and everything blocking traffic,” commuter Alex Febles said. he told CBS 2.
“I'd like to go home, but obviously I can't do that right now.”
Another traveler simply wanted to return to his hometown of New Jersey.
“I tried to go there and there was yellow tape,” Falana McCoy told the station.
“I'm tired and I want to go home because I'm heading to Jersey. So my commute has just begun.”
Service on the C line remains suspended, and the A and E lines were rerouted Wednesday night, according to the MTA's service status page.
Commuters trying to use the B, D, F, M, N, Q, R and W lines also faced delays.
