Subway service back to normal after Queens derailment
WOODSIDE (WABC) -- Monday began with welcome news commuters, especially subway riders in Queens.
E, F, M and R train service is now back on track after MTA crews worked over the weekend to repair tracks damaged by the derailment in Woodside last Friday morning.
The workers had to fix 500 feet of track to get normal service restored. Express Service on the E and F lines resumed early Monday, after local service came back Sunday.
The crash happened around 10:30 a.m. Friday as a Manhattan-bound train passed through the station.
It doesn't appear that speed or human error were issues, and the investigation is ongoing.
"The cause of the derailment is under investigation," MTA spokesman Adam Lisberg said. "It doesn't look like the crew did anything wrong. It looks like they were great. It doesn't look like speed was a factor. The one thing that is an obvious factor to look at is there is a rail under where the train derailed that's broken. So we need to analyze that. We're going to send it out to scientists who will look microscopically at the metal in the rail."
The rail that broke was manufactured in the U.S. in November and installed in March. The MTA says the other rails from that shipment will be tracked down and inspected.
The derailment left 19 people hurt and stranded hundreds of riders. Luckily, none of the injuries is considered life threatening.
The most up-to-date information on MTA service status is always available at MTA.info.
