Clogged, overflowing toilet backs up subway service during morning rush
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Friday morning, more delays nearly stopped service for hundreds of riders on the A/C line for more than 25 minutes during the morning commute from Port Authority to Jay Street-MetroTech.
What riders did not know, was that it was a clogged and overflowing toilet that closed the bathroom and backed up service.
The tower operator controlling train traffic on the A/C lines needed a bathroom break. The restroom closest to her was closed due to the sewage backup, so on Friday morning, commuters had to wait while she used another bathroom - bringing trains to a halt.
The transit workers say the employee had been complaining about the safety hazard for three days.
In a statement, the MTA says,
"We had two employees who needed emergency bathroom breaks on the A/C line this (Friday) morning. The tower operator needed to use a bathroom farther away than usual, because the one in the tower recently went out of service for repairs, and was not restored yet."
With the impending congestion pricing already in effect for cabs and ride shares, forcing more people underground, many feel these mounting frustrations will only become more of a commonplace.
Riders say delays are just one of the many problems.
"We could use some new trains, the A train has been the same, and the E train is filled with homeless people every day - winter, spring summer," said one rider.
"It's all about making sure it's staffed appropriately and giving people resources they need to make their jobs work," adds Patricia Fernandez.
The bathroom was fixed, but it is just one more bump that has left straphanger confidence in the dumps.
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