MTA: Massive delays on A, C lines caused by copper cable theft

HOWARD BEACH, N.Y. (WABC) -- The MTA says copper cable thieves were to blame for delays on the A and C trains that made for a difficult commute for hundreds of thousands of customers Wednesday morning.

The vandals reportedly stole cable from the subway tracks near Howard Beach, Queens, which suspended trains. Limited service has being restored, but residual delays were expected to persist throughout the day.

"This morning's service disruption was directly caused by the theft of cable from along the subway right of way," MTA New York City Transit President Carmen Bianco said. "This led to delays and crowding along all 31 miles of the A train, and forced thousands of Rockaways customers to use shuttle buses to get to work. We are working closely with the NYPD Transit Bureau to help them investigate this crime and identify the culprits responsible."

The loss of the subway power cables forced the MTA to suspend service between Rockaway Boulevard and Broad Channel stations and replace it with shuttle buses during the morning rush. While A train service is being restored, shuttle buses will continue until service fully resumes through the Rockaways. Service will be suspended and replaced by shuttle buses again overnight for more emergency repair work.

THe MTA says service between Rockaway Boulevard and Broad Channel will remain suspended overnight to make permanent repairs to signal equipment and track components damaged by the theft. Crews will work through the night to rebuild the damaged infrastructure and ensure a normal Thursday morning rush.

MTA officials say the crime also disrupted service along the entire length of the A and C lines, as subway trains stored in the Rockaway Park yard are trapped there and cannot be used for service. Additionally, trains in service on the A line cannot use the terminals at Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue and Rockaway Park-Beach 116th Street to turn around, further limiting capacity along the line. Some A trains are terminating at Euclid Avenue, where the C line usually terminates, forcing a reduction in C service as well.

The A and C lines carry approximately 775,000 customers per day, including 100,000 during the morning rush hour. The majority of those customers experienced delays and/or crowding. The A train carries about 40,000 customers to and from the Rockaways each day, including 3,700 to Manhattan during the morning rush, none of whom were able to use the subways.

The cable theft was discovered at 11:22 p.m. Tuesday, when a northbound A train lost power north of the Howard Beach station. Crews brought in another train behind it, and the estimated 150 customers on board were able to walk through the trains to get back to the Howard Beach station at 12:09 a.m.

The power cable was presumably stolen to be sold as scrap. At least 500 feet of the cable was discovered stolen from roughly 12 locations along the A train tracks near Howard Beach, and some signal equipment and track components were damaged as well by electrical current that could not flow through the cable.

The MTA said A service will be suspended between Howard Beach and the Rockaways. Free shuttle bus service will be available for customers at the affected station stops.

The following service changes will be in effect from 10:00 p.m. Wednesday night through approximately 4:00 a.m. Thursday morning:

Trains will operate as follows:

A trains operate normally between 207 St and Ozone Park-Lefferts-Blvd.

A overnight shuttle service provided between Euclid Av and Howard Beach.

S shuttle will operate from Far Rockaway to Rockaway Park-Beach 116 St.

In the Rockaways, use S shuttle train at Rockaway Park and Far Rockaway, connecting to shuttle buses at Beach 90 St.

At Far Rockaway, customers can also take the LIRR to Manhattan. MTA Long Island Rail Road is cross-honoring valid MetroCards at the Far Rockaway station.

No subway service at Broad Channel; take shuttle buses at Cross Bay Blvd and Noel Rd.

The southbound platform at Rockaway Blvd is shut for rehabilitation. Riders going to the Rockaways should take A trains to 88 St, and transfer to shuttle buses to connect to S trains at Beach 90 St.

Shuttle buses will operate as follows:

Far Rockaway-bound buses will stop at the 88 St station, Broad Channel (Cross Bay Blvd and Noel Rd), and Beach 90 St.

Rockaway Blvd-bound buses will stop at Beach 90 St station, Broad Channel (Cross Bay Blvd and Noel Rd), Rockaway Blvd station, and 88 St.

In the Rockaways, MTA Bus routes - Q35, Q52, Q53, and Q114 (Q52 does not run overnight).

Riders Travelling to/from JFK Airport

Riders traveling to/from JFK Airport should, if at all possible, travel via the E to/from Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av or via the LIRR to Jamaica, and connect with JFK AirTrain. A Shuttle trains to Howard Beach-JFK Airport do not connect to any shuttle buses at Howard Beach.

Riders traveling between Howard Beach-JFK Airport and the Rockaways will have to transfer between the Euclid Av-Howard Beach A Shuttle trains and the shuttle buses at 88 St.

For the latest on the delays, visit MTA.info.