Subway service suspended after water main break floods tracks in Manhattan
UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- A water main break in Manhattan sent water pouring through the ceiling of a nearby subway station and onto the tracks early Sunday.
The break happened at Central Park West and 102nd Street on the Upper West Side around 8 a.m., flooding streets and prompting service suspensions on the A, C and D lines.
The DEP responded with crews that shut off the water, but so much water poured onto the tracks at the 103rd Street Station that the MTA said it was unsafe for trains to pass.
Service was halted between 125th Street and 59th Street-Columbus Circle on all three lines.
"The level of water rose above the third rail, making conditions dangerous to operate trains," NYC Transit Senior Vice President of Subway Sally Librera said. "Power was removed from all tracks south of 86 Street to north of 116 Street. New York City Transit rapidly responded by deploying resources in the Infrastructure, Track and Signals Departments, as well as pumping equipment and supplies to the scene. Water flowed north to the 108th Street pump station, where pumps activated and pushed water out to the city sewer system, but water inflow continued to exceed pumping capacity at the location."
Librera said crew were working to pump the water off the tracks and asses any impact to signals and other systems.
"This is the second time this week our customers have been denied service for too lengthy a period because of a major city water main break that flooded our system," she said. "We hope this latest incident will spur quicker shut-off response times by the city and a review of its aging system in hopes of avoiding similar situations moving forward."
Service was restored around 1 p.m. Sunday.
Water was also shut off to many residents in the area, but full service has since been restored.
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