A subway train carrying about 300 people collided with a commuter train near West 96th Street in Manhattan Thursday afternoon, derailing the commuter train, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said.
According to officials, northbound no. 1 train collided with a slow-moving train, injuring 24 people. An internal police report on the collision said at least eight of the passengers were taken to hospitals. None of the injuries are considered serious.
The work train, carrying four transport workers, was changing tracks when the passengers collided with the train and derailed, the report added.
MTA officials said at a news conference Thursday that the crash did not appear to be related to an equipment malfunction.
At a news conference at the station, Richard Davey, president of New York City Transit, the MTA division that operates the subway, said several of the work train's emergency brake cables had been pulled and damaged. Most were restored, but one was prevented from leaving the station.
“Fortunately, there were no serious injuries,” Mr. Davey said. “Obviously, two trains should not collide with each other. We're going to get to the bottom of it.
Mr. said that there were about 300 people in the passenger train in this collision. Davey said. After the power cut at the station, authorities evacuated another 300 to 400 passengers from the back of the train.
The The MTA confirmed in a social media post A train derailed near 96th Street and Broadway and said service would be suspended “while emergency crews assist passengers.” Service on the 1, 2 and 3 routes was suspended throughout much of Manhattan after the derailment.
Mr. Davey said. “It's a little confusing out there,” he said. “It will take us some time to get this service up and running again.”
He said he hoped to restore service by Friday morning's rush hour but could not guarantee that.
Lucas Mann, 17, a student at a special music school near Lincoln Center, was in the first car on the No. 1 train when he and other passengers “felt a big shock.”
“I was scared,” he added.
Mariame Diallo, 15, said she was on the No. 3 train, behind the No. 1, when the working train derailed.
As she and other passengers waited for about an hour to get off the train, some people on board opened the tunnel doors to get off the tracks.
Mrs. Diallo, who was on her way home from school, said she almost got on the No. 1 train when it crashed. Instead, she waited for the next train to ride with three of her classmates.
“I think sticking with your friends pays off,” he said.
But hey And Emma Fitzsimmons Contributed report.
