By Alexander Dworkowitz
The blackout of 2003 created nothing less than a nightmare for Queens commuters, shutting down subway service and forcing travelers to squeeze into buses.
But many Queens residents kept up their spirits, saying they were willing to put up with a long trip home, so long as they got back to their own beds eventually.
When the power went out at 4:11 p.m. last Thursday, 413 subway trains were stuck in between stations across the city, said Mark Groce, a spokesman for the New York City Transit Authority.
An estimated 300,000 people found themselves trapped in trains, Groce said. By 7:09 p.m., all had been evacuated, Groce said.
The Transit Authority did not have a breakdown of the numbers by borough.
Dorothy Lehman, 54, of Kew Gardens, found herself stuck on a northbound No. 2 train in Lower Manhattan as she tried to get home from work.
Sitting in a subway car kept aglow by emergency lights, she passed the time by chatting with her fellow passengers.
“Thankfully, because I met up with a few other good New Yorkers, I didn’t feel nervous, “ she said. “We just kept our spirits up.”
After a 90-minute wait, transit workers escorted Lehman and others out of the train. She walked uptown, across the Queensboro Bridge and down Northern Boulevard, where people passed out cups of water and offered to spray passersby with a hose. She arrived at her parents’ home in Jackson Heights at 10 p.m.
Subway service did not resume until 11:57 p.m. Friday when a W train pulled out of the Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn, Groce said. By 5:50 a.m. Saturday, subway service was completely restored, he said.
With the subways out of action, Queens commuters trying to return home from work were left with few options. Some chose to walk, with many hiking across the Queensboro Bridge from Manhattan. Others tried to hail a cab. Many tried their luck with the buses.
In downtown Flushing, the city’s fourth-largest transit hub, transit workers said no No. 7 trains were stuck near the Main Street station.
Outside people waited on lines at bus stops that stretched two blocks long for a chance to get home. Parts of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue were flooded with people, who squeezed onto sidewalks to avoid stepping into traffic.
Still, most remained calm as they stood on line.
“This has happened before,” said Max Zimmerman, 60. “These things happen.”
Zimmerman said he typically takes the Long Island Rail Road to get from his job in Douglaston to his home in the Rockaways. But with the trains down, he took one bus from Douglaston to Flushing, and waited patiently for another bus to take him to Woodside before boarding a third to reach the Rockaways.
Claire Goldberg, 19, of Woodside stood on line with Zimmerman. After a 20-minute wait, she had hardly moved any closer to the Q66 bus stop, located around the corner.
“I’m just chilling. No big deal,” she said.
In order to get people home, the Transit Authority decided to focus on 63 bus routes feeding the city’s main corridors, Groce said.
The Transit Authority operated extra buses in order to try to help commuters.
“We ran every bus we had until they literally ran out of fuel,” Groce said.
But the additional buses clearly were not enough, as people pushed and shoved for a chance to get into vehicles packed to the brim.
While commuters were intent on getting home despite formidable hurdles, many transit workers had little to do.
On the No. 7 train platform at Woodside Friday afternoon, four transit workers stood by idly as their empty trains sat in the station. They said all trains on the No. 7 line had been evacuated without problems because most of the service is on elevated track.
TA policy, the workers said, instructed them to remain with the trains until relieved, even though their shifts were to have ended already.
“I’m on overtime right now,” laughed Ted Ross, the motorman of one of the two trains.
Reporter Alex Ginsberg contributed to this story.
Reach reporter Alexander Dworkowitz by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300 Ext. 141.
