By Christina Santucci
The morning commute in Astoria turned into a mad scramble for hundreds of people Tuesday morning after transit officials say a Q train hit the bumper at the Ditmars Station of the N/Q line.
The collision occurred at 7:49 a.m., according to Charles Seaton, of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority press office.
There were no injuries and officials are investigating the cause, Seaton said.
Transit workers hung red tape blocking the entrance to the Ditmars Boulevard station at about 8 a.m., and service was suspended on both the N and Q trains between Ditmars Boulevard and Queens Plaza.
Many commuters raced to Astoria Boulevard, where the M60 bus stops en route to Manhattan. When already-packed buses arrived, several dozen who had been waiting at the stop rushed to get on, but the majority were turned away.
Several commuters ran into the street trying to hail cabs.
“You can’t really replace subway service with buses,” Seaton said, explaining that a train can hold about 2,000 riders in comparison to the 80 able to fit on a bus.
Seaton said shuttle buses in place of the N/Q line were put into place about a half hour after the crash, and by 1:04 p.m., both trains were fully functional, Seaton said.
