Updated 12:19 p.m.
Service on the No. 7 train between Queens and Manhattan was back by the Tuesday morning commute, but subway problems continued to disrupt straphangers in the borough.
After ice built up on the third rail and a train lost power near Queensboro Plaza at about 9:30 a.m. on Monday, suspending service for most of the day, limited service on the No. 7 line returned early the next day between Times Square and Flushing Main Street.
Though the service was back, the MTA said it was limited and for commuters to expect delays and crowding, suggesting a transfer at 74 St-Broadway for E, F, M and R service into Manhattan, if possible.
But there was more frustration for riders when at about 10 a.m. service was suspended on the N, Q and R trains between Queens Plaza/Queensboro Plaza and 57 St-7 Ave, which was reportedly due to a smoke condition at Lexington-59th St. About an hour later, northbound R trains were running, but on the F line from 57 St to Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Avenue. Service and all three lines didn’t fully return until almost two hours later.
The Queens Courier staff member and Astoria resident Katrina Medoff, who normally takes the No. 7 train to Flushing and transfers to the LIRR to get to the publication’s Bayside office, decided to take the LIRR from Penn Station. But in avoiding possible delays on one line, she encountered serious delays on the Manhattan-bound E, F, M and R trains she need to get to Penn.
The whole process took her almost two hours, instead of the normal one-hour commute.
Tuesday’s continuing service disruptions follow Monday’s massive suspension on the No. 7 train that left riders stuck on the subway for several hours.
The stalled train that got stuck near Queensboro Plaza had to be pulled back into the station by another train after riders were stranded for about two hours. Four more trains that were stopped between stations had to head back to the 61st-Woodside stop.
About 30 minutes before the train stalled, an umbrella was dropped on the third rail at 52nd Street and caught fire, rerouting service from the express tracks for about 40 minutes. An MTA spokeswoman could not confirm if the umbrella ultimately led to the ice buildup and power loss of the other train.
Suspensions continued throughout Monday as the tracks had to be de-iced, forcing riders to take shuttle buses provided by the MTA and other trains as alternatives. By the late afternoon shuttle train service returned between Flushing-Main St and 74 St-Broadway.
For service updates, visit www.mta.info,
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