The nightmare-ish commute that left 13 train lines extensively delayed because of electrical issues was alleviated Wednesday evening.
According to an MTA spokesperson, electrical issue at the Rail Control Center impacted signals across the lines. The agency was able to get the trains up and running at about 6 or 7 p.m., spokesperson Kevin Ortiz said.
Though the agency gave no specific cause for the issues, which they repeatedly said were due to a “power outage” in earlier tweets but changed to “signal problems” later on, The Wall Street Journal reported that an MTA contractor may have been responsible.
The contractor was performing work at the Rail Control Center in midtown Manhattan when the issues started.
Sources told the Wall Street Journal that the issue was reported internally as a “power failure” in the control center but a spokesperson denied that claim.
When QNS reached out to the MTA on Wednesday afternoon, Ortiz said the issue was not related to a power outage.
No matter what caused the delays, commuters were understandably infuriated by the delays and took to Twitter to express their frustration.
modern day prices, 1950s service. Thank you MTA for the inconvenience you cause me everyday.
— Fat_Rooster (@ta2ant) July 13, 2016
quite the mess you guys had today! 1,2,3,4,5,6 AND then A,C,E. What a Nightmare it was. Get your act together!
— Rich (@Kemprich) July 13, 2016
https://twitter.com/JingRyan/status/753350574301704192
https://twitter.com/KristyCates/status/753362390733955072
https://twitter.com/JustinBirenbaum/status/753345331224580096