N/W 30 Ave station this morning as commuters faced “severely disrupted” service along the line. (Photo obtained via Twitter with permission)
Jan. 29, 2019 By Nathaly Pesantez
N and W straphangers were impacted this morning by what the Metropolitan Transportation Authority described as “severely disrupted” service along the lines due to a signal problem in Long Island City.
Problems along the line began in the midst of the morning rush hour, with New York City Transit announcing at around 7:40 a.m. today that service is disrupted between 57 St – 7 Av and Ditmars Blvd in both directions.
The culprit, the agency said, was a signal problem between Queensboro Plaza and 39 Av.
N train service is severely disrupted between 57 St-7 Av and Ditmars Blvd in both directions because of a signal problem between Queensboro Plaza and 39 Av.
— NYCT Subway (@NYCTSubway) January 29, 2019
No trains ran in either direction for about an hour, with limited N and W service resuming between the two points just before 8:40 a.m. after workers addressed the problem. Trains, however, were operating every 12 to 15 minutes.
NYCT at first dispatched six shuttle buses to run between Ditmars Blvd and Queensboro Plaza and a result, with more buses mobilized at around 9:14 a.m.
The agency noted at around the same time that N/W trains are running more frequently as service returns to normal.
Apart from the shuttle buses, NYCT suggests riders use the Q69, Q100 or Q101 buses.
Some riders along the line in Astoria noted on social media that their wait times have been upwards of 30 minutes.
“Guys really need answers here,” said one Twitter user. “Been waiting at 36av for 35mins. One train has come but was full to the brim with straphangers.”
One person noted that the service problems come after the Broadway and 39 Ave station recently opened back up after nearly seven months of work.
“This is the first day in over a year all Astoria train stations are open and MTA can’t even handle it,” the Twitter user said.
