NEW YORK, NY – A collision involving two subway trains on the Upper West Side of Manhattan Thursday afternoon resulted in 24 injuries and the evacuation of hundreds of passengers. The incident occurred shortly after 3 p.m. at the 96th Street station when a northbound 1 train collided with a disabled train of the same line.
The disabled train, which had been vandalized earlier with several emergency brake cords pulled, was under maintenance with four MTA workers onboard. No passengers were present on the disabled train. The northbound train, carrying up to 500 passengers, was in the process of leaving the station when the collision led to the derailment of both trains.
Ian Swords, FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief, reported that the injuries sustained were minor and typical of a low-speed derailment. Victims were transported to local hospitals. The passenger train, which had not fully exited the station, was evacuated through the station platform.
In addition to the passengers on the collided trains, approximately 300 to 400 passengers from another train, halted due to the power shut down following the incident, were evacuated. These passengers disembarked through the derailed train.
Rich Davey, President of the MTA, stated that preliminary investigations suggest no equipment malfunction. The focus of the inquiry is on human factors that might have contributed to the accident. Davey assured that the switches and signals were functioning correctly, emphasizing the need to understand the cause of the collision.