Limited service restored in NYC subway after collision, derailment 

The MTA Friday restored limited service on the New York City Subway lines for the 1, 2 and 3 trains after two subway trains bumped into each other Thursday in an Upper West Side tunnel, forcing one to derail and causing minor injuries to 26 people, authorities said.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash and conducted a preliminary review of the accident Friday.

The MTA resumed some service at 5 p.m. on the 1 and 3 subway lines and the 2 train is running on the 5 train line, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday evening. 

Passengers evacuated from the derailed trains Thursday at the 96th Street Station. The collision involved a train carrying about 300 customers and a vandalized train that had been taken out of service at another station, Hochul said.

“MTA has been working around the clock to safely restore this essential subway service to New Yorkers,” Hochul said. “I am grateful to all our first responders who were able to evacuate passengers quickly yesterday, and to the workers continuing to ensure that full-service is restored as soon as possible.”

Service had been partially suspended or rerouted Friday morning on the 1, 2 and 3 lines, while the 4 and A lines also experienced issues. The last remaining train car was stuck in a tunnel while crews were working to remove it, MTA head Janno Lieber said at a news conference earlier Friday.

“New York’s subway system is incredibly resilient and over and over has shown an ability to quickly bounce back,” Lieber said. “In this case, MTA teams have worked 24 hours straight to reestablish service, and we’ll keep at it until full service is restored.”

The northbound No. 1 train and an out-of-service No. 1 train collided in a tunnel near West 96th Street Thursday, causing both train cars to derail, authorities said. At least 26 people aboard the northbound train were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, and some were taken to hospitals, the FDNY said. There were no serious injuries. 

The out-of-service train was slowly changing tracks when it collided with the No. 1 train pulling out of the station, authorities said. Both trains were traveling at low speeds. The No. 1 train held about 300 people, and the other train had a few workers.

Richard Davey, president of New York City Transit, said several of the emergency brake cords had been pulled. All but one had been reconnected, which left the train on the track, he said.

“Thankfully, there were no serious injuries,” Davey said. “Obviously, two trains should not be bumping into one another. We’re going to get to the bottom of that.”

Crews were inspecting the disabled car before it is removed and making any repairs needed to the tracks and infrastructure to enable resumption of full service on the 1 2 3.

With Matthew Chayes