What to know
- The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) detailed the moments that led to the terrifying accident along the 1/2/3 line on January 4.
- So why didn’t the train stop at the red light? According to the NTSB, a communication failure occurred.
- A new NTSB schematic diagram showed the collision point. On Thursday, the MTA said they were investigating what went wrong.
NEW YORK — Investigators said a radio communication breakdown caused the Upper West Side subway derailment in early January, which left two dozen people injured, according to a report.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) detailed the moments that led to the terrifying accident along the 1/2/3 line on January 4. Around 3 pm that day, a vandal hit all the emergency brakes on an uptown Local 1 train, so the train crew dropped everyone off at the 79th Street station.
An MTA inspector then told them to move the train north to a train station. But they would have to use what is known as a “banderista” in front: a crew member who communicates by radio with the person driving the out-of-service train from the sixth car.
While the train was moving, the train ran over a red signal on the tracks, causing the accident and derailment.
So why didn’t the train stop at the red light? According to the NTSB, a communication failure occurred.
“The flagman said he lost radio communications with the transit system supervisor near the 96th Street station. The transit system supervisor did not receive the flagger’s instruction to stop, the train passed a signal that required a stopped at the end of the 96th Street station platform, and the collision occurred,” the report states.
A new NTSB schematic diagram showed the collision point. On Thursday, the MTA said they were investigating what went wrong.
“We tested the radios to make sure they were working, and that was true. But on or off at that time? No,” said MTA Transit President Rich Davey. “We’ve done it about 10 or 12 times a week for the last year and we’ve done it without any fanfare.”
Fortunately, of the two dozen injuries that resulted from the accident, none were considered life-threatening. Federal prosecutors are now investigating a more systemic protocol at the MTA. The NTSB has expressed its desire for subway cars to have cameras inside and outside, as well as a data recorder. All of those items were missing from these trains.
The agency’s president said at the scene of the derailment that people should be careful about blaming the operators of the wrecked train.
“It’s easy to blame humans. Human error is a symptom of a system that needs to be redesigned,” said NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy.
Some have suggested removing the emergency brake cables to reduce pranks, vandalism and worse. But Davey didn’t seem ready to take that step.
“There have been cases where customers have pulled the cord in a true emergency. And we still want to give them that opportunity,” he said.
However, the MTA is considering changing the punishment for pulling one of the emergency brake cables, which currently results in only one citation. The agency would try to change that to possible criminal prosecution in certain cases.
2024-01-26 22:22:18
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