A water main broke on Broadway just north of Columbus Circle before dawn today, creating a temporary lake outside of Lincoln Center and snarling Monday morning commutes. Update: The MTA hopes to have service back to normal for the 4 p.m. commute, "The water in the system has now been drained and pumped and we are in the process of inspecting the impact area which stretches across four stations from 59th Street-Columbus Circle to 79th Street. Seventy two signals and 12 switches will be inspected to ensure they are functioning properly."
By 3:21 p.m., the MTA Tweeted, "It'll take time to get trains & crews into place for rush hour, but we expect full service for most of rush."
Just before 4 p.m., the MTA announced, "We have now restored limited service on 1, 2, and 3 lines. Riders should expect significant residual delays before the resumption of normal rush hour service." [More below.]
The break occurred around 5 a.m., and the MTA was forced to suspend subway service along the 1, 2, and 3 lines between Upper West Side stations—and then briefly suspended service in Manhattan and Brooklyn. (Buses have also been rerouted.) Currently, service is being run in two directions or rerouted along the lines—there is no service between Times Square-42nd Street and 96th Street on the 1 or 3; the 2 is running on the 4/5:
The sidewalk on the west side of Broadway, between 62nd and 63rd Streets, looked like it had erupted, with debris spilling onto the street.
The sidewalk near Broadway and 62nd Street.
Water flooded Columbus Avenue from West 62nd Street towards West 65th Street, with authorities shutting down streets to traffic as the water rushed over the sidewalks and steps outside Lincoln Center and across the street at Dante Park. With the Lincoln Center subway station out of service, people were walking through Lincoln Center to get to work, school, or to another subway station.
After 8 a.m., the Department of Environmental Protection confirmed that water had been shut off. A spokesman said that the "remaining water on the street should drain into the sewer system fairly quickly. Crews will proceed with water main repairs."
There are now "subway straws" involved: MTA added, "The Department of Environmental Protection has stopped the water flowing into the subway system, and our maintenance teams are now moving pumps into place to remove water from the tracks."
Update: MTA spokesman Tim Minton offered details about how the agency learned of the water main break and how they prepared. In a statement, he said, "At 4:57 a.m., there were the first indications that a city-owned water main erupted between 62nd and 63rd Streets. We received the first reports from train operators at 5:00 that there was water in the system. Then at 5:02, we alerted our crews that there would be route modifications as a result."
“When this incident began, a single northbound 1 train was stuck in the tunnel for 15 minutes, just south of the 66th Street station. It was gradually moved north so that the first three cars were in the station. Customers were then safely evacuated onto the platform. At 5:45 a.m., power was cut so that transit workers could safely begin pumping out water. By the time the city shut off the water, there were approximately 500,000 gallons of water remaining in the subway system.
“The level of water rose above the third rail, making conditions dangerous to operate trains. The site of the break was adjacent to an emergency hatch for the Broadway line, which allowed water to quickly pour into the tunnel. Water also came in through several nearby vents.
In addition to suspending and diverting service along the 1, 2, and 3 lines, Minton explained, "We have deployed extensive resources in the Infrastructure, Track and Signals Departments, as well as cleaners, to address the situation. The water in the system has now been drained and pumped and we are in the process of inspecting the impact area which stretches across four stations from 59th Street-Columbus Circle to 79th Street. Seventy two signals and 12 switches will be inspected to ensure they are functioning properly. Our current expectation is that service will be restored to normal levels by the evening rush, beginning at 4 p.m."
The DEP said that water was restored to customers.
