By
Matthew
Russell Lee
NEW
YORK CITY,
June 2, updated
below -- A
New York City
subway on the
7 line running
east from
Grand Central
jolted to a
stop on the
night of June
2, under the
East River,
and filled
with smoke.
Inner City
Press photo
here, picked
up with credit
by NBC, here.
There were no
announcements
by the train
conductors or
MTA. Riders
began pushed
their way back
from where
they thought
the smoke was
coming from,
yelling for
others to
hurry up,
knocking some
down.
But
when the door
between subway
cars were
opened, more
smoke came in.
There was
panic. Some
covered their
faces with
their shirts,
photo
here
(used
by ABC, with
credit, here);
others began
to pray. In
one car a man
said loudly,
“My cousin
died in
Nine-Eleven.”
New
York City and
its
Metropolitan
Transit
Authority have
been given
many reasons
to improve.
Long since
Nine-Eleven,
in The Bronx
we had a major
derailment,
which Inner
City Press
covered in
detail.
Promises were
made. But the
system remains
sclerotic,
unable to
respond
quickly to
anything.
The 7
train was
jammed
although it
was pasted 10
pm, because
the MTA had
stopped all
service on the
N, Q and R
lines,
shunting all
of those
passengers to
the 7 line.
Amid the
smoke-filled
pandemonium,
some were
still
calculating
how to get
home: the 4, 5
or 6 north to
catch the E
train? Others
continued to
pray,
preparing
themselves for
death.
The
train lurched
backward
toward Grand
Central, but
then stopped
again. A woman
began to
scream; others
tried to calm
her. One man,
with a thick
Irish accent,
joked that bad
things happen
when the New
York Yankees
lose. 10 to 2,
another said.
Oh my God.
A half-station
under the
United Nations
at First
Avenue has
been reported
on by Inner
City Press,
but the MTA
did not use
it.
There
were still no
announcements
by the train
conductor or
MTA. One rider
opened the
side window;
smoke came in.
Finally the
train pulled
back into the
Grand Central
stop, where
the platform
was jammed. Photo
here.
People bought
bottles of
water from the
news stand;
one woman fell
to the
platform,
writhing.
Still no
explanation.
The N,
Q and R were
not re-opened;
no new E
trains came.
Stoic New
Yorkers set
off on foot.
“Take a
picture to
show your
boss,” one
rider shouted.
It inched
toward
midnight...
Update:
above ground,
the three
e-mail alerts
from the MTA
were:
11:05
pm: b/d, 7
trains are
running with
delays, due to
a FDNY
activity at 42
St. Allow
additional
travel time.
11:09
pm: Main St
bnd, 7 trains
terminate at
Vernon Blvd,
due to a FDNY
activity at 42
St. Allow
additional
travel time.
11:22
pm: Times Sq
bnd, 7 trains
terminate at
Hunters Point
Av, due to a
FDNY activity
at 42 St.
That's it...
Update
II, June 3,
10:40 am --
still no
explanation on
MTA's website,
which has no
email contact
for media
questions.
Nothing on
MTA's Twitter
feed either.
#Fail.
, 
