MAY
NEW YORK, NY
A train service between Broad Channel and Rockaway Boulevard
was expected to be suspended until about 4 a.m. Thursday after a stolen copper
cable caused massive delays in the morning.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says a
"massive" copper cable theft is to blame for this morning's delays on
the A line in Queens, affecting thousands of riders.
The power loss forced the MTA to suspend service between
Rockaway Boulevard and Broad Channel stations.
MTA New York City Transit President Carmen Bianco says an A
train lost power north of the Howard Beach station around midnight.
After investigating the power failure, the agency says
hundreds of feet of copper wire were discovered missing.
“Vandals came in, I'm not sure how they accessed that actual
area but they were able to come in and cut that cable using tools, obviously,
because it's very large diameter cable, and they were able to take
approximately 500 feet,” said Bianco.
The agency says the NYPD Transit Bureau is heavily involved
in catching the thieves.
“Very bold. You're raising risks and exposure for our
customers. We rely on that cable to actually complete the electrical circuit.
So as electric is served to the train it wants to return back to its source.
And it's actually that return that was actually removed and cut," said
Bianco.
He said the area will be monitored closely to protect
against future thefts.
The MTA has set up shuttle buses as an alternative route in
the Rockaways.
Service is expected to be restored in time for the morning
commute.
For the latest transit information, visit mta.info.
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New York City transit officials say the massive theft of copper cable along subway train tracks has caused major disruptions in service for hundreds of thousands of commuters.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says the crime disrupted service along the entire length of the A and C lines on Wednesday morning.
At least 500 feet of cable was discovered stolen from roughly 12 locations along the A train tracks near Howard Beach, Queens.
It halted A train service between the Rockaway Boulevard and Broad Channel stations in Queens.
Some A trains were running there by late morning. But the MTA says trains would be replaced by shuttle buses again Wednesday night for repair work.
The A and C lines carry roughly 775,000 passengers a day.