7 Train's New Signal Tech Failed During Monday Snowstorm: Report

QUEENS, NY — Monday's light dusting of snow was too much for the the 7 subway line's new, high-tech signal system, according to a news report.

The signal system, which the MTA installed on the mostly-elevated line in November 2018, lost its ability to find the computer-driven trains along the line starting about 12:30 p.m. in Queens, the New York Daily News reported, citing internal records.

The bug delayed about 72 trains on the 7 line that day, a spokesperson for the transit authority told the Daily News, and forced subway operators to switch to driving their trains manually.

Pete Tomlin, who oversees subway signal technology, told the Daily News the problem was weather-related and charged Thales, the company that provided the new system, with making fixes to prevent the issue from happening again.

"What occurred during the storm on the 7 Line was purely weather related and the MTA has directed Thales to immediately review and address the issue, including making modifications to the transponders to prevent future weather-related disruptions for our customers," Tomlin said. "We are holding them fully accountable until the matter is resolved."

The MTA plans to spend $7 billion to install the new signal technology, called communications-based train control, on a half-dozen new stretches of track over the next five years, according to the Daily News.

Read the full story in the New York Daily News.