NYC Subway Delays Return With A Vengeance For Monday Night Commute

We can’t fix Penn Station or update the subway’s signal systems. But we can give voice to your frustration, hold those in charge accountable and find creative ways to make commuting more pleasant. Patch is partnering with WNYC and Gothamist to do just that. Join "We the Commuters" and you’ll receive tips, inspiration and a megaphone for your voice this summer.

NEW YORK, NY — A rash of signal problems, track fires, broken-down trains and other issues wreaked havoc on the NYC subway commute during rush hour Monday night, according to frustrated commuters tweeting from within the clogged system and official updates posted to the MTA website.

During the day's equally hellish morning commute, a "rubbish fire" at the 145th Street station caused nine injuries, shut down service entirely on two lines and left other platforms severely overcrowded, the MTA said.

And again in the evening, apocalyptic pics began flooding social media.

Commuters could be seen packed like cattle onto the 7 train platform at Grand Central Terminal, backed up all the way to the top of the stairs.

"It is very very hot in here," Sarah Jones, a reporter for The New Republic, tweeted just before 6 p.m. "I am actually extremely afraid I or someone else is going to knocked onto the tracks."

Jones' message for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who oversees the MTA? "Fix this."

Other photos posted to social media showed the situation along the N/Q/R/W line around 5 p.m., after a reported track fire at 59th Street and Lexington that temporarily halted train service to Queens:

Service along the W line to Queens was restored and running smoothly as of 7 p.m., commuters told Patch.

The A, C, E, F, M, N, R, W, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 lines were all reportedly running with delays or other service changes at various points during the Monday evening rush. You can check the real-time status of individual subway lines on the MTA website.

Subway delays have tripled over the past five years, according to data from the MTA, the state entity that owns and operates the NYC subway system. So far in 2017, nearly 40 percent of all trains in the system have been recorded as running behind schedule, the data shows.

Lead photo by Jenna Uliano/Twitter