EXCLUSIVE: Harlem subway derailment cost MTA $3.4M in new train cars, track work: report

[Via Garibaldi 8]

NEW YORK

EXCLUSIVE: Harlem subway derailment cost MTA $3.4M in new train cars, track work: report

By DAN RIVOLI | TRANSIT REPORTER | JUL 16, 2018 | 4:00 AM

Repair work is done June 27, 2017 after the A train derailment in Harlem, which ended up costing the MTA $3.4 million. (Courtesy of the TWU)

 

A subway rail improperly attached to the roadbed led to 39 straphangers getting hurt, two subway cars wrecked — and the MTA on the hook for $3.4 million.

That's the conclusion of an MTA probe into the June 27, 2017, derailment of an A train in Harlem.

Most of the expense of the crash — $3.1 million — was what it cost to replace the two cars that had to be scrapped.

The rest included $194,047 in parts and labor from the Division of Signals, $105,637 from the Division of Infrastructure and $2,144 in labor from the Division of Track.

The derailment turned a routine morning commute into hell on wheels.

Before the accident, track crews worked to replace a 26-foot piece of rail that had a defect.

To make the fix, crews cut down a new 39-foot piece of rail to 26 feet.

Firefighters transport a woman to the hospital after a train derailment at St. Nicholas Ave. and W. 135th St. on June 27, 2017. (Anthony DelMundo/New York Daily News)

 

But they failed to properly secure the new rail to the track bed, investigators found. They stowed the unused 13-foot piece of track and another 39-foot track section in the middle of the track bed.

The southbound A train was rolling at between 20 and 25 mph when improperly fastened rails and the loose rails on the trackbed combined to trip the train's emergency brakes.

The wheels and motors of two train cars derailed as the train slammed into a wall.

Hundreds of straphangers were forced to evacuate through dark subway tunnels.

None of the 39 people hurt in the crash suffered life-threatening injuries.

The News' front page on Wednesday, June 28, 2017. (New York Daily News)

 

The derailment was quickly blamed on human error before the start of the rush hour. Two supervisors at the scene during the track work were suspended. The MTA did not provide an update on their suspension and employment status.

After the derailment, MTA officials checked the subway system to make sure materials were stored on the tracks safely, and that crews were instructed on procedures.

The Daily News obtained the report on the crash from the state Public Transportation Safety Board.

The MTA also investigated two derailments on the 7 line near the Mets-Willets Point station in January 2017.

Inspectors found wheel flanges on both derailed trains were so worn down, the cars slid off the tracks. Further checking revealed the flanges were worn down on half of the 7 train fleet.

Subway officials believe the flanges were worn down by a new curved section of track north of the 34th St.-Hudson Yards station that opened in September 2015, the PTSB says. MTA officials are working on a solution to that problem.

Fixing the cars and other damage of the 7 train derailments cost the MTA $50,019.

"Safety is our top priority and though these instances are very rare, any mishap is one too many," MTA spokesman Shams Tarek said.

"The complete modernization of New York City Transit requires relentless attention to both physical assets and our procedures, and we're laser-focused on improving both."

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-metro-a-train-derailment-harlem-damages-20180713-story.html#

 

 

 

[Lawrence St]

45 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

NEW YORK

EXCLUSIVE: Harlem subway derailment cost MTA $3.4M in new train cars, track work: report

By DAN RIVOLI | TRANSIT REPORTER | JUL 16, 2018 | 4:00 AM

Repair work is done June 27, 2017 after the A train derailment in Harlem, which ended up costing the MTA $3.4 million. (Courtesy of the TWU)

 

A subway rail improperly attached to the roadbed led to 39 straphangers getting hurt, two subway cars wrecked — and the MTA on the hook for $3.4 million.

That's the conclusion of an MTA probe into the June 27, 2017, derailment of an A train in Harlem.

Most of the expense of the crash — $3.1 million — was what it cost to replace the two cars that had to be scrapped.

The rest included $194,047 in parts and labor from the Division of Signals, $105,637 from the Division of Infrastructure and $2,144 in labor from the Division of Track.

The derailment turned a routine morning commute into hell on wheels.

Before the accident, track crews worked to replace a 26-foot piece of rail that had a defect.

To make the fix, crews cut down a new 39-foot piece of rail to 26 feet.

Firefighters transport a woman to the hospital after a train derailment at St. Nicholas Ave. and W. 135th St. on June 27, 2017. (Anthony DelMundo/New York Daily News)

 

But they failed to properly secure the new rail to the track bed, investigators found. They stowed the unused 13-foot piece of track and another 39-foot track section in the middle of the track bed.

The southbound A train was rolling at between 20 and 25 mph when improperly fastened rails and the loose rails on the trackbed combined to trip the train's emergency brakes.

The wheels and motors of two train cars derailed as the train slammed into a wall.

Hundreds of straphangers were forced to evacuate through dark subway tunnels.

None of the 39 people hurt in the crash suffered life-threatening injuries.

The News' front page on Wednesday, June 28, 2017. (New York Daily News)

 

The derailment was quickly blamed on human error before the start of the rush hour. Two supervisors at the scene during the track work were suspended. The MTA did not provide an update on their suspension and employment status.

After the derailment, MTA officials checked the subway system to make sure materials were stored on the tracks safely, and that crews were instructed on procedures.

The Daily News obtained the report on the crash from the state Public Transportation Safety Board.

The MTA also investigated two derailments on the 7 line near the Mets-Willets Point station in January 2017.

Inspectors found wheel flanges on both derailed trains were so worn down, the cars slid off the tracks. Further checking revealed the flanges were worn down on half of the 7 train fleet.

Subway officials believe the flanges were worn down by a new curved section of track north of the 34th St.-Hudson Yards station that opened in September 2015, the PTSB says. MTA officials are working on a solution to that problem.

Fixing the cars and other damage of the 7 train derailments cost the MTA $50,019.

"Safety is our top priority and though these instances are very rare, any mishap is one too many," MTA spokesman Shams Tarek said.

"The complete modernization of New York City Transit requires relentless attention to both physical assets and our procedures, and we're laser-focused on improving both."

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-metro-a-train-derailment-harlem-damages-20180713-story.html#

 

 

 

I remember this mess. CPW was shut down for like what 2 hours? Every single train was halted and we stayed trapped for like an hour and a half.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

3 minutes ago, Lawrence St said:

I remember this mess. CPW was shut down for like what 2 hours? Every single train was halted and we stayed trapped for like an hour and a half.

$3.4 million for a careless mistake... I'm surprised no one sued, even for "minor injuries".

[Lawrence St]

Just now, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

$3.4 million for a careless mistake... I'm surprised no one sued, even for "minor injuries".

I agree. So they decided to scrap those two cars? What was the set?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Just now, Lawrence St said:

I agree. So they decided to scrap those two cars? What was the set?

You're asking me? I don't focus on those things too much. lol

[Deucey]

2 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Inspectors found wheel flanges on both derailed trains were so worn down, the cars slid off the tracks. Further checking revealed the flanges were worn down on half of the 7 train fleet.

 Subway officials believe the flanges were worn down by a new curved section of track north of the 34th St.-Hudson Yards station that opened in September 2015, the PTSB says. MTA officials are working on a solution to that problem.

So we have an elevated line that's exposed to the weather with wheel flanges that are so worn that trains can slide off the track in the wet, and it's JUST NOW DISCOVERED AND BEING BRAINSTORMED TO REMEDY.

My question: how many people responsible for car servicing and repair, budgeting, and safety certification are being fired for signing off on unsafe equipment being sent out daily?

[Lawrence St]

9 hours ago, Deucey said:

So we have an elevated line that's exposed to the weather with wheel flanges that are so worn that trains can slide off the track in the wet, and it's JUST NOW DISCOVERED AND BEING BRAINSTORMED TO REMEDY.

My question: how many people responsible for car servicing and repair, budgeting, and safety certification are being fired for signing off on unsafe equipment being sent out daily?

The curve at 34th St? Doesn't the  have much sharper turns at Court Square and Queensboro?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

11 hours ago, Deucey said:

So we have an elevated line that's exposed to the weather with wheel flanges that are so worn that trains can slide off the track in the wet, and it's JUST NOW DISCOVERED AND BEING BRAINSTORMED TO REMEDY.

My question: how many people responsible for car servicing and repair, budgeting, and safety certification are being fired for signing off on unsafe equipment being sent out daily?

You know the answer to that one...

[MHV9218]

Folks on the inside have said this story is pretty much BS. Those cares are shell demos for new designs, not necessarily permanently inoperable, and the $3.4m figure is sort of out of nowhere.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

4 minutes ago, MHV9218 said:

Folks on the inside have said this story is pretty much BS. Those cares are shell demos for new designs, not necessarily permanently inoperable, and the $3.4m figure is sort of out of nowhere.

Well what else are they going to say? The figures are broken down in terms of where the money went. Either those departments received the money or they didn't, and quite frankly, if people on the inside did their damn job, this would've never have been a discussion in the first place.

[RR503]

8 minutes ago, MHV9218 said:

Folks on the inside have said this story is pretty much BS. Those cares are shell demos for new designs, not necessarily permanently inoperable, and the $3.4m figure is sort of out of nowhere.

The salient part of this story (IMO) is the flange erosion on the . Wheel profiles and rail cant are designed to make that sort of thing not happen. How did the agency f*ck up the basics of track construction?

[BreeddekalbL]

15 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

$3.4 million for a careless mistake... I'm surprised no one sued, even for "minor injuries".

they did though, how could you not forget that my friend and yours Sanford was on the case

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Just now, BreeddekalbL said:

they did though, how could you not forget that my friend and yours Sanford was on the case

Oh yes... That skeevy SOB... They should put his name in the book when they give a definition of a skeevy lawyer. 

[MHV9218]

50 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Well what else are they going to say? The figures are broken down in terms of where the money went. Either those departments received the money or they didn't, and quite frankly, if people on the inside did their damn job, this would've never have been a discussion in the first place.

They're not broken down. The notion that $3.1 was "spent" on a car-by-car replacement for 207th's fleet is ridiculous. It's not how capital budgets--or operating budgets, for that matter--work. If anything the spare factor is probably two cars lower. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

2 minutes ago, MHV9218 said:

They're not broken down. The notion that $3.1 was "spent" on a car-by-car replacement for 207th's fleet is ridiculous. It's not how capital budgets--or operating budgets, for that matter--work. If anything the spare factor is probably two cars lower. 

Well since you have "inside" information, they should be able to tell you what the $3.1 million was spent on...

[MHV9218]

1 minute ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Well since you have "inside" information, they should be able to tell you what the $3.1 million was spent on...

My point is that they have not accounted for $3.1m being spent. This article refers, as far as I read it, to value lost, not a new purchase. They just said what a car order would cost on a car-by-car replacement basis. I'm not aware of a new $3.1m car order, is my point. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

1 minute ago, MHV9218 said:

My point is that they have not accounted for $3.1m being spent. This article refers, as far as I read it, to value lost, not a new purchase. They just said what a car order would cost on a car-by-car replacement basis. I'm not aware of a new $3.1m car order, is my point. 

Neither am I, but $3.1 million is a still monies that could be used elsewhere, for things like service increases.  Given the ongoing breakdown of subway cars and things like a lack of AC, etc., the more money saved is more money that can go elsewhere.

[Deucey]

5 hours ago, Lawrence St said:

The curve at 34th St? Doesn't the  have much sharper turns at Court Square and Queensboro?

Yup. And those are above ground - where it gets wet and trains can slip off the rails. But no one "noticed" until recently that the wheel flanges weren't sufficient, or they did and said "At'll do" and put lives at risk.

Who gets fired?

[MHV9218]

1 hour ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Neither am I, but $3.1 million is a still monies that could be used elsewhere, for things like service increases.  Given the ongoing breakdown of subway cars and things like a lack of AC, etc., the more money saved is more money that can go elsewhere.

Well obviously, but again, it's a made-up number. The $300k is a real cost estimate of these screw-ups, not the hypothetical replacement cost in an order that will not be affected.