Subway train strikes barrier in downtown Manhattan

[Trainspotter]

Subway train strikes barrier in downtown Manhattan

By Marlene Naanes and By David Freedlander, amNewYork Staff Writers

November 7, 2007

 

Injured motorman is brought aboveground after being carried off the

Chambers St. platform of the M train in the City Hall Station

(Jefferson Siegel / November 6, 2007)

 

Transit officials are investigating why an M train crashed after dropping off passengers at the end of its run in lower Manhattan, injuring the train's operator.

 

The train was turning around after leaving the Chambers Street station about 10:55 a.m. when it ran into a wood and metal barrier. The operator was in the first car and became momentarily trapped. He was taken to St. Vincent's Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

 

A conductor on board was not injured. It's unclear why the train did not stop or how fast it was going.

 

The train did not derail and service was not disrupted, but the first two cars were significantly damaged, a New York City Transit spokesman said. Four other cars received lighter damage.

 

The barrier the train hit, a bumper block, is a structure found at the end of train lines to prevent trains from overrunning the track.