FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM FEBRUARY 22, 2018 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11
N train signal woes caused big delays — and more frustration in Astoria
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @
angelamatua
Another day, another signal
problem.
Due to issues with the MTA’s
signal system at the 5 Av-59 St
station, commuters in Astoria
were scrambling to get to work
on the morning of Feb. 20. N
and W trains were experiencing
massive delays starting at about
7:30 a.m., which forced straphangers
to take the M60 bus.
But the line to get on the
bus wrapped around the block,
according to Twitter user Julie
Huntington.
Commuters used Twitter to
vent their frustration with the
MTA, with one Twitter user
criticizing the conductor for
suggesting that passengers use
the 7 train instead.
“How is the back up plan provided
by the conductor to ‘get
to the 7 train’?” wrote Twitter
user @CaptJackHaddock.
“Queensboro Plaza is a 45 minute
walk from here. How can I
‘get’ there? Magic?”
Ashley Steele, an Astoria resident
who uses the Astoria
Boulevard stop to get to her
job in Manhattan, said commuters
received “generic train
announcements off ering no
information.” She got to the
platform at 8:15 a.m. and 45
minutes later the platform was
full and no trains had come,
she said.
“Swarms of people were
on their phones scrambling
to fi nd open cabs, Lyft s and
Ubers and still no information
from MTA employees on
the scene,” Steele said. “Th e
amount of delays, changes and
frustration we experience as
Astorians is appalling and the
MTA, this anonymous being
with seemingly no accountability
for any of its issues, should be
ashamed.”
Steele had to rush back home
for a meeting through video call
and then walked 15 minutes
to the M/R Steinway station to
fi nd that the R train was also
not working. She was two hours
late to work.
N and W trains ran along the
Q line between 5 Av-59 St and
96 St. Th e Queens Plaza station
in Long Island City also experienced
signal problems so southbound
R trains ran along the F
line from Jackson Hts-Roosevelt
Av to Lexington Av-63 St.
All train service on the N,W,
Q and R lines resumed by 1:30
p.m.
Photo via Twitter/@mieletpiment
Astoria commuters waiting to take a bus after signal problems caused massive delays on the N and W lines.
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