Two photos sum up how subway disruptions are affecting New York commuters on a regular basis:
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These photos sum up just how bad New York's commuter nightmare has gotten
A trash fire on the New York subway's A line caused massive delays and overcrowding in stations.
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A track fire at the 145th Street subway station caused major delays along the A, B, C, and D lines on Monday morning.
But the disruption also caused severe overcrowding on subway platforms as stranded commuters tried to switch from the A train to the 1:
People started cramming onto subways, leading some to ride between subway cars — an extremely dangerous thing to do:
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Lines were also lengthy for commuters attempting to take the bus as an alternative:
Lyft prices skyrocketed:
A New York City Fire Department spokeswoman told am New York that the fire was sparked by garbage on the track.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has been attempting since August to reduce the amount of trash on subway tracks by cleaning them more often.
The MTA has also ordered three vacuum trains designed to collect and clear garbage. The first two are set to arrive this year, according to a 2016 press release.
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"A track fire shortly after 7:30 am caused major delays on the A,B, C, and D lines during the height of the morning rush," an MTA spokesperson told Business Insider. "As an alternative, customers were sent redirected to the 1 line which experienced heavy volume. We are reviewing the entire incident, we apologize for the inconvenience, and we appreciate our customers’ patience."
The track fire highlights the general fragility of New York's aging subway system as disruptions pile up.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared in June that the MTA was in a state of emergency. As a result, MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota has until the end of August to assess capital needs for cars, tracks, and signals. Cuomo also said he would add $1 billion to the MTA capital plan.
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