subway stations flooded, MTA canceled some trains

A water main failure in the Times Square area on August 29 flooded streets and infiltrated the subway system, closing several Midtown intersections and suspending subway service in the area, according to New York 1.

While crews excavate and repair the damaged water system, roads are closed on Seventh Avenue between 42nd and 39th Streets and on 40th Street between Eighth and Sixth Avenues. They are expected to remain closed throughout the day, officials said. Due to the flooding, the MTA had to partially suspend trains 1 and 3, as well as reroute 2 trains.

At a press conference around 7:00 am, Rohit T. Aggarwala, New York City Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner, said that at 3:00 am, a water main broke on Seventh Avenue, located at a depth of 3-5 meters below street level.

Crews arrived on the scene within 30 minutes, Aggarwala said, and over the next 60 minutes they managed to shut off all water flowing into the 40th Street and Seventh Avenue area. Video footage shows water running down flights of stairs and into the Times Square subway station.

A lot of water has flowed

The burst water pipe was built in 1896 and is located above the subway system. Why exactly the 50-centimeter pipe burst is still unclear.

Officials say they don’t know how many buildings will remain without water while crews continue to repair plumbing, but they believe it will be a relatively small number because most buildings in the area have back-up water systems.

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“The main negative impact, of course, was on the metro, since the water supply is located above the metro station,” Aggarwala said.

“Serious consequences for lines 1, 2 and 3, mainly because water leaked here in Times Square,” NYC Transit President Richard Davey told reporters at a news conference in Midtown. Davey says the transit system is experiencing problems at the 23rd and 14th street stations, where “the water is actually above the rails.”

Crews of workers pass through the tunnels between 42nd and 14th streets, clearing debris and inspecting communication facilities that have suffered from water. It is not yet clear when transport links will be fully restored.