Friday’s FUBAR Commute Brought To You By The MTA & Con Ed

Today the 7 train turns one hundred years old. In celebration, it is running without delays. Nearly every other line has been mired in chaos, creating a nightmare commute for millions of people.

Due to what the MTA tells the Voice is “a Con Ed power issue at 53rd Street,” A, C, E, B, D, F, M, J, N, Q, and R trains are all facing rerouting or severely curtailed service. It’s as if the old IRT (the number lines, which are running like normal) are playing a joke on the BMT and IND (the letter lines, which are a mess) in celebration of the 7 centenary. But that’s only funny if you’re a transit nerd who isn’t currently on the train. For everyone else, it means you are not getting to your job on time.

At 11 a.m., the MTA tells the Voice it has no time frame for when the delays and rerouting will be cleared up. And while the MTA’s Twitter account is taking pains to note that it’s the “Con Ed power outage that snarled service,” a Con Ed spokesman, Allan Drury, tells the Voice that the cause is still unknown. “There’s obviously a problem on some sort of electrical delivery equipment. Whether it belongs to us or the MTA hasn’t been determined yet.”

Because of that loss of power at 53rd Street and Seventh Avenue, there’s no B service, and D trains are running on the C line in Manhattan while the C trains are not running at all. The E train is now running on the F line between Jackson Heights and West 4th Street, while those crowded F trains are now hopping on the G tracks (like they used to!) and heading on over to get stranded Brooklyn commuters and assist them toward some number trains they can maybe use. The M is calling it quits once it gets from Brooklyn to Manhattan, terminating at Chambers Street, and the J is facing serious delays.

So how is everyone’s perpetual commute? 

People cannot even make it to the train platforms due to this #MTA power outage in #NYC pic.twitter.com/A0iSwbH8Xc

— Cassie Dagostino (@casatino) April 21, 2017

How we all feel on this commute today. Thanks, @MTA #mtadelay pic.twitter.com/if7PoVk0Uy

— Frank (@justafrank) April 21, 2017

People seem to be keeping it mostly together. Mostly. 

.@uber charging $43 to travel 2.5 miles. Are you perhaps taking advantage of the major power outage on the NYC subway? pic.twitter.com/pQvgHojKN7

— Henry Williams (@digitalhen) April 21, 2017

Well, when the subways fail, and existential screaming is our lone consolation, at least we have some alternate modes of transport, right? Ones that are attuned to our pain?

"As of right now," said the conductor, "this E train will be running on the F line. But it could be the M line." #mta #confusion #NBC4NY pic.twitter.com/JaB4FpeKiJ

— Andrew Siff (@andrewsiff4NY) April 21, 2017

No. Your pain means nothing to them.

Just a reminder that last month, the MTA increased fares once again. Also, a healthy reminder that Governor Andrew Cuomo recently slashed its budget by $65 million dollars. Be kind to your conductors — the real enemy is in Albany.

UPDATE: At 12:46, the MTA announced that service has resumed, “with delays.” (Of course.)

#ServiceAlert:Following an earlier incident at 7 Av-53 St, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, J, M, N, Q & R train service has resumed with delays.

— NYCT Subway (@NYCTSubway) April 21, 2017

Gov. Cuomo directing immediate joint DPS / MTA investigation into Con Ed's equipment failure affecting subway service across system this AM.

— James Allen (@jamesallen) April 21, 2017