44 DECEMBER 1 - DECEMBER 7, 2017 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP
Straphangers, elected officials demand
action after latest R train debacle
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BY MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK
MMCGOLDRICK@BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
Just when straphangers thought
they were at their wit's end with
the infamous R line, the 86th Street
subway station – just one of four subway
access points in Bay Ridge, all
of which offer strictly R line service
– quite literally started to fall apart
early Sunday morning.
According to an MTA spokesperson,
at about 5:30 a.m. on Sunday,
November 26, a panel of the station’s
“pre-fabrication bolt-on wall coverings”
fell from the wall and onto the tracks
just as a train was pulling in.
In an attempt to avoid hitting the
debris, the conductor of the oncoming
train – which the agency claims was
carrying about 30 people – brought
it to a safe, albeit abrupt, stop, though
was unable to avoid the paneling entirely.
Instead, a portion of the panel,
the spokesperson said, ended up
wedged under the train car, making
for a grueling clean-up the spokesperson
confirmed took close to 12 hours.
Though there were no injuries
(contrary to initial reports that the
train had derailed, the car never
dislodged from the tracks), with work
being done on the station until about
4:18 p.m. that day, riders were left to
utilize an alternative they know all
too well – a complimentary shuttle bus
service in both directions courtesy of
the MTA. The Sunday shuttle service
was reminiscent of those offered to
riders when service is suspended, as
it is often and as it will continue to be,
with scheduled upgrades – including
an elevator at this very station – coming
down the pipeline.
With the station back in business
and service up and running at what
they perceive as its usual inconsistent
pace, local residents and elected officials
feel the incident is just another
chapter in a story that will seemingly
never end.
“Thankfully no one was hurt,”
wrote State Senator Marty Golden on
Facebook Sunday. “This is another
example why I continue to fight for
the modernization and safety of our
transportation system.”
Councilmember Vincent Gentile,
who has long fought for a complete
overhaul and reexamination of the
R line and its service, shared similar
sentiments. “The crumbling wall at
the 86th Street station makes me angry
beyond measure, and evidence yet
again which supports my argument
for a full and complete audit of the R
train station," he wrote, also on Facebook.
"When is enough enough?”
“I really don't know how many
more wake-up calls we need,” Councilmember
elect Justin Brannan told
this paper, crediting the operator for
bringing the train to a safe stop and
the maintenance crews who worked
overtime to make sure Monday morning
wasn’t “more of a nightmare than
it usually is.”
“It’s time the commuters demand
their elected representatives lock
themselves in a room until they figure
out how we're going to fix our crumbling
public transportation system,”
he went on. “I'm ready to lock myself
in that room and work with anyone
and everyone. This is very clearly an
emergency, all-hands on deck situation
and it requires everyone to come
to the table ready to work towards real
solutions.”
Bay Ridge straphanger Matthew
Kabel agreed.
"That wall falling down was not only
symbolic of the crumbling infrastructure
of our outdated subway system,
but the lack of strength politicians
have displayed in addressing the
underlying problem head-on," said
Kabel who, earlier this year, started a
Facebook group where members can
share updates and statuses on South
Brooklyn transportation, such as the
D, N, Q and (of course) the R train. "You
almost have to laugh at the absurdity
of it. I'm happy nobody got hurt, but
what about next time?"
The page – which boasts close to
1,000 members – was abuzz with response
to Sunday’s incident.
“So much for maintenance work
done over past months,” commented
one Facebook user.
“Are they going to take 17 days to
decide what to do about this?” wrote
another.
“No more playing hot potato, no
more kicking the can down the road,”
Brannan said. “We all know the state
ultimately controls the MTA but that
doesn't mean we as city lawmakers
can just simply shrug our shoulders
– not when our subways are literally
falling apart.”
Photo courtesy of Councilmember Vincent Gentile
Debris on the tracks at 86th Street.