Commutes Roiled By 4-Hour Queensboro Plaza Subway Signal Snafu

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — A signal circuit failure at the Queensboro Plaza subway station snarled train service on the 7, N and W lines for more than four hours Monday evening, according to the MTA.

Northbound N, W, Q and R trains and Flushing-bound 7 trains were delayed or rerouted to allow emergency response teams to safely repair the issue along the elevated N/W tracks at that station, MTA spokesperson Shams Tarek said.

"We regret the inconvenience this caused for customers and thank them for their patience while we worked to fix the problem," Tarek said in an emailed statement.

The signal issue started about 5 p.m. Monday, near the start of evening rush hour. Some northbound Q and R trains, which share a track with the N and W lines in Manhattan, were rerouted. Other trains were forced to travel more slowly or were stalled in between stations.

"We don't anticipate that the delays will substantially disrupt service, but we'll let you know if so," the MTA tweeted an hour after the agency first reported the signal malfunction.

Subway riders angrily contested the MTA's take, complaining on Twitter that they had indeed experienced substantial delays.

Then why has my 7 train been sitting at court square for 10 minutes? I would consider that a substantial delay
— Kevin (@DFSoccer_) December 16, 2019

Service is, indeed, substantially disrupted. - Someone on the N (for quite a while now, and currently late for my class so THANKS FOR THAT.)
— Starkey (@blazingfig) December 16, 2019

They are. My train has been stalled without moving for 5 mins.
— Kaylyn Buckley (@KaylynBuckley) December 17, 2019

One hour and fifteen minutes to go from 28th Street to QBP. Lol. I could have biked home faster.
— MTAholes (@AholesMt) December 17, 2019

It wasn't until 9:45 p.m. that the MTA reported the issue resolved, according to social media posts.

The MTA said subway officials are investigating the signal malfunction's root cause.

"Whatever it may be, we can assure you our teams are working on new innovative ways to combat these issues as part of our modernization plan," the transit authority tweeted at one incensed rider.

The hours-long delay happened just after the MTA had touted the 7 train as this year's most-improved subway line.

The 7 train's running time was about 3.5 minutes faster last month than it was in November 2018, and about 4.5 minutes faster for the express line, according to a new MTA metric called "running time," which measures how long trains take to travel between stations.

The transit authority noted in a press release Monday that it installed a new signal system along the 7 line at the end of last year, but officials didn't directly credit that for the improvements.

Running times were faster on every line in November compared to the same time a year ago, according to the MTA, which claims numbered lines ran about 2.5 minutes faster and lettered lines ran 1.5 minutes faster.

MTA officials also said there were fewer major incidents and train delays on weekdays last month compared to November 2018.

"The data doesn't lie," MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick Foye said in a statement. "Our subway service has truly turned around."