Smoking W Train Evacuated In Astoria: FDNY

ASTORIA, QUEENS -- Hundreds of New Yorkers crowded an Astoria subway platform after they were forced to evacuate a smoking Manhattan-bound train on Tuesday morning, fire officials and riders said.

Fire officials evacuated the smoking W train at 39 Avenue to investigate after receiving a report of a transit incident at around 8 a.m., an FDNY spokesman said. Riders said they were evacuated after the train began smoking, vibrating and making loud noises.

The FDNY investigation caused N and W trains to run express from Astoria Boulevard to Queensborough Plaza, but normal service resumed just before 9 a.m., the MTA said.

But the evacuation left hundreds of evacuated riders stranded and frustrated as they crowded onto the platform at 39 Avenue to wait for a bus to Queensborough Plaza, one Twitter user said.

Another rider posted a photo of the crowded subway platform after he was forced to evacuate.

(Lead image: Riders evacuate at 39 Avenue after a Manhattan-bound W train begins to smoke and vibrate. Photo by Alex L/Twitter)