Bed Bugs Blamed For Snarled Service On E, F, M, R, W Lines

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — A bed bug sighting reported in part of the subway system in Queens messed up commutes for thousands of straphangers Wednesday evening.

The E, F, M, R and W trains were hit by delays after an MTA worker reported seeing one of the bugs in a control tower in Forest Hills at 4:30 p.m., according to NYC Transit President Andy Byford. The towers are control centers for track switches.

The MTA immediately evacuated workers in the tower to fumigate, he said.

"We immediately took action to fumigate the tower, which resulted in an evacuation until tower staff were able to safely return at approximately 7:30 p.m.," Byford said. "We apologize for the inconvenience to our customers as we worked to address the issue and ensure the safety of our employees."

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The Continental Master Control Tower, where the bed bug sighting was reported, controls track switches at Forest Hills-71st Avenue, where M and R trains turn around and head back to Manhattan, MTA officials said.

Without workers in that tower, the MTA had to take those trains further into the subway system to send them in the other direction. As a result, the MTA re-routed some M and R trains and temporarily extended W service to Sunset Park and Bay Ridge.

Subway service got back to normal about 8:30 p.m., Byford said.

We did not provide a reason for the issue at Forest Hills-71 Av because we were gathering all the facts.

Here they are: https://t.co/YrxWIyde17
— NYCT Subway (@NYCTSubway) January 23, 2020

This isn't the first time the critters have been spotted in transit workers' facilities. Tramell Thompson, an MTA conductor and union activist, told Gothamist they're a "common" feature.

"The conditions that us MTA workers work and eat in, especially in subways are very decrepit and not well kept," Thompson told Gothamist. "The majority of these MTA Chiefs don’t care because they don’t work under the same conditions or hazards as us."