New Tech Team Had To Help MTA Reset Signals By Hand Amid Outage

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — In order to get trains running in Queens after massive power-outage-induced delays on Monday, the MTA had to reset all of the system's signals by hand, according to a new report.

After a computer fuse issue on Monday afternoon, the signals on the E, F, M and R trains got stuck in a stop position, automatically activating the trains' emergency brakes and causing service to come to a halt across the borough, AMNY reported.

An hour after the outage, one of the transit agency's teams reported that the outage "appears to be a New Technology Signal problem, not a power problem," meaning that the team had to call for help from crews that specialize in the train's newly-installed signals, a senior MTA officer told AMNY — denying the idea that the signals themselves were the source of the problem.

Since 2017, the city's transit agency has been replacing ancient signals on the Queens Boulevard Line — which carries E, F, M and R trains — with new automated technology.

When signals froze on the Queens Boulevard Line, those four train lines stopped running, with delays lasting through the next day.

The Canadian firm Thales is responsible for the upgrades, and maintains that the "signal equipment is working as designed" according to a report cited by AMNY.

Both a spokesperson for the Canadian company and the MTA said that the investigation into what caused the power outage itself remains ongoing — though team members from both groups helped to get the trains back up and running.

Both groups acknowledge, however, that integrating the older and newer systems have caused some "growing pains" in on the Queens Boulevard Line, which is the site of almost half of Junes signal incidents, according to AMNY.

A spokesperson told the site that the new system is expected to be in full operation later this year.