A heatwave has been sweeping through New York City in recent days, causing major disruptions to the subway system during the Tuesday (July 29) morning rush hour. Multiple subway lines experienced significant delays or shutdowns due to power outages, severely impacting passenger travel.
According to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a power outage occurred at West 4th St subway station in Manhattan, leading to a signal system failure. The incident occurred around 8:30 am and affected the A, B, C, F, and M lines. The B and C lines had their train services completely suspended in both directions, while the M line stopped operating between Delancey Street–Essex St and Forest Hills–71st Ave stations. The F line was rerouted to the E and G lines and completely suspended in Manhattan.
At the time of the incident, during the peak commute hours, the temperature had soared to 35 degrees Celsius (96 degrees Fahrenheit), making the subway stations uncomfortably hot and causing widespread passenger frustration.
MTA Director Demetrius Crichlow mentioned during a press conference that the power outage was triggered by a “circuit breaker tripping.” He stated, “Every time we have extreme high temperatures like this, it puts a strain on our system. The entire power system is already operating at high capacity… Undoubtedly, the infrastructure itself is one of the issues.”
However, reports from NBC New York and NY1 revealed that the power outage extended beyond the West 4th St subway station section. Signal system problems were also reported at Spring St and Broadway–Lafayette stations, affecting a total of seven major subway lines, including A, B, C, F, M, D, and E, in different segments. The D line, A line, and E line also experienced long service interruptions.
MTA swiftly deployed maintenance personnel and large generators to assist in the repair efforts. Crichlow confirmed that the circuit breakers had been reset, and train services in some sections were gradually restored, bringing stability to the subway commute by the afternoon of July 29.
Passengers can stay updated on the latest subway train operation status through the MTA official website (mta.info) and real-time traffic apps.