PAIN STATIONS
Power zap in Midtown spreads rail mayhem
GOV. CUOMO is calling for a state probe into Friday’s massive subway power outage in Midtown that ruined the morning commute for thousands of straphangers.
Malfunctioning electrical equipment near the Seventh Ave.-53rd St. station around 8 a.m. knocked out service on the B line and killed power to signals, station lights, escalators, elevators and communications, officials said.
“The loss of power due to a Con Edison equipment failure during the morning rush hour caused a cascading effect and impacted the lives of thousands of commuters,” Cuomo said in a statement. “Simply put, this was completely unacceptable.”
Cuomo ordered the Department of Public Service and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to find the cause of the malfunction.
The MTA blamed the malfunction on “Con Ed loss of power.” Transit crews brought in generators so trains could start moving again.
The sudden power failure forced the state transit agency to HE MAY be a heel, but at least Bill O’Reilly is doing some sole-searching.
The fallen Fox News host participated in a bit of retail therapy with his son Friday after sex harassment allegations forced the company to fire its most popular pundit. O’Reilly, a native Long Islander, and his son were spotted shopping for footwear at Eric Comfort Shoes in Williston Park.
The controversial cable news commentator seemed in good spirits, despite recently getting the boot, a reroute the D train to other tracks — causing a ripple effect on nearly a dozen letter lines.
In the meantime, Con Ed installed a temporary low-voltage “shunt” to pump power back to the station as crews worked toward fixing the power cables and circuits that failed, according to the utility’s spokesman, Michael Clendenin. salesman at the discount retailer said.
“He seemed like he was fine. He looked all right,” the worker told the Daily News. “Nobody really talked to him. They just let him be.”
O’Reilly, 67, of Manhasset, is reportedly going to receive a $25 million payout from his former network. He was axed after reports surfaced that he and Fox paid $13 million to five women accusing him of sexual harassment and advertisers left in droves.
“We’re working jointly with the MTA to make repairs to underground equipment serving the subway system,” Con Ed said in a statement. “We will work with the MTA to complete the repairs as expeditiously as possible.”
Commuters took the opportunity to lash out at the MTA for the painful morning commute, complaining of delays and crowded trains. Riders posted photos of dark train cars and crowded stations.
“The @MTA started the weekend early, I guess? Power outage at 53rd & everything is crazy,” one commuter, @onsugarhill, wrote on Twitter.
“It took me an hour and 20 mins to go one stop, give up, find my way out of this mob, then walk back home @MTA,” wrote Liz Baker, @lizabeth—baker.
By noon, B and D service was back up but heavily delayed in both directions, as trains skipped the Midtown station.