Doc warns of train-trap trauma on subways
The city’s train system isn’t just making you late — itt could be giving you PTSD.
Being stuck underground on a stalled locomotive — as happened to a group of riders last week on the F train — can cause long-lasting post-traumatic stress disor-der and other mental condi-tions, according to a psy-chology expert.
“Being trapped like that can cause an acute stresss disorder,” said Dr. Susanne Cooperman, a neuropsychologist at NYU Langone. “People can develop panic attacks, flashbacks, and severe sleep disturbances. Every time they lay down, they relive the experience.”
On June 5, the F train stalled and lost power near the Broadway-Lafayette Street station in Soho during the evening rush because of a mechanical problem.
For about an hour, with passengers jammed in like sardines, the train sat in the dark — with no AC on in some cars. It go so hot inside that riders could write messages such as “I will survive!” in the steam on door windows.
After a while, some passengers got so desperate to escape that they tried to kick out windows and pry doors open with umbrellas.
It was just the kind of situation that can cause lasting trauma, according to Cooperman.
“Being in that small of a space can be very scary,” she said. “When you panic, it feels like a heart attack. When you’re in that small of a space, even though reason tells you [that] you have oxygen and you’re okay, something on your brain shuts down and you start to panic and get thirsty, dizzy and have heart palpitations; you have a real stress response.”
Incidents where riders are stuck on trains for long periods of time are becoming more frequent as delays increase.
Last month, two LIRR trains got stuck in an East River tunnel — one for an hour and the other for more than three hours. And on May 9, several trains got stuck when the power went out at the DeKalb Avenue station in Brooklyn.
The MTA released a six-point plan to try to fix the delays last month, but transit experts say it will be months or years before riders get relief.
Some straphangers say they are increasingly afraid they will get stuck underground.
“Trains do not feel safe. Someone is always getting sick; the signals have problems,” said Marta Aviles, 37, of Bushwick. “What if you need medication, you’re diabetic or have bladder problems? That extra hour underground hurts you. It can be more serious than late for work.”
Delays will happen occasionally no matter what, but the MTA should be doing more to make riders feel safe and comfortable when they do, according to Cooperman.
“With any kind of scary event, it’s always a good idea to make people feel safe,” she said. “They should do an analysis of what happened and what can be done, and come up with clear steps to prevent this from happening again.”
But MTA officials said they did all they could to help passengers in last week’s F train debacle, arguing it would have taken longer to bring in a rescue train than it did to bring the broken-down train to the platform.
“The MTA is in constant communication with riders, and train crews are required to provide detailed information on the cause of any delay to customers both immediately after the event occurs, as well as every five minutes after that for the duration of the delay,” said MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz.