Track smack for 4 in derail
THE MTA will take disciplinary action against three maintenance supervisors and an inspector after an investigation found track defects that weren’t repaired for at least a year caused the F train derailment in Queens in May.
The report, released by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Friday, determined that a series of track-related problems were overlooked for at least 12 months, though two other broken rails in the same 19-foot section of track in Queens were fixed during that time span.
The track defects included a broken metal plate and fasteners beneath the rail that also eventually broke. The rail tie under the plate also was in poor condition, according to the report.
“Individually, none of them was capable of causing a derailment,” the report said of the deficiencies, “but the combination of defects in one location was the most likely cause” of the derailment, which forced the emergency evacuation of about 1,000 riders.
Investigators reviewed images taken by a high-tech inspection car before the accident to determine that the problems went unrepaired for at least a year.
“The combination of the broken plate, broken fasteners and deteriorated tie should have been prioritized for repairs,” the MTA said in a press release Friday.
“The report concludes that Division of Track personnel did not identify, document and correct the track defect at that location, either during regular inspections or when the two prior broken rails were replaced. They also did not adequately investigate the underlying causes of the broken rails.”
There also were problems associated with the installation of the rail.
“The top of the rail that broke was installed with a 1/8-inch ver- tical mismatch where the new rail met the slightly worn existing rail,” the MTA's release said.
The report said nothing was wrong with the performance of the crew, the signal system, the subway cars or the manufacture of the rail itself.
Its findings, however, drew an immediate rebuttal from the Transport Workers Union, Local 100, which faulted the authority for purchasing rails made in China. The MTA said the rails were actually American-made.
“The MTA’s accusation that track personnel are to blame is scapegoating of the highest order. The issues they claim caused the derailment are minor,” the union said in a statement.