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New York got blasted with a good old “bomb cyclone” snowstorm on Thursday, leading the governor to declare a state of emergency for the city. By the time the dust settled, it looked like Gotham had survived the blizzard without much of a hiccup. But on Friday morning, L train riders got a swift smack in the face from Old Man Winter, as platforms across the line turned into sardine-packed hellholes.
At roughly 6:30am, the MTA reported that L train service was experiencing delays as a result of a frozen switch. The issue took several hours to resolve and left straphangers in the type of transit purgatory that they've come to know so well over the past year.
Update: A frozen switch will lead to reduced service on the L this morning. Our crews are working to repair it. We urge riders to consider alternatives. (1/2)
— NYCT Subway (@NYCTSubway) January 5, 2018
Riders reported waits exceeding an hour, and lines extended up platform stairs and near the turnstiles. “Not only was getting on the train impossible, but once I was on, it took forever just to travel between stops,” says Delia Barth, a video editor at Time Out New York who was stuck on the Myrtle–Wyckoff station for roughly 45 minutes. “The lady next to me starting crying out of frustration with the whole thing.”
@MTA the #Ltrain is a piece of shit as per usual. Making everyone’s life a living hell this morning. pic.twitter.com/80WrIx9f9A
— Alex Shannon (@aluxshan) January 5, 2018
Just took me 1 hour and 45 minutes to go from Greenpoint Brooklyn to Union Square... #mta needs to remove the seating on that #Ltrain STAT! pic.twitter.com/86nvcNtRY0
— Danny Ray Bellini (@hypobifty) January 5, 2018
After waiting an hour and a half to get on a L train I decided to come back home pic.twitter.com/yvcXAgTutG
— Belizean Beki (@xoxo_Beki) January 5, 2018
We certainly hoped for a better start to 2018 for the New York City subway—we can’t say we’re surprised by another morning of crippling rush hour delays.
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