New York City subway riders who were trapped in the dark after the transit system was crippled for five hours can blame one MTA employee who pressed the wrong button and not a power outage, investigators said Friday.
The unnamed MTA employee pushed the 'emergency power off' button around 8.30pm on August 29, according to HDR and WSP, the engineering firms hired to perform the investigation, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said.
The numbered lines, as well as the L train, were affected - half of the city transit system - leaving 80 trains and more than 500 passengers affected, according to The Washington Post.
Five trains were still in the tunnels when the power went out, with the last one pulling into the station around 1.30am.
Hochul (pictured outside Bowling Green Subway Station) reported that two other trains were evacuated by authorities and the remaining train was able to eventually re-platform
The numbered lines and the L trains were affected. The system was not fully restored until approximately 1.30am, leaving passengers on the trains for up to five hours
Half of the New York City subway line shut down on August 21 after an MTA employee pressed the 'emergency power off' button, causing the system to lost signal and connection with the Rail Control Center
Electrical company Con Edison reported a momentary power interruption around 8.30pm that lasted only milliseconds and said it could not have caused the power failure, according to Bloomberg.
However, the blip reportedly forced the power system onto a backup generator. When the power switched back to the main system, a surge happened, causing the subway to lose communication and signal with the Rail Control Center, investigators found.
The Rail Control Center was reportedly working to restore the power after mechanical equipment stopped functioning properly while this happened.
During this time, the employee reportedly pressed the button, which caused all the electrical equipment connected to power distribution units to fail at 9.06pm.
Investigation reports indicate the power was restored by 10.30pm after leaving passengers in the dark for 84 minutes.
Officials are blaming human error for the delays because of inadequate organizational structure and lack of guidelines, according to the Washington Post.
An investigation was launched to understand why the Rail Control Center and the trains lose signal to each other and make sure it doesn't happen again.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul reported that two trains 'self-evacuated,' meaning passengers exited the subways cars and walked along the tracks instead of waiting for authorities.
This delayed restoration efforts because the New York Fire Department had to ensure no passengers were left on the tracks.
In addition, Hochul said that two trains were successfully evacuated by authorities and the remaining train was re-platformed.
