PATH suspensions 4/30/08 - JSQ -> 33rd and HOB -> 33rd

Big outage today.

4/30/2008 4:08:55 PM
PATH TRAIN SERVICE SUSPENDED TONIGHT ON 33RD STREET LINES PATH service between 33rd Street and the Journal Square and Hoboken stations will be suspended in both directions through this evening due to signal and power cable damage caused by a small manhole fire east of Christopher Street Station. There were no injuries. PATH stations at 33rd Street, 23rd Street, 14th Street, 9th Street and Christopher Street stations will be closed this evening. PATH will operate regular service on its Newark to World Trade Center and Hoboken to World Trade Center lines, and also will operate between Journal Square and Hoboken stations. NJ Transit will cross-honor PATH tickets at Penn Station New York and Penn Station Newark. PATH passengers also can use the New York City subway system to pick up PATH service at the World Trade Center Station. An update on when the system will resume normal operations will be provided as soon as possible.

This is big enough to make it on the CBS2 news. Anyone know anything more than the websites?

The scene at WTC was pretty rough. People packed in extremely tight into trains; people unable to board trains due to immense crowds; fully packed trains lingering in the station for 20-25 minutes a piece; heated words from irate commuters to PATH staff. This was around 7:30 pm or so, I can only imagine what it was like at 6. Rough night.

It was bad enough when I saw it to pay the cash to take the boat, on a tight budget.

Ok, this has happened twice now in a little over a month, whats going on? Are these fires do to litter accumulating on the tracks and tunnels? Should the PA re-think their no-trash can policy? The MTA has kept trash cans on subway platforms so the claim of safety seems outweighed by savings in operational costs. Has this come back to bite them?

(Chuckle!) I hope you're right! I can understand the Port Authority's paranoia in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. After all, it was their buildings. But eliminating the trash cans was absurd from day one. For fifty years, NYC govt. has encouraged people to dispose of litter properly. So PATH eliminated the only proper way to dispose of litter. So what did they think would happen? Result: now there is is litter. What a surprise! But more than that, it's just ridiculous to tell the public that you can't throw anything away in a PATH station. Totally unrealistic. Yes, they should reconsider this policy.