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Power outage paralyzes Manhattan subway lines for second time this week: MTA cites aging infrastructure, heat stress

TOI World Desk | TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Jul 31, 2025, 21:00 IST
( Image credit : TIL Creatives )

Highlight of the story: New York's Manhattan subway faced disruption. A power failure halted B, D, F, and M lines. This occurred near West 4th Street station. Earlier, A, C, and E lines also suffered outage. Passengers were stranded. MTA investigates the cause. Officials cite heat and outdated substations. Upgrades are planned but restoration is pending. The incident raises concerns about infrastructure.


For the second time in a week, a major power outage plunged sections of Manhattan's subway system into disarray on Thursday morning, stranding commuters and disrupting service across several vital lines.
Service on the B, D, F, and M lines came to a grinding halt following a power failure near the West 4th Street–Washington Square station — a critical junction in Lower Manhattan. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) confirmed the incident, with teams dispatched to assess the root cause.
Commuters Face Déjà Vu as Power Crisis Strikes Again
This latest disruption echoes an earlier outage just days ago that affected the A, C, and E lines, trapping passengers on idle trains for nearly an hour. As transit officials scramble for answers, frustrations are mounting among New Yorkers grappling with unreliable service in sweltering summer heat.
“We’re investigating what caused this latest outage. It's unacceptable for riders to be dealing with back-to-back service failures,” an MTA spokesperson told CBS News.
MTA Cites Extreme Heat, Outdated Substations
Demetrius Crichlow, President of MTA New York City Transit, said high temperatures could be placing undue stress on the system’s electrical infrastructure.
“Heat will cause a strain on the system,” Crichlow explained earlier this week. “Now we go through our triage to find out what caused the dip in power or surge in power that caused that breaker to trip.”
He emphasized that many of the city’s power substations — some of which date back decades — are long overdue for modernization.
Substation Upgrades Part of MTA’s Capital Plan
The MTA has committed to investing in upgraded substations through its capital improvement plan. Crichlow noted that worn-out cables and outdated components are a persistent vulnerability.
“This capital plan really does invest in better substations and the tools that come along with having a new substation,” he said.
No Timetable Yet for Restoration or Resolution
As of Thursday afternoon, full service had not been restored on the impacted lines, and the MTA had not released a definitive cause for the incident. Crews remain on-site conducting diagnostics.
The repeated failures have sparked renewed calls for infrastructure investment and transparency within the city’s transit authority. Advocacy groups have urged state leaders to accelerate funding and implementation of overdue upgrades before broader systemic failures occur.