A homeless man spending a very cold night deep inside a New York City subway tunnel lit a fire that ignited cables and destroyed a signal relay room.
We are very fortunate that this happened late Sunday night and not early Monday morning as a train wreck on the A and C lines could have caused hundreds of deaths. More then half a million people ride the A and C trains each day.
This destructive event took place beside the Chambers Street Station, the subway Station of the former World Trade Center. I first learned of a problem with the A train between the Cannel Street and Fulton Street Stations at 4pm Monday. Tuesday morning’s newspapers carried the story about the fire, this accidental terrorism will cost tens of millions of dollars and up to five years to repair.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority is celebrating its centennial, New York City's underground rapid transit system, inaugurated on October 27, 1904, stands as one of the 20th Century's outstanding feats of engineering and urban planning.