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At least five piece of debris have fallen from elevated subway tracks in Queens, New York
- At least five pieces of debris have fallen from elevated New York City subway tracks in recent months.
- In one case, a large metal beam pierced a car's windshield. The driver escaped uninjured.
- The Metropolitan
Transportation Authority said Tuesday it would install netting to catch debris, so long as the tracks can still be inspected - The agency previously declined to install netting, saying it would impede safety checks.
- "It should never have taken this long," said a local politician who asked for netting to be installed last month.
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After several terrifying instances of objects plunging from elevated subway tracks, New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority said Tuesday it would install netting along the plagued line in Queens.
MTA officials originally denied a requests from a city council member to install netting in May, the city reported, with the agency's head of New York City Transit, the subdivision that operates subways and buses, saying it could impede access to the tracks for inspection.
But after a fifth incident this week, in which a woman was nearly hit by a piece of metal falling from the elevated train structure, the MTA reversed course.
"This has the attention of the highest levels of MTA leadership. We are working to quickly put into place an initial deployment of netting to understand if it can be used to contain debris while also still providing enough visibility and access to perform regular inspections," a spokesperson told Business Insider.
"The 7 line has undergone multiple inspections of its structure in recent months, and the debris that was found today appears to have broken clean recently with no signs of slow deterioration or stress that would have been visible earlier. We're glad that no one was hurt and look forward to seeing the results of a netting pilot which will be deployed in limited locations around the city including the 7 line."
The agency also sent a letter to council member Jimmy Van Bramer, a spokesperson said. Van Bramer had previously amplified many of the prior incidents to MTA officials and called for the netting last month.
"I'm relieved that after months of advocacy, the @MTA is planning to install netting under the elevated 7 train in #Woodside," he said on Twitter. "It should have never taken this long."
You can read the MTA's full letter to the city council member below:
New netting under the 7 train is good news, but let's not forget that there were also incidents under other subway lines in Queens & the Bronx. We must keep the pressure on @MTA to ensure all of our city's elevated subways are secure @CBSNewYork @VCastroTVhttps://t.co/AbtglDAvYl
- Jimmy Van Bramer (@JimmyVanBramer) June 4, 2019
Letter MTA to Van Bramer by Graham on Scribd