Straphangers Perplexed After Mysterious Sand Pile Covers Subway Platform
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- You've no doubt seen sand bars turn up down the shore, but what about in a Midtown subway station?
Riders in Manhattan ran into it a pile of sand covering part of the platform at the 50th street stop on Wednesday.
So how did it get there, and why wasn't it cleaned up right away? For some, it was just another day at the beach for the MTA.
"This is dangerous," said straphanger Oscar Turkmen. "It should be cleaned up right away."
The pile of sand covered part of the downtown E train platform at 50th and 8th for at least two days. Some riders saw it as a hazard.
"They should either have it roped off, and this is the end," said passenger Noel Donaghey. "There's a lot of people that come out at the end of the train and then walk past, so I think the potential for someone to trip is quite high."
The only warning around was a run-of-the-mill "wet floor" sign.
"They have subway people cleaning the subways, they should be taking care of that," said rider Scott Brown.
CBS2 demanded answers, and got action. Workers swept and scooped the sand up a few hours after it was brought to the attention of the MTA. A spokesperson says the sand is coming from a ventilation shaft that leads to the street, but where the sand is originating from is still a mystery they're looking into.
A sandy platform wasn't the only problem CBS2's Valerie Castro found on Wednesday. Chunks of plaster from the ceiling crashed inside the Chambers Street subway complex near City Hall, dangerously close to turnstiles. No one was hurt, but it comes not long after a woman was injured when the ceiling collapsed on top of her at the Borough Hall stop in Brooklyn.
An MTA spokesperson says the Chambers Street station was quickly cleaned up and will soon be getting a facelift when elevators are installed beginning this month.
