Officials: 'It Appears A Button Was Pushed Accidentally' That Shut Down Half The Subway System Last Month
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced the findings of an investigation into the subway power outage on August 29.
It shut down half of the city's subway system, and impacted trains on the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 lines, and the L train.
Hochul says it was caused by human error.
The MTA's Acting Chair and CEO Janno Lieber says the battery backup system kicked in, but a mistake was made.
"It appears that a button was pushed accidentally that was not supposed to be pushed. One, that can't happen, that somebody does something wrong because of lack of training or proper protocols. Two, there have to be interventions that prevent people from hitting the wrong button," Lieber said.
As a result of the investigation, Hochul is directing a full review of control centers to identify any other potential weaknesses in the system.
