Photo: Courtesy of Jason Zhang
Dec. 27, 2019 By Kristen Torres
A slab of concrete fell from the 52nd Street subway station Monday and almost killed a man who was climbing the stairs to get on the platform, according to a stunned straphanger who witnessed the near-miss.
Jason Zhang, the passenger who witnessed the incident, saw a chunk of concrete fall off the wall on the stairwell at around 8 a.m. as a train had just entered the station. He said it almost hit a passenger who was heading up the stairs.
“The train was pulling in and the movement and shaking [of the platform] caused the debris to fall,” Zhang said. “It almost hit someone.”
A spokesperson for the MTA said the agency was aware of the incident. The MTA was alerted to it by an employee who noticed the shattered chunks of concrete on the stairwell.
“We take safety extremely seriously,” said Aaron Donovan, a spokesperson for the MTA. “When we learned of the issue, we quickly dispatched a team to make sure the area was safe for customer use. There’s no more loose concrete in the station.”
Donovan said MTA employees performed “sound and tap” tests to make sure there wasn’t any loose concrete on the station walls and declared it safe.
Donovan added that the station is slated for an overhaul—along with the 61st Street, 69th Street, 82nd Street, 103rd Street and 111th Street stations. The MTA is in the design phase and a contract is expected to be awarded this summer.
The 52nd Street station is arguably the worst station of the 467-station subway system.
The Citizens Budget Commission back in 2015 noted that it was the worst station in the system—with 79 percent of its structural components—defined as stairs, platform edges, ventilators and more– not in a state of good repair.
When the Sunnyside Post broke the story last month that the station was slated to be repaired along with five others, Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer was particularly critical of how the MTA let the 52nd Street station fall into disrepair.
“The MTA should have overhauled that station years ago,” Van Bramer said. “The fact that we have to wait so long is a disgrace given the conditions.”
The 52nd Street and Roosevelt Avenue area has been hazardous for commuters and residents for some time.
In August, a chunk of metal fell from the elevated 7 line close to the 52nd Street station and smashed onto the pavement.
That incident followed two similar near-misses this year on Roosevelt Avenue–both in the vicinity of the 61st Street station, when debris fell from the track and struck and damaged cars below.
The incidents prompted the MTA to announce in October that it would be installing safety netting under all elevated subway tracks throughout the system.
52nd Street Station in November 2019 (Photo: Sunnyside/Queens Post)
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13 Comments
Leave it like it is, the homeless around the corner use it, so it doesn’t matter. Why waste the money
Where is Jimmy Van Blow Hard … off protecting kamikaze cyclists. No action from him again. Somebody is going to get badly hurt at these stations.
Is that Patricia Patricia Dorfman?
First of all it’s “liberals”. Second of all if he can’t build a wall what can we expect him to do about a Subway he isn’t responsible for? Third of all this is MTA’s negligence and has nothing to do with Trump or liberals.
That’s because the liberels want to regulate everything Trump would have built this. Just because he’s completely failed to build a single inch of Wall doesn’t mean anything
It “almost killed” someone or it almost “hit” someone. There’s a huge difference here.
What exactly would be his cause of action as he was not injured?
This was my subway station when we moved to Woodside in 1965. When I visit the area now I am amazed that besides the obvious deterioration of over 50 years, it looks exactly the same. I am afraid to walk on the stairs. That’s just wrong!
I disagree. I think it is a lovely station. An ode to old New York. Why does everything old have to be destroyed. Leave it the way it is. I think it is beautiful.
And the MTA wants to increase the fare! Jump the turnstile!
So frustrating!!! They won’t do anything until someone gets killed. What a shameful system. Concrete is falling and they’re calling it “safe” and assure us of reno plans set for what…2021 at the earliest?
o hope he sues. I hope he destroys the MTA in the process. Starve the monstrosity.
This station is a real hole. Always has been.