Major Delays on F Trains Wednesday Due to Derailment

By C.G. Hoffman

Commuters on Wednesday faced a double whammy if they were using the F train: There was a train derailment in Coney Island, and an emergency brake deployment, causing significant delays on both Manhattan bound and Brooklyn bound F trains.

The derailment happened at about 12:25 pm between the West 8th Street and NY Aquarium stops, with emergency responders being needed to evacuate the passengers, although no injuries were reported. Service was both delayed and limited, skipping several stops on both tracks. MTA officials said that it appeared to have been caused by one of the train’s wheels going off its track. In an unrelated incident in addition to the derailment, southbound F and E trains were running with “severe delays,” due to a disruptive passenger.

Wednesday’s derailment occurred only a few days after a more severe derailment last week Thursday, where two 1 trains bumped into each other and derailed near the 96th Street station. Officials said that an unruly passenger had pulled the emergency brakes before the derailment, forcing the train to stop until the crew could reset the brakes. Passengers were then removed from the train before the train was moved to a rail yard, en route to which it struck another train filled with hundreds of passengers, causing both trains to derail. About 25 passengers suffered minor injuries, but there were no serious injuries reported.