Metro-North halted a New Haven Line train approaching Grand Central Terminal on Wednesday morning after a passenger pulled the emergency brake, and about 60 riders climbed out onto the tracks. Grand Central News: the incident shut off the electric rails and forced service changes at the lower level while crews cleared the area.
The MTA said the train left New Canaan at 7:15 a.m. and stopped after another passenger started experiencing an emotional crisis. At least two Manhattan-bound Metro-North trains then stopped in the tunnel between 125 Street and Grand Central.
Metro-North and Grand Central Terminal
Other passengers opened emergency windows before leaving the train, and the electric rails were shut off so the area could be cleared safely. Service was suspended on the lower level at Grand Central until power to the third rail was restored, and trains later ran on or close to schedule.
MTA Police response
The MTA said the emotionally disturbed person was detained by MTA Police and no charges were filed. One person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries before no weapons were found at the scene.
The NYPD had initially said there was a report of a person with a gun on the train. That did not match what was found after the response, and the delay spread to the Harlem, Hudson and New Haven Lines before service returned near schedule.
Harlem, Hudson and New Haven Lines
For riders, the immediate effect was a shutdown that rippled beyond one train: the tunnel stop, the third-rail cutoff and the lower-level suspension all followed from the same emergency brake pull. The unresolved piece is what exactly set off the rider's emotional crisis that led to the brake being pulled.
