BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) – An F train derailed in Coney Island, Brooklyn on Wednesday, severely disrupting subway service on the line, MTA officials said.
The derailment happened between the West 8th Street–New York Aquarium station and the Neptune Avenue station around 12:20 p.m., according to New York City Transit President Richard Davey.
Thirty-seven people were on the Manhattan-bound F train when it sightly derailed from the elevated track, according to the FDNY.
Elisa Gales, one of the train’s passengers, said she felt a “sharp jolt” and was jerked back in her seat when the derailment happened.
More than 70 EMS members responded to the scene. First responders safely evacuated everyone from the train, an FDNY official said. No injuries were reported, according to officials.
"We had two rescue cars pull up to the train on each side and just evacuate the people from the north end and the south end," the FDNY's Mike Mandala said. "It was a relatively easy operation. It took about an hour to complete from the time of the derailment until all the occupants were off the train."
Davey said the exact cause of the derailment is under investigation, but he indicated it may have been a track issue.
“Our focus will be on the track. It looks like there may have been a track issue,” Davey said. "We'll get to the bottom of this."
F train service is severely disrupted in Brooklyn, according to the MTA.
There is no F train service between the Avenue X station and the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station, MTA officials said. The last stop on southbound F trains is at the Avenue X station, officials said.
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Davey said the MTA hopes to have F train service fully restored by the morning rush hour on Thursday.
"We have a pretty large crane coming in to help rerail the train,” Davey said. “This will not be nearly as complicated as the issues we had last week.”
The train derailment comes nearly a week after two northbound No. 1 trains collided and derailed in the subway in Manhattan.
The Jan. 4 incident occurred in a tunnel near West 96th Street and Broadway, according to New York City Transit President Richard Davey. At least 24 people were injured and the collision caused a major disruption to service across several subway lines in New York City.
The MTA shared photos of the scene as crews worked to restore service to the No. 1, 2, and 3 trains. The MTA is still investigating the incident and representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board are reviewing events.
“Derailments do happen. They shouldn’t, but they do from time to time,” Davey said after the derailment in Coney Island Wednesday. “We’ll take a look to see what the issue was here. But customers should feel safe taking the service. I will be tonight.”
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.
