Rusted debris plummeted from the 7 train’s elevated tracks in Woodside on Wednesday afternoon and crashed onto a passing vehicle, City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer said.
The debris fell on Roosevelt Avenue at 62nd Street shortly before 12:30 p.m., damaging the vehicle’s windshield. No injuries were reported, according to Van Bramer.
"It’s absolutely frightening that someone could be killed just walking up and down Roosevelt Avenue or driving their car along Roosevelt Avenue," Van Bramer said. "It’s just outrageous that now you’ve had two pieces of debris come crashing down into or through windshields of cars within a couple of blocks of each other."
Twelve days ago and two blocks over, at 65th Street, a wood beam from the elevated tracks pierced a vehicle’s windshield, inches from the driver’s seat.
City Councilman Robert Holden also tweeted out photos of Wednesday’s incident and called on the MTA to thoroughly address the issue.
"Thankfully, nobody was injured, but I am calling on the @MTA to evaluate all elevated train lines to ensure the safety of pedestrians and drivers below these aging tracks," he tweeted.
Following the initial incident on Feb. 21, New York City Transit President Andy Byford said the MTA was going to inspect “every inch of elevated tracks” throughout the city. The inspections were said to begin with the 7 line and were supposed to be completed by Feb. 23.
A request for comment from the MTA was not immediately returned Wednesday.
Van Bramer said the MTA must repair the track and ensure structural safety before Woodside residents get hurt.
"The MTA has got to maintain this facility, but they need an emergency top-to-bottom review of this whole stretch under the 7 train along Roosevelt Avenue. . . . How many pieces are going to fall?" he said. "It’s absolutely haphazard how things are happening here and I don’t know why what they’re doing right now wasn’t already done. It shouldn’t take chunks falling down for them to take care of this."
Later Wednesday afternoon, New York City Transit crews were busy removing potentially hazardous pieces of metal from the underside of the 61st Street-Woodside station.
With Charles Eckert
