One commuter was injured Wednesday afternoon during a partial ceiling collapse in the Brooklyn Borough Hall subway station, according to the FDNY.
The ceiling fell at around 3:20 p.m. on the northbound platform of the 4 and 5 lines, forcing trains to bypass the station.
During a visit to the station after the collapse, MTA Transit President Andy Byford said the one injured rider, a woman, was struck on her shoulder by falling debris and declined medical attention.
“Clearly this kind of thing shouldn’t happen,” he said.
Trains service on the 4 and 5 lines were rerouted for several hours after the collapse, until just before 6 p.m., according to the MTA.
Photos showed debris on the platform and damaged overhead lights hanging askew. As crews worked to clean the debris, MTA engineers were assessing the structure.
“I heard a loud bang, I turn around, and a part of the ceiling COLLAPSED. This was on the Manhattan bound 4/5 train platform near the front end,” Eric Chan wrote on Twitter. “There was a lady standing close to the platform edge and her suitcase got knocked over from the debris, I hope she’s okay.”
It was not immediately clear what caused the ceiling to collapse in what is the third busiest Brooklyn subway station, which serves roughly 38,000 riders on an average weekday, according to the most recent MTA data.
Byford said the debris was a mix of fallen tile and plaster.
“There is some evidence of water ingress in that you’ve got a bit of paint peeling,” Byford said. “This is a very old station, at the end of the day. We will get to the bottom of what happened.”
Danny Pearlstein, a spokesman for the advocacy group Riders Alliance, said Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state lawmakers must step up to improve the state of the subway system.
“Today’s ceiling collapse in Brooklyn was terrifying but entirely predictable, given the years of disinvestment that have led to frequent failure throughout our transit system,” Pearlstein said in an emailed statement. “Gov. Cuomo and the Legislature badly need to fix the subway. Riders are looking squarely at elected leaders for the investments we need to get to work and back home safely and reliably.”
