Community, and Commiseration On A Stalled Subway

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Community, and Commiseration On A Stalled Subway"
ALL OF IT with Alison Stewart
Release Date: December 12, 2024

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Introduction

In this episode of ALL OF IT, host Alison Stewart delves into an unexpected and intense subway experience shared by producer Luke Green. The episode explores themes of community, resilience, and human behavior under unforeseen circumstances, all set against the backdrop of New York City's intricate subway system.

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The Subway Incident

The episode begins with Alison Stewart introducing the harrowing experience of Luke Green, who found himself trapped in a subway tunnel between J Street and Bergen Street. Luke recounts how a routine subway ride turned into a two-hour ordeal due to a power outage.

• Luke Green [00:52]:
  "I was one of the unlucky passengers... we were going on the trip as usual. It was going so smoothly... and then all of a sudden, the AC shuts off. Everything gets quiet."

As the train halted, passengers were left in the dark without air conditioning, heightening the discomfort and anxiety of those onboard.

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Passenger Reactions

Luke describes the varied reactions of fellow passengers during the prolonged wait. The mix of emotions ranged from panic among parents worried about their children to others attempting to remain calm by engaging with their phones.

• Luke Green [02:08]:
  "There was a mix of community and also just like, oh, this city will get you sometimes."

He observes that despite the stressful situation, many passengers maintained composure, finding ways to distract themselves or support one another.

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The Challenge of Standing

Standing for two hours in a crowded subway car proved to be a significant challenge for Luke. He chose to remain standing to avoid admitting uncertainty about the duration of the delay.

• Luke Green [02:41]:
  "I felt like... I gotta stand, because if I sit down, I'm gonna give up."

His physical discomfort was compounded by the heat from the non-functioning AC, making the experience even more taxing.

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Rescue Efforts

After approximately an hour and a half with no updates, emergency services were mobilized to rescue the trapped passengers. Luke explains how the fire department located their specific car and facilitated their orderly evacuation amidst chaotic conditions outside.

• Luke Green [03:35]:
  "We were escorted up these stairs with a bunch of firefighters... It was pouring rain by the way."

The rescue operation involved climbing narrow, metal stairs to reach safety, transitioning passengers from the claustrophobic train environment to the bustling streets of downtown Brooklyn amid widespread power outages.

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Lessons Learned

Reflecting on the experience, Luke shares several insights:

1. The Reality of Being Trapped:
   Being stuck underground for hours is a daunting and unpleasant ordeal, challenging even the most seasoned New Yorkers.

2. Community and Composure:
   Despite the circumstances, passengers largely remained calm, showcasing the strength and solidarity inherent in New York City's diverse populace.

3. Preparedness:
   Luke humorously advises passengers to "always use the bathroom before you take the subway," highlighting the unpredictable nature of transit interruptions.

• Luke Green [07:05]:
  "There were people stepping outside of the train car to do their business. And I heard one story... the entire car would come back in applause that the act had been done."

This blend of practicality and humor underscores the resilience and adaptability of individuals facing unexpected challenges.

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Conclusion

Alison Stewart wraps up the episode by commending Luke Green for his recounting of the subway incident. The story serves as a microcosm of New York City's broader cultural tapestry, illustrating how adversity can both test and strengthen community bonds. Listeners are encouraged to stay informed through WNYC Gothamist newsroom for ongoing coverage of such events.

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Notable Quotes

• Cristina De Rossi on Culture:
  "Culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong..."
  (Podcast Information Section)

• Luke Green on Standing Up:
  "I gotta stand, because if I sit down, I'm gonna give up."
  (02:41)

• Luke Green on Passenger Behavior:
  "There was a lot of community and also just like, oh, this city will get you sometimes."
  (07:05)

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Final Thoughts

This episode of ALL OF IT effectively captures the essence of New York City's dynamic culture through a personal narrative. By highlighting both the challenges and the communal spirit of its inhabitants, the podcast offers listeners a nuanced understanding of urban life and the human capacity to navigate unforeseen disruptions with grace and humor.

Transcript

[Luke Green]

Listener supported WNYC Studios.

[Alison Stewart]

This is all of It. I'm Alison Stewart. Last night, all of it producer Luke Green was riding home on the subway to Brooklyn. As usual, his workday with this show was done, but he had one more WNYC task to accomplish. Screening calls for Ask Governor Murphy, WNYC's monthly call in show with New Jersey's governor, which Luke can do remotely. So we board the train and then two hours passed. Luke was nearly one of 4,000 riders who was stuck in a tunnel between stations. He lived to tell the tale. He's sitting right across from me. Luke, it's good to see you.

[Luke Green]

It's good to see you too. It's good to be with everyone. I feel like the kids say, touching grass, I love. I'm excited to be out of the tunnel, out of the subway.

[Alison Stewart]

What happened?

[Luke Green]

So, yeah, it's like you said, I was one of the unlucky passengers who, at least in my case, between J Street and Bergen Street. We were going on the trip as usual. It was going so smoothly. I was getting back for my gig and we just stopped. The lights were still on, the AC was still on. And the conductor said, the signal lights are red. We're waiting for a train to pass. We'll be moving shortly. Five minutes pass, Same thing. We'll be moving shortly. Ten minutes pass. We'll be moving shortly. And then all of a sudden, the AC shuts off. Everything gets quiet. And then you realize, oh, I'm stuck underground with 1500 people on this train. The AC has stopped working. Everyone's getting hot. And then the conductor says, there's been a power outage. We cannot move. We will not be moving. Thank you for your patience.

[Alison Stewart]

Thanks for your patience.

[Luke Green]

And two hours later, my patience was starting to whittle down, but it worked out. But, yeah, that's what happened.

[Alison Stewart]

How did other passengers react once you realized we're not really sure how long we're gonna be down here?

[Luke Green]

Yeah, it was a mixed bag. I would say a lot of the people on my car and on the subway were parents commuting during rush hour and clearly were on their way to get their kids. And we had no service, so there was no way for them to contact them. So I would say the parents were clearly freaking out. I could tell there was a lot of stre on their face. But then on the other side, there was like, you know, people who were just sitting down on their phone watching, like the Sopranos or something. Like, this is great. You know, I downloaded a show.

[Alison Stewart]

Were you Standing or were you?

[Luke Green]

I was standing. And that was really hard.

[Alison Stewart]

I bet.

[Luke Green]

Standing for two hours. And I didn't want to sit because I felt like once I sat on the floor of the subway that was admitting defeat, that we would be there for a while. And I was like, you know what? I gotta stand, because if I sit down, I'm gonna give up. So I stood. I sort of put two hands on the railings and I just kind of floated back and forth on my feet.

[Alison Stewart]

You should also put the point that you're about six, four.

[Luke Green]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I definitely was taking up a lot of room. Cause this is a rush hour train. Like, we are packed with people. No ac, opening up the windows. And I sort of like tried to look at the people sitting down after an hour, like, you're not gonna get up. Maybe we can trade or something. But I also was like, you know what? Nope. Everyone else deserves to sit.

[Alison Stewart]

All right. It's about two hours in. Some people are freaking out. Some people are watching their phones. People are. You're people watching because you're a journalist?

[Luke Green]

Yes, I was. People watching a lot, actually. And that was actually pretty entertaining, I'm not going to lie.

[Alison Stewart]

How did you get out? Who rescued you?

[Luke Green]

So about an hour and a half in after, no updates at all. Hearing sort of muffled voices coming from the tunnels, a lot of flashlights, a lot of yelling. We're like looking. All of us are cramming in the windows, looking out to see if we can see anyone in the tracks. Eventually the conductor has said, well, this thing's not moving. The power's not coming back. We are waiting for the fire department's instructions. And then everyone goes, oh, yay, Yay, fire department. And then 15 minutes later, they go, we are still awaiting fire department instructions. And we're like, oh, my gosh, when are these people going to come? And eventually what happens is I was lucky to be in the first car of the F train going south. So it turns out that we were right next to an emergency exit. First they had to find where we were because we were in the middle of two stations, so they didn't know where we were. Eventually they find us. And essentially the fire department comes down the emergency exit. They open up one door, and we all have to single file in an orderly fashion. Not freaking out. Everyone was pushing and trying to get to the exit first. They kind of. They help us out of the F train into the side railing. And then we basically climbed up these really narrow, tall metal stairs. It was pouring rain by the way. So after two hours inside, you know, honestly, I loved it, though. I was like, yes, rain, give me all the air. We're escorted up these stairs with a bunch of firefighters. They pull us out onto the street and cue, you know, pandemonium. Because we're right in downtown Brooklyn where all the power has gone out and there's sirens everywhere and police officers, and we all basically go from being this tight little group in this train to going on in our lives, sort of calling people right away, maybe saying curse words under their breath or out loud and that was that.

[Alison Stewart]

Gonna be some couple that gets married out of this.

[Luke Green]

I know. Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

So did you know what caused it at the time, or did they just tell you?

[Luke Green]

Fire.

[Alison Stewart]

They tell you. What did they tell you?

[Luke Green]

I had no idea. And no one had any service. So even the conductors on the train, I mean, we had one very patient conductor who I was getting really mad at, but she was like, I'm a mother, too. This is really hard. I know absolutely nothing. And we just have to sit here and wait till we got word. And all she could say was just, there's been a power outage. We cannot move. There's been a power outage. We cannot move. So I didn't even know what happened. Even when I came out to all this pandemonium outside. I assumed it was a news story because, you know, trains getting stuck for multiple hours is a pretty big deal. I had not heard anything until this morning when more reporting came out.

[Alison Stewart]

And what did you learn from the experience?

[Luke Green]

I learned it's a few things. First, being underground for multiple hours is really scary and sucks. Even if you realize that you're doing that every day as a New Yorker, you're like, I do this.

[Alison Stewart]

I choose to do this.

[Luke Green]

I can choose to do this. This could happen to anyone. But I also learned that, you know, I feel like in other cities, it might not have gone as well. There was 1700 of us packed under this crowded train with no AC for hours, and everyone was pretty chill, which is kind of a miracle. It gave me a lot of respect for people. So I would say those two things. And we were talking about earlier, always use the bathroom before you take the soap.

[Alison Stewart]

Always.

[Luke Green]

Because you never know. You never know if you're going to get stuck in a train for two hours. And as people might have seen reported, there were people stepping outside of the train car to do their business. And I heard one story further down the train that I was on, that after someone did their business, the entire car would come back in applause that the act had been done. So, you know, a mix of community and also just like, oh, this city will get you sometimes.

[Alison Stewart]

Which a little bit of comedy, little.

[Luke Green]

Comedy, a lot of comedy potential. I hope there was just some comedian there on the train that either is famous or not yet famous who can create a whole special out of this because there was a lot of especially New York specific comedy gold.

[Alison Stewart]

Luke Green. He survived the great train outage of 2024. Yes, thanks for coming in, Luke.

[Luke Green]

No problem.

[Alison Stewart]

By the way, WNYC Gothamist newsroom is of course covering this story. Head to Gothamist.com for the latest and be sure to tune in to All Things Considered tonight for more. Thanks, Luke.

[Luke Green]

Thank you.

[Ira Flatow]

I'm Ira Flato, host of Science Friday. For over 30 years, our team has been reporting high quality news about science, technology and medicine. News you won't get anywhere else. And now that political news is 24 7, our audience is turning to us to know about the really important stuff in their lives. Cancer, climate change, genetic engineering, childhood diseases. Our sponsors know the value of science and health news. For more sponsorship information, visit sponsorship. Wnyc. Org.