Byford blames vendor for No. 7 train slush slow down

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A No. 7 train arrives at 69th Street in Woodside. Eagle file photo by Jonathan Sperling.

A No. 7 train arrives at 69th Street in Woodside. Eagle file photo by Jonathan Sperling.

By Jonathan Sperling

The No. 7 train slowdown that frustrated Queens commuters on Wednesday morning was caused by transponders that couldn’t handle winter slush, the MTA said. Transponders, sensors that transmit train locations, are located along the track and allow for even spacing and consistent tracking of trains.

In a letter addressed to Thales, the vendor that manufactures the track-embedded transponders, MTA NYC Transit President Andy Byford called the failure “wholly inexcusable” after slush covering the transponders caused them to malfunction.

An example of an uncovered track transponder susceptible to adverse weather. Photo courtesy of the MTA.

An example of an uncovered track transponder susceptible to adverse weather. Photo courtesy of the MTA.

“This is, of course, not a CBTC issue per se, but rather it is a failure on the part of Thales to provide reliable track-side infrastructure,” Byford added.

A spokesperson for Thales told the Eagle that the company “is deeply sorry for the impact this problem has had on New Yorkers and their reliable use of the 7 Line under adverse weather conditions.”

“All our teams are fully resourced, mobilized and committed to deliver and deploy the solution as quickly as possible in order to offer New York commuters the best level of service and avoid speed reductions in such weather conditions,” the spokesperson continued.

This isn’t the first time that Thales’ transponders have been foiled by inclement weather, according to Byford. The company has been aware of the transponder issue since March 2019 and has been working on installing plastic covers on its transponders. However, in his letter, Byford called that solution “too slow, inadequate in its scope, and unacceptably ineffective. He also promised commercial consequences for Thales if the issue is not quickly resolved.

There are 498 transponders on the No. 7 line, 110 of which are potentially at risk for snow/slush issues, Gothamist reported. A majority of the No. 7 line’s Queens stations are located outdoors.

Byford contrasted Thales’ transponders to those installed by Thales’ competitor Siemens on the L line, another partially outdoor line that is the only other line in the system that operates via CBTC. Those transponders, Byford said, have “worked flawlessly on the L line under identical weather conditions.”