New York

Grand Central Terminal Power Outage Leaves Commuters Literally in the Dark

#Breaking Grand Central Station closed due to power outtage - cops inside @fox5ny @FOX5DESK pic.twitter.com/5G49B6ztAS
— Lisa Evers (@LisaEvers) February 15, 2016

By Jack Phillips

Jack Phillips

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Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter who covers a range of topics, including politics, U.S., and health news. A father of two, Jack grew up in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5

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February 15, 2016Updated: February 15, 2016

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New York City’s Grand Central Terminal has had a power outage on Monday morning, Feb. 15, leaving some commuters in the dark and stranded.

The New York Daily News described the outage as several “hours long,” and it forced commuters to travel through darkened corridors.

#HappeningNow no power at @GrandCentralNYC. Train traffic being affected. Several entrances locked. @PIX11News #NYPD pic.twitter.com/22qoNnX0YY

— Kala Rama (@KalaRamaTV) February 15, 2016

The outage has impacted the Metro-North service, and some ticket machines weren’t working. The outage started after 9 a.m. local time on the terminal’s lower level.

MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said trains are working on the upper level. “The trains that would have used the lower level instead are using the upper level. There is plenty of capacity on the upper level today with the Saturday schedule in effect,” Donovan told CBS NY.

A spokesperson for Metro-North said the call came in at around 9:30 a.m. regarding the outage, PIX-11 TV reported.

A few more photos of the Grand Central blackout pic.twitter.com/7I9E9zhfdT

— Seth Porges (@sethporges) February 15, 2016

#DEVELOPING Partial power outtage in Grand Central Terminal – subways running & Metro North frm upper level @fox5ny pic.twitter.com/DwevrLOoHQ

— Lisa Evers (@LisaEvers) February 15, 2016

The outage is being blamed on water hitting a transformer, officials and witnesses told PIX-11.

Brian Quintana, 20, said he works at the facility’s Shake Shack and described what happened when the power went out.

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“I had my hands on the blender and it goes pitch black. Boom! It was unexpected,” Quintana told the Daily News.

“It reminded of the movie ‘The Purge.’ I saw the trailer last night,” Quintana added. “It happened fast. It was pitch black for several minutes then some light came on. We were escorted out about 10 minutes later.”