A space of more than 400 wrecked subway windows in four months has put the MTA on the brink of a glass shortage, transit officials said.
“We had a reserve of glass when this wave started in May. We walked through the reservation, “said MTA spokesman Tim Minton about the outbreak of vandalism.
Since May 14, transit workers have reported 31 separate copies of broken windows on the 7 train, internal records obtained by The Post.
Broken windows have also come up on the 2nd and 3rd trains, said MTA security ex Pat Warren – that the agency has so far cost more than $ 300,000.
“While there is vandalism in the system on any given day or time, this recent rash of windows seems to be consolidating in a few lines,” Warren told The Post.
“Since the MTA is in financial condition, that’s not a valuable thing to put money into.”
Video posted from last Saturday shows cracked glass on a succession of doors and windows in a 7 train in Queens. The MTA said 39 individual windows were destroyed in the incident.
The glass-smashing has led to 61 train cancellations and more than five hours in cumulative train delays, according to MTA records.
“Any train that is broken must be taken out of service,” Warren explained.
“That means our trains are too short on a train at any given time in the short term, which means they have more crowded conditions.”
Officials warned more impact on services could come due to delays in purchasing replacement glass.
“We have re-supplied, but the manufacturer has struggled to keep up with the extent of the vandalism we have seen,” Minton said.
“We are not at a point where there may be a counter-impact, but that may change.”
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