Subway signal problems cause chaos in Queens

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Dozens of commuters lined up at a bus stop in Astoria, Queens, on Feb. 20, 2018. (Courtesy of Joshua Bruner)

A bus stop in Astoria, Queens, was so packed with people Tuesday morning that a line of commuters wound around 31st Street. Out of nowhere, Astoria commuters were told the trains were canceled and they'd have to find another way to get to work.

Frustrated commuters told Fox 5 that these service delays and suspensions seem to happen all too often. And they said that consider yourself lucky if just one line has a problem. Tuesday morning, the F, N, M, Q, R, and W lines suffered massive delays due to signals problems, leaving hundreds late and stranded. The delays in Astoria made for a particularly chaotic scene.

Commuter Joshua Bruner captured video on his phone of a line of straphangers curved around Astoria Boulevard waiting to catch the bus instead. And Bruner said that was not an isolated incident.

What should have been a simple commute from Astoria to Manhattan instead turned into an exhausting and lengthy trek.

New York City Transit President Andy Byford said he was "not pleased" to see big lineups of riders at stations.

"We are undertaking a full investigation to find out what exactly happened," he told reporters.

All lines eventually resumed in the early afternoon, but that was too late for many subway riders.