Were NYC’s recent subway safety scares preventable? Here’s what the MTA says.

After two recent safety scares in the New York City subway system, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials are being questioned about whether the latest incidents could have been prevented. 

An electrical fire halted trains Monday after a train struck a large metal object on the tracks on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Just eight days before, a train car carrying passengers detached in the Bronx. 

Could technology have detected object on tracks?

Bill Amarosa Jr., executive vice president of subways for the MTA, said the latest incident, which happened during the morning rush, involved a southbound 6 train near 68th Street.

“The track wasn’t damaged. There was no damage to the train,” Amarosa Jr. said. 

No one was hurt, but passengers were evacuated to a rescue train that returned them to the station. CBS News New York cameras later captured crews taking debris out of the station, likely from the accident. 

An electrical fire halted trains after a train struck a large metal object on the tracks on Manhattan’s Upper East Side on Oct. 27, 2025. 

CBS News New York

Earlier this year, the MTA announced a pilot program to use smartphones attached to the bottom of subway cars to detect debris and track misalignment.

Could that possibly have prevented Monday’s accident?

“All of the safety systems that we have in place worked as designed,” Amarosa Jr. said. “So as soon as the train operator realized that the train went into emergency, the train stopped. The operator stopped it to ensure that it stayed safe, and we were able to get the customers back in the station.” 

MTA insists recent incidents are not part of system-wide failure

In the incident on Oct. 19, a 4 train decoupled in the South Bronx at 149th Street-Grand Concourse. It is still under investigation, but at the time the MTA said it was due to a mechanical problem. 

The timing of it in relation to the Upper East Side incident is raising larger safety concerns for commuters. 

“[I’m] scared. I don’t want to take public transportation,” one rider said. 

“Pay more attention to the infrastructure and less about the politics,” another rider said.   

A 4 train decoupled in the South Bronx at 149th Street-Grand Concourse on Oct. 19, 2025. 

CBS News New York

The MTA insists the two incidents do not reflect a system-wide failure.

We asked if the metal object on the tracks Monday fell from existing infrastructure or was intentionally thrown onto them, but the MTA is not saying where it came from.