MTA audit finds half of safety checks missed before Brooklyn subway explosion
An MTA inspector-general audit revealed that more than 50% of required maintenance tasks at the State Street substation were unfinished before the December 2024 transformer blast that halted service for thousands.
A recent audit by the MTA inspector general uncovered widespread lapses in the subway power-substation maintenance program, with 19% of required jobs unfinished systemwide in 2024 and fire-alarm panels repeatedly showing ignored trouble signals. At the State Street substation in downtown Brooklyn, more than half of the 35 scheduled maintenance tasks were not completed from April through the December blast that sent flames through a sidewalk grate and stranded over 4,000 passengers between Jay Street-MetroTech and Hoyt-Schermerhorn stations.
The explosion was traced to water leaking into a transformer’s split copper tubing, but the agency sent a carpenter—not an electrician—to examine the equipment and never brought in an expert, leaving the root cause undetermined. Additional safety gaps included unmaintained smoke sensors and workers lacking proper protective gear. While overall maintenance completion improved in 2025, the State Street site still lagged with 40% of tasks unfinished. NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said the Power Division’s leadership has been reorganized to address these failures.
Why it matters
The findings highlight serious safety gaps in a major public-transport system that affect commuter safety and infrastructure reliability.
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