A water main broke near the 23rd street subway station at around 10:40 a.m., causing a deluge of water to flood the area around Madison Square Park. Water from above also poured over the entrance of the NQR line, leaving two feet of water on the tracks, and forcing the station's evacuation.
According to emergency officials, a 98-year-old water pipe might be to blame. The 36-inch pipe was installed in 1915, which may have contributed to the situation, but officials are still investigating what caused the break.
Luckily, no injuries have been reported, but as expected, there are major transit delays. As of right now, there are no N or Q trains between DeKalb Av Station and the 57 Street/7th Avenue Station, and no R trains between Queens Plaza Station and Whitehall Street Station.
And, if your chief concern is getting to Shake Shack's wonderful burgers, you'll be happy to hear the park escaped unscathed. The area directly in front of the park has been closed off, and the Department of Environmental Protection's crews are currently working to fix the main, pumping out water and stacking sand bags over the subway grates so that this doesn't happen again.
Some buildings in the area are also reporting reduced water pressure, or in the case of NYU's alumni hall, no water at all.
Stay tuned as the story develops.
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