MTA officials probe if malfunctioning brakes led to Thursday subway train crash

Partial subway service on the No. 1, 2 and 3 lines is set to resume on the Upper West Side by end of day Friday — while MTA officials probe whether issues resetting the brakes on the vandalized and disabled No. 1 train involved in the crash contributed to Thursday’s collision.

At the time of the crash, the vandalized 1 train was being driven from the middle conductor’s cab with a flagger up front due to mechanical issues after someone pulled the emergency brakes in the first five cars, MTA president Rich Davey confirmed.

The train’s signals showed red, which should have activated the disabled train’s brakes and prevented it from colliding with the other 1 train carrying 500 passengers that was switching back to the local track, Davey added.

“The signal system needs to interact with the train itself,” Davey said.

“This was a train that was vandalized. People pulled the emergency brakes, we tried to reset it. The crew couldn’t reset one. We had to get rid of that train and get it out of the way. So, the frustrating part is someone decided to play a prank or do something — otherwise vandalize our train, and here we are,” he lamented.

At least 24 people suffered minor injuries in the Thursday crash when the to No. 1 trains collided — and an additional 300 to 400 passengers had to be evacuated from a train that was not involved but was stuck behind the collision.