A burst water pipe led to a power outage at Grand Central Terminal Monday, closing businesses on the lower level and sending passengers walking in the dark.
By Tuesday morning, power had been fully restored at the transit hub. The MTA said trains would operate on a regular weekday schedule and that no delays were expected.
Employees and passengers were escorted from the terminal's lower level to the main floor when the outage occurred around 9 a.m. Monday, according to the MTA. Service on the Metro-North commuter rail was not disrupted. It already was on holiday schedule due to President's Day.
The MTA said some ticket machines did go out of service, and that riders taking trains departing from the station could buy tickets on board without the surcharges that normally apply to such purchases.
Workers in the closed stores said power failures had happened before, but only for short amounts of time.
"It's pitch-black, you can't see anything. Anything that's electronic, it's out. Any food that's already prepped, they've gotta throw everything away," said worker Melvin Batties. "It's just total chaos downstairs.'
Repairs were continuing Monday night, and the MTA said it hoped to have power restored before the morning rush Tuesday.
