Broken escalators at Columbus Circle subway station leave commuters frustrated

NEW YORK - Tens of thousands of commuters have been dealing with ongoing issues at one of the busiest subway stations in New York City. Two broken escalators at Columbus Circle have been causing chaos, and commuters have had enough.

The MTA estimates almost 48,000 people use the station each weekday. Since the start of the summer, the two escalators have been broken. So commuters have been forced to take the stairs. It adds up to 440 stairs a week, which is almost a quarter of a mile, if you commute five days a week.

"You see I am out of breath coming up the steps," Harlem resident Karen Fripp said.

"They need to fix it ASAP because... the stairs get crowded a lot," Bronx resident Damian Martinez said.

A tourist from Germany who walks with a cane is surprised there isn't more assistance.

"They're crazy. What do they do with their old people, or disabled, like me," Heide Muerl said.

"They never follow through"

Nearly two weeks ago, the MTA said the escalators would be fixed, but recently pushed back the return date of service to the end of December after the contractor that owns and operates the escalators said there's still a potential safety issue with the ceiling.

" The safety of our guests and staff is our primary concern—recently our engineers identified a potential safety issue with the ceiling over the escalators that resulted in the need to close off that section and conduct a thorough inspection. We have identified areas where critical repairs must be made and our architects and engineers are actively working on plans to facilitate those repairs as soon as possible so that the escalator can be safely reopened," a spokesperson for the Shops at Columbus Circle said.

"We plan on keeping their feet to the fire," Interim MTA President Demetrius Crichlow said. "It reflects poorly on us as New York City Transit, even if we are not the ones maintaining it because we are offering it as a service."

Some New Yorkers just don't believe them.

"Because they never follow through," Bronx resident Trish Williams said.

Some said they won't be holding their breath - they need it to climb the stairs.