Train conductor and obstetrician? Well, on Wednesday, February 12th, the conductor on an NYC southbound W train was informed by passengers that a fellow rider had given birth in one of the train cars while stopping at 34 Street-Herald Square. The conductor, joined by an NYC Transit Train Service Supervisor and NYPD officers, responded to the car (#5528).
The birth of a baby girl happened around 11:32 am. Soon after, the EMS arrived to help. Though the subway car isn’t a traditional delivery room, the mother and baby girl were transported to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue in good condition.
“This is another example of New Yorkers coming together to help each other, assisted by caring transit workers and other responders, reflecting the best of the subway community and this city,” said NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. “We are thrilled that both mother and Baby W are doing well, and look forward to welcoming both of them back aboard for a lifetime of reliable—and hopefully less dramatic—rides.”
Oddly enough, but again maybe not so surprising, this isn’t the first birth the NYC subway system has seen. Wednesday’s birth was apparently the third the MTA has seen across the system since 2013. However, the two previous births occurred on the subway platform, rather than in a train car. Reports show the last birth in an actual train car took place in 2012 when a child was born on the J train.
Stay tuned for updates on the mother and who Chrichlow has nicknamed “Baby W” to come.