IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE IT BAD! IT COULD BE WORST! THESE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN STUCK ON A DEAD A TRAIN FOR THE PAST 6 HOURS!

Some 500 weary and frustrated straphangers have been stuck on a disabled A train in Queens for six hours after the blizzard sapped power to the third rail.

"This train is completely dead," the conductor announced at one point.

The Manhattan-bound subway, filled with passengers from Kennedy Airport who already had waited hours for flights that were ultimately canceled, came to an abrupt halt between the Aqueduct and Rockaway Blvd. stations. The train has since been moved to Aqueduct station, but the passengers have not been let out despite the desperate need for bathrooms, water and food.

"It wasn't like the storm just snuck up on us," said David Kelley, 25, who tried unsuccessfully to get to his security job at Kennedy before being forced to turn around. "They were aware ... They need to have a backup plan. This isn't a Third World country. This is New York City."

The passengers received some hope with an announcement that a rescue train was on the way -- only to hear a second announcement a short time later: "The rescue train is stuck."

A conductor estimated that 500 passengers are on the train -- including a Daily News reporter.

Courtney Thorpe was supposed to be in Warsaw, spending quality time with her fiance and his family, but made the attempt to return home from the airport after her flight to Poland was canceled.

"I figured staying at the airport for 24 hours is ridiculous," the 29-year-old Brooklynite said. "And now I would kill to be in the most uncomfortable metal airport chair."


SOURCE