A water main break in New York City caused evening commute hysteria Wednesday as a surge of brown water poured into a West Village subway tunnel sending travelers scrambling for cover and a different route home . The 12-inch water main broke around 6:45pm at 13th Street and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan , reports CBS New York , shutting down three train lines in both directions . As crews scrambled to stem the flow and get to the bottom of the leak , unamused New Yorkers whipped out cell phones to capture the rare sight of an underground deluge on video . Deluge : A water main break sent brownish water cascading down through the roof of a Manhattan subway tunnel on Wednesday . Rush hour : The break occurred in the West Village before 7pm while the evening rush was still going strong . It was n't clear what caused the break . Video footage shows water flooding onto the subway tracks as stranded straphangers look on . Around 500 riders were soon forced out of the subway . Officials said there was no 1 , 2 or 3 train service in both directions between Chambers Street and Times Square/42nd Street . The water also inundated the street corner where the break occurred and can be seen lapping at a West Village convenience store in overhead footage taken at the scene . Firefighters told CBS2 that as much as 2 feet of murky water , more than enough to reach the electrified third rail , had accumulated in some places before the water began to recede . That came around 8:40pm when the water main was shut off so the water could finally drain away . Snarled : The break also affected things at street level , where seas of city water threatened businesses and snarled city traffic . The main break also forced utility workers to shut off steam service to some businesses in the area and a major hospital . Firefighters told CBS2 that as much as 2 feet of murky water , more than enough to reach the electrified third rail , had accumulated in some places before the water began to recede . The official New York City Transit Subway Twitter account posted pictures starting around 9pm showing crews working toward getting the the water pumped out . However , it remained unclear whether the break would be affecting service during the morning rush hour Thursday . According to CBS2 , the nearby Lenox Hill Healthplex was experiencing problems stemming from the break . 'Steam has been disconnected from the hospital – it is affecting the hospital with that utility at this point , ' FDNY Battalion Chief John Porretto said . Residential buildings in the area remained largely unaffected . The official New York City Transit Subway Twitter account posted pictures starting around 9pm showing crews working toward getting the the water pumped out . Fingers crossed : It remained unclear whether the repair work would be completed in time for the morning commute .
The 12-inch main broke in Manhattan before 7pm and send water cascading onto tracks . Some 500 riders were immediately evacuated from the West Village subway tunnel and thousands more affected by delays . The water also inundated the street corner where the break occurred and can be seen lapping at a West Village convenience store .