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What does it mean that "engineers have to avoid creating too much pressure in the tunnels" when they suck out the water from the NYC subways?

2 Answers
Bruce Feldman
I have not heard about this problem.  Though I am not an engineer, removal of water from the subway tunnels should not create a pressure problem (which I assume means water pressure not air pressure).  If anything, the removal of water should relieve pressure, not create it, and there should be no pressure unless the tunnels were filled to capacity, which they are not.
170 Views · View Upvoters · Answer requested by Marc Bodnick and Ruth Spencer
Jack Dahlgren
Based on the fact that the statement is in quotation marks, it may be that perhaps the statement is a misquote. Removing water should not create any pressure. It may cause an undesired pressure differential, but should not create any pressure by itself. Other effects such as presence of salt water are more likely to cause issues.
180 Views · View Upvoters · Answer requested by Arik Beremzon

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