Authorities say a New York City transit worker has died in a fall in Manhattan.

WABC says the Metropolitan Transportation Authority worker fell 20 feet and hit his head while doing debris pickup early Tuesday.

Significant morning rush-hour delays resulted on three subway lines.

MTA President Andy Byford says that the worker had been on the job six months.

“Unfortunately, even though the emergency services worked really hard, they tried CPR, they really did try valiantly to save him, he unfortunately passed about an hour after that,” Byford said.

The labor union representing the city’s subway workers will investigate the fatal accident.

“This is a tragedy, not just for this young man and his family, but for the entire city. While everyone else was asleep, this young man was working in a tunnel beneath Manhattan so others could get to work, or school, or wherever else they need to go to. We will be conducting an investigation to determine exactly happened and assist the family in every way possible,” says Tony Utano, president of the Transport Workers Union for New York City.

Shuttle bus service was provided during the subway delays in Manhattan and the Bronx.

(AP)