The big Harlem explosion was caused by a new pipe that Con Ed installed, so anything can happen. They supposedly sent all the Con Ed guys for ‘retraining’ after that happened.
There’s new technology being rolled out/used now that can coat the interior of the old utility lines (gas, water and sewer) with a plastic resin epoxy-type material to seal them up and make them supposedly better than new without having to dig much of anything up. They apparently have the procedures for fittings, junctions, threads etc figured out and it seems to be working very well.
It’s like being able to insert a new PVC or similar pipe inside an old, corroding iron pipe under neighborhoods, buildings and streets with minimal disruption to the area.
I’d say these older metropolitan areas with hundred-plus year-old pipes underground should accelerate the installation of this stuff. Nothing is foolproof, but it’s better than millions of people living above leaking gas lines.