LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION BETWEEN 2 IFR ACFT UNDER SEPARATE ATC JURISDICTION. OPERATIONAL ERROR.

Narrative

SWF SECTION ZBW SHUT OFF BY NY TRACON WITH 4 ACFT GOING TO EWR INTRAIL AT 7000'. ACFT ISSUED HOLD AND HAD BEEN HOLDING FOR 5 MINS. FIRST ACFT ISSUED 220 DEG HDG AND HANDED OFF TO APCH CTL. APPROX 1 1/2 MINS LATER ACFT X IS STILL NBOUND AND GETTING WITH OTHER ACFT Y HOLDING TO HIS N AT 7000'. BETTER FLOW CTL AND ADVANCE WARNING BY APCH COULD HAVE AVOIDED THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION WHICH HAPPENS ON A DAILY BASIS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR GAVE ROUGH POSITIONS FOR THE 4 ACFT MENTIONED AND ALSO TOLD ME ABOUT OTHER ACFT IN HIS SECTOR INCLUDING 2 JET ACFT SBND ON V213 AT 8000' AND OTHER ACFT WHICH WERE FACTORS IN INCIDENT. HE EXPLAINED THE AIRSPACE DELEGATION IN THAT AREA. N90 ON DAILY BASIS REQUESTS 15 MI IN TRAIL FOR THE NON JET ACFT ON V489; AND RPTR DID HAVE 15 MI IN TRAIL WHEN N90 SHUT THE DOOR ON HIM. HE PUT ALL 4 ACFT INTO 360 DEG TURNS TO HOLD IN PLACE UNTIL HE COULD ISSUE HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS. N90 THEN ACCEPTED ACFT X ON 220 DEG HDG AND THE ACFT WAS CHANGED TO N90 FREQ. THEN ACFT X WENT BACK NBND. N90 IS CLAIMING NO OPERROR SINCE THEY HAD REQUIRED 3 MI LAT SEP. ADEP AND C/A ACTIVATED IN ZBW. SECTOR HAD 2 PERSONS AT TIME; BUT ZBW IS WORKING A LOT OF 1-M SECTORS. SAYS THAT SOMETIMES N90 SHUTS OFF TFC SO THAT CTLR CAN TAKE A BREAK. NOT ENOUGH CTLRS IN N90.