Photo: The west end

Boston to shut major rail line after safety problems

08 August 2022

by Christopher Carey

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has announced a 30-day shutdown of its Orange Line metro service – which provides nearly 100,000 trips a day – after rising concerns about safety.

The shutdown, which will start from 19 August, comes in the wake of several incidents, including a train fire last month which prompted the evacuation of 200 people and the rescue of one person who escaped by jumping into a river.

According to the agency, the incident was caused by a piece of metal that runs along the base of the train coming loose.

“We’ve listened to our riders, and we hear them loud and clear – bold action needs to happen in order to improve the MBTA at the pace that riders deserve,” said Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority General Manager Steve Poftak.

“We can eliminate slow zones, prevent unplanned service disruptions, and increase the reliability of our service.

“Perhaps most importantly, we will provide the quality of safety and service that our riders deserve.”

In January, a Boston woman was killed when a rail crossing gate failed to close and in April a man died after his arm got caught in a Red Line train door and he was dragged along the station platform.

Shutdown

The shutdown is scheduled to last until 18 September, and will allow the agency to replace track, upgrade signal systems and improve stations at a rate that would have taken five years had work been completed during off-hours, the MBTA said.

A shutdown of a section of the Green Line between 22 August until 18 September for similar works has also been announced, and a planned extension of the line has been delayed until November.

Free shuttle buses will replace the metro services, but the MBTA has said riders should expect these to “take longer and be less reliable” than regular services.

Commuters have been encouraged to work from home where possible.

In June, the US Federal Transit Administration (FTA) issued a series of special directives following an investigation into what it called “long-standing issues with the MBTA’s overall safety programme and safety culture.”

Problems included delayed critical maintenance, lapses in workers’ safety certifications and an understaffed operations centre, the administration said.

Image: The west end

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