Video shows panel falling at Harvard MBTA station with past ceiling issues
A ceiling panel fell Thursday morning at the Harvard Square MBTA station, the same station where there were two incidents of items falling from the ceiling in 2023.
The latest incident happened just before 7:30 a.m. on the southbound platform of the Harvard Station.
Harvard Square MBTA station ceiling panel falls
An MBTA spokesperson said an investigation is underway after a single panel fell. No one was hurt, and Red Line service was not impacted.
Surveillance video obtained by WBZ-TV shows the panel falling just feet from two passengers waiting to board the subway.
MBTA engineering and station facilities management crews are looking into what happened.
The Harvard MBTA station remains fully open to passengers, except for the immediate area where the ceiling panel fell.
The MBTA said visual inspections are performed regularly and a hands-on inspection with ladders and lifts took place over the summer.
The panel that fell is made of tin material and showed signs of corrosion. Crews are expected to remove similar remaining panels in the area overnight.
Past ceiling issues at Harvard MBTA station
In 2023, there were two incidents involving parts of the ceiling falling at the station.
During the first instance, a panel fell and nearly hit a woman who had just gotten off her Red Line train.
About two months later, a box fell from the ceiling at the same station. The MBTA said a supporting brace hit a woman, who was hospitalized with minor injuries.
Thirteen similar boxes, which were installed as part of a pilot program led by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory and funded by the Department Homeland Security, were also removed.
Following that incident, MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng ordered inspections at every station.