MBTA Commuter Train Derails After Fallen Tree Branch Wedges In Switch

WILMINGTON (CBS) – The heavy, wet snow didn't just knock out power Thursday morning, it caused a train to derail.

MBTA commuter rail train 300 on the Lowell line went off the tracks around 6:30 a.m. at Routes 129 and 38, right near the intersection of Route 62 in Wilmington.

Police said no one was hurt.  Keolis, which operates the commuter rail, evacuated more than 100 passengers.

The company said a thick branch fell off a tree, the train hit it, dragged it for several hundred feet and it ended up wedged into a rail switch, likely causing the derailment.

The National Weather Service said 10.4 inches of snow fell in Wilmington overnight.

A crane was brought in and the train was re-connected to the track late in the morning.

About 30 trees fell onto commuter line tracks in the nor'easter, according to Keolis.  The majority are on the Worcester line.