MBTA Car Derailment On Red Line Leaves Riders To Deal With Severe Delays
BOSTON (CBS) -- MBTA Red Line riders had a tough commute Wednesday morning.
A track problem at the Andrew stop was causing severe delays, the MBTA tweeted around 10 a.m.
MBTA Spokesperson Joe Pesaturo explained, "a motor failed on the last car of the six-car northbound train, approaching Andrew Station. The motor's failure created a smoky condition at the station."
Preliminary investigations later revealed that about 300 feet of the third rail is damaged as a result of that car's derailment.
"There were large sparks that occurred where the placard jumped up in the air, it broke a glass window of the car, it started filling up with smoke," said passenger Jon Orrison.
Shuttle buses have replaced the T between JFK/UMass and Broadway Stations.
One rider said he was stranded at JFK/UMASS for over 45 minutes waiting for a bus. He eventually called for an Uber.
T General Manager Luis Manuel Ramírez said, "While we realize this is a significant inconvenience to our customers, the Red Line will remain closed between Broadway and JFK until it is safe to resume service. Until then, our team continues to assess the damage, and make necessary repairs, while working to identify the root cause."
Another passenger said, "It's an inconvenience and it seems once I've been here for a little bit and I see what's going on and I speak with some different people, they are doing the best that they can."
No injuries were reported in the incident that sparked the delays.
The MBTA is looking into what caused the derailment and sent crews out to make the necessary track repairs.
Just after 5:30 p.m., regular Red Line service resumed.
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