Two Green Line trains derail after collision in Somerville; five injured
BOSTON - A Green Line train hit a parked train at the MBTA East Somerville Station early Sunday morning. Five people were taken to the hospital.
Five injured in train crash
The collision, which caused one car on each of the two-car trains to derail, happened at 12:30 a.m. Sunday. The in-service train had five passengers aboard at the time of the collision.
"That's a little scary. I wouldn't want to be on that train. I hope the people are okay," Eram Mohammed of Somerville said.
All four Green Line operators involved in the accident were taken to the hospital. One of the passengers on the train was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital with a neck injury. All of the victims were conscious and alert. Nothing else is known about their condition.
"This is crazy; this is insane. I was reading it this morning ... I wasn't really expecting all of this," MBTA rider Kevin Phan said.
Collision under investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the collision and is expected to arrive on the scene sometime on Sunday. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) was also notified of the collision. The cause of the collision has not been released.
"I'm sure it must have been pretty traumatizing. I've taken the Green Line quite a bit in the past. I've never experienced substantial issues like this. I know there's often delays and everything," Ethan Weiner of Somerville said.
Shuttle buses were available between North Station and Medford/Tufts Station through the Monday morning commute. Full service was restored just after 10 a.m.
"The MBTA apologizes to Green Line customers who are impacted by the disruption in service, following a late-night incident involving two trains," the MBTA said in a statement.
MBTA ordered to use anti-collision technology
This is the second time the NTSB has had to investigate a Green Line incident. In October, seven people were hurt when two trains derailed on the Green Line near Lechmere Station. The NTSB found the driver of one of the trolleys was speeding and going three times the speed limit before the trains went off the tracks.
Officials have been slow to deploy anti-collision technology, versions of which are already in place on other subway and Commuter Rail lines, on the Green Line, even after the Federal Transit Administration recommended its use following a pair of trolley crashes in 2008 and 2009.
"Why is the Green Line, like, singled out like this? Because if it's on the other lines, why not here? Especially since they just built this line a few years ago," Phan said.
