MBTA Asks Red Line Riders For Patience With Reduced Service
DORCHESTER (CBS) – The MBTA is asking riders for patience as it runs reduced Red Line service Wednesday, a day after a derailment in Dorchester caused massive disruptions.
Repair crews removed the disabled train from the tracks near the JFK-UMass station just before 3 a.m., nearly 24 hours after Tuesday's derailment. The train crashed into multiple "bungalows" that house the hardware controlling the MBTA's signal system. Those repairs could take days to complete.
Photos taken today of infrastructure damage caused by #RedLine car derailment Tuesday @MBTA JFK/UMass Station. @universalhub @BrePWBZ @crystalhaynes @7News @BostonNewsMan @NECN pic.twitter.com/ouF3vrXPMA
— Jacquelyn Goddard (@JacqueGoddard) June 12, 2019
Red Line service was suspended mid-day for about two-and-a-half hours between North Quincy and JFK-UMass stations for more repairs. That work was done around 1:30 p.m. and service returned for the start of the afternoon rush hour.
"We know this is a big ask. We sincerely appreciate all our riders' understanding and patience while crews work around the clock to fix this," the T tweeted.
With huge crowds coming into the city Wednesday night for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden, Mayor Walsh said he expects the MBTA to be "up and running properly."
"It's unacceptable if it's not," Walsh told reporters Wednesday. "We'll be asking the T to make sure that it's running properly with extra service if need be."
This was the second derailment in less than a week after a Green Line train went off the tracks Saturday. MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak told reporters Tuesday there will be an independent review of all of the T's recent derailments.
Read: Number Of MBTA Derailments Among Nation's Highest
Adding to the riders' frustration, MBTA prices are set to go up on July 1.
"Very frustrated because it seems as if every time the spokesperson says the T is safe, the T is doing well, the next day, or a couple days later something like this happens," commuter Eric Owens of Weymouth told WBZ-TV.
"If there were any other service that I paid $90 a month for, that worked as inconsistently as the MTBA does, I would stop paying for them. But they know they have us cornered. We've got no other options," said commuter Quinn Valcich.