Woman injured at Harvard MBTA station after utility box falls
5/2 UPDATE: MBTA identifies cause of falling utility box incident that injured rider
CAMBRIDGE - A woman was injured after a utility box fell from a column at the Harvard MBTA station in Cambridge on Monday afternoon. It happened on the Red Line inbound platform at the station.
The Cambridge Fire Department said the piece of metal fell and hit someone, leaving them with minor injuries.
Yellow caution tape was put around the area.
The MBTA said shortly after 4:30 p.m., a utility box attached to a column, slid to the bottom of the column. "A supporting brace made contact with a customer who was standing on the platform, next to the column," the MBTA said. "The customer was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated."
NEW: New MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng is here at the Harvard T Station inspecting a utility box that fell around 4:30. A rider has minor injuries and was taken to the hospital. #WBZ pic.twitter.com/6S5cdTGiHQ
— Kristina Rex (@KristinaRex) May 1, 2023
New MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng went to the station Monday to examine the damage.
The same platform has a ceiling leak and riders are growing frustrated of the aging system.
"I think it just points to the structural deficiencies of the T," said MBTA rider Jeff Wilson. "It seems like they need to invest a lot more to keep it safe for everybody."
At the station in early March, a ceiling panel fell, nearly hitting a woman after she got off a Red Line train.
"It's not really anything that I would guess would be crazy for what happens on the T," said commuter Carly Keegan of Cambridge. "It's been like really unreliable lately. It's a little frustrating, but other than that, like any other Monday."
Red Line service was not impacted by the incident.