Weather-related delays reported on multiple T, commuter rail lines
Extreme frigid temperatures caused rail breakages and disabled trains on both the T and commuter rail lines on Sunday, causing delays throughout the mass transit system.
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Three rail breaks impacted the commuter rail, two of which fell on Amtrak’s territory, said Leslie Aun, a spokesman for Keolis, the company that manages the commuter rail. Trains were delayed as minimally as they were maneuvered around the impacted tracks.
The Amtrak rails impacted were east of Providence and another close to Ruggles, which prevented inbound trains from stopping at Ruggles. Crews fixed the rail break around 1 p.m. Sunday, but trains continue to bypass Ruggles.
The other broken rail was on the Worcester line at Wellesley Square Station, Aun said. Crews were working to repair it around 1 p.m. Sunday.
“In general the system is running well with scattered delays,’’ Aun said in an emailed statement. She said that equipment was kept idling overnight in order to minimize issues in the cold weather.
In addition to the commuter rail, the T riders were delayed on Red, Green and Orange lines.
“While crews worked very hard overnight to prevent any issues today, maintenance crews today addressed some issues related to the coldest temperatures in decades,’’ MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said in an email to Boston.com. “Rail breaks are not an uncommon issue for rail service providers around the world.’’
To prepare for the cold, MBTA crews drain all trains’ air tanks and conduct system checks on all vehicles, Pesaturo said. In cold conditions, the main threat to trains is the potential freezing of the air systems, which control key operational features like braking, suspension, and doors.
To combat the cold Sunday night, Pesaturo said the T will store Orange and Red Line trains in tunnels and continue to cycle through the equipment and work switches to prevent them from freezing and ease commute issues Monday morning.
You can see line-specific delay information at the MBTA’s website.
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