Here’s what the MBTA commuter rail — and commuters — faced during this week’s challenging storm
Officials say service is "largely" back to normal.
Officials say the MBTA commuter rail service is “largely” back to normal following the massive storm that wreaked havoc across New England this week.
The storm’s severe winds and rain — which hit overnight early Thursday morning right before service began — resulted in downed trees, extensive flooding in certain areas, damage to trains, and widespread power outages, delaying trains across several lines during the Thursday commute, according to Tory Mazzola, a spokesman for Keolis, the MBTA’s commuter rail operator.
“While most of the network saw minor delays, the Newburyport/Rockport, Greenbush and Middleboro lines saw significant delays,” Mazzola told Boston.com.
Passengers told WHDH that some trains were delayed by more than an hour, due to down trees, one of which hit and damaged a train door on the Greenbush line. Service on the Newburyport/Rockport line was also temporarily suspended due to trees falling across the tracks and blocking passage. According to Mazzola, one particular downed tree near Salem that was tangled in electrical wires resulted in the delays, in addition to “other storm-related incidents.”
Service on the Lowell Line was also delayed by flooding on the track in the Boston suburbs.
Trees across the tracks near Lynn suspended Newburyport/Rockport service. While crews cleared the tracks faster than we expected, the damage had been done and trains were unable to get to North Station in time to turn around, significantly impacting later AM rush hour trains. pic.twitter.com/Q9rJVxJdVx
— MBTA Commuter Rail (@MBTA_CR) October 17, 2019
Lowell line trains are still experiencing delays due to flooding on the line caused by the severe storm from earlier this morning. Thank you for bearing with us as we work to restore normal service. pic.twitter.com/193mWOauTv
— MBTA Commuter Rail (@MBTA_CR) October 17, 2019
Mazzola says that MBTA and Keolis employees were “pre-positioned” in anticipation of the storm and worked to “clear dozens of downed trees, install additional pumps and activate generators.” He said service was largely back to normal Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. But that doesn’t mean it happened without more than a few hiccups.
Due to mechanical issues, several trains Thursday afternoon and Friday morning on the Providence line experienced delays of up to an hour and two outbound trains from Boston were canceled.
The storm’s effects also impacted parts of the MBTA’s subway system. On the Green Line’s D branch, shuttle buses replaced service Thursday morning between Riverside and Newton Highlands due to downed power wires near the Waban stop. By noon, regular service on the branch has resumed.
https://twitter.com/MBTA/status/1184804737746649090?s=20
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