Local News

MBTA: Close call with school bus was human error, not train problem

The incident occurred a day after South Coast Rail service began this week.

A train at the new Fall River Depot Station. David L. Ryan / The Boston Globe

March 28, 2025

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A crossing gate arm came down on the hood of a school bus in Freetown on Tuesday, transit officials say.

The bus pulled up to the grade crossing on Braley Road as a train was approaching, activating the gate’s arm, according to MBTA Chief Safety Officer Tim Lesniak.

Although the front of the bus was beyond the stop line, the vehicle was still a safe distance away from the crossing, Lesniak said at an MBTA board meeting on Thursday.

“At no time were any students in any danger,” he said. “The crossing operated as designed.”

The incident was the result of human error, and the crossing’s warning system was functioning properly, officials confirmed.

The close call occurred at a grade crossing in the newly opened South Coast Rail territory, which is providing cities and towns in southeastern Massachusetts access to passenger rail service for the first time in 65 years. Service began on Monday at six new stations on the Fall River/New Bedford Line.

As part of establishing the new train service, Lesniak said local bus operators were given extensive safety training.

Following Tuesday’s incident, Lesniak says transit officials are reaching out to local schools and bus companies, encouraging them to remind their bus drivers about the safety equipment at and around the railroad crossings.

The Freetown Lakeville Regional School District did not immediately respond to a request for comment.