BOSTON — The head of the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority says the agency will seeks an outside review of its operations in the wake of two light-rail derailments in a four-day span and four so far in 2019.
The Associated Press reports that MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak wants “a fresh set of eyes” to examine the incident. “I think we have an obligation to the riding public and taxpayers to make sure we are taking every step possible to address these issues,” he said.
On Saturday, 10 people were hospitalized after a Green Line train derailed and struck the side of a tunnel near Fenway Park. An MBTA official has subsequently indicated that was likely attributable to operator error. [See “MBTA says operator error led to Saturday derailment,” Trains News Wire, June 12, 2109.] On Tuesday, the third car of a Red Line train derailed at an above-ground stop near the Boston campus of the University of Massachusetts. one person was hospitalized and another was treated for an injury at the scene. [See “MBTA Red Line subway derailment injures one, disrupts morning commute,” Trains News Wire, June 11, 2019.] The MBTA is still attempting to determine the cause of that incident.
The Red line cars were actually originally built to be the same size as New York’s BMT and IND cars.
Ed, good catch. Not only is the Red Line full rapid transit but its cars are among the largest to be found. Considerably bigger than the Blue Line, the Orange Line, or the Chicago “L”. Just as in New York the former IND and the former BMT have larger cars than the former IRT.
“two light-rail derailments”
Point of clarification: The “Green Line” would be typically classified as “light rail”, similar to streetcar-type operations around the US. The “Red Line”, however, is not – it is a system similar to the NYC subways, or Chicago L.