Tragedy on the Green Line

Last night, I had another frustrating commute home. I waited at North Station as several trains came through with not one of them heading to Lechmere. When I eventually made it home, I turned on the TV and suddenly didn’t mind the delay so much when I saw the coverage of the Green Line crash in Newton.

Most accounts say that one train was stopped between Waban and Woodland stations on the outbound track. The second train came up behind it and hit the train, killing the driver, Terrese Edmonds.

From the Herald:

Boston Fire spokesman Steve MacDonald said it was a lengthy recovery operation. “They are just doing the best they can to get the victim out with some dignity,” he said last night.

The operation took rescuers more than six hours.

The Globe points out that this is just the most recent accident in a string of accidents on the Green Line.

[A] Green Line trolley on the B branch derailed and caught fire on May 14 on Commonwealth Avenue near Chestnut Hill Avenue, disrupting service and damaging the trolley and track but resulting in no injuries.

In February, a passenger was injured when a Green Line trolley collided with a truck on the B Line at Commonwealth Avenue near Cummington Street. In December, a trolley crashed into another at Boylston Station, leaving nine people with minor injuries.

It’s too soon to tell what caused the collision, and the National Transportation Safety Board won’t complete its investigation until next year. But some are already calling for the MBTA to crack down on drivers who are speeding on the Green Line.

We’ll have to see how this plays out. And we won’t be complaining about a particularly cautious driver again for a long time.

PHOTO By PETER LOBO Newton Tab