The Red Line Had a Small Derailment Problem This Morning
Service was out for over three hours between Ashmont and JFK/UMass, but you probably noticed.
Photo by Margaret Burdge
Thought your commute was bad already? The Red Line says, “hold my beer.”
A Red Line train derailed at Ashmont Tuesday morning around 5:30 a.m. It didn’t get back on track until just after 9 a.m., meaning commuters were out of luck all of rush hour.
#MBTA #RedLine Ashmont Branch Update: Repairs have been completed and regularly scheduled service has resumed. Bus Shuttles are being phased out. https://t.co/N2htN5K5Xd
— MBTA (@MBTA) May 21, 2019
MBTA shuttles replaced train service between Ashmont and JFK/UMass, riding along Dorchester Avenue in that sweet, sweet rush hour traffic. Luckily, passengers coming from the Braintree direction were not affected.
The wayward train thankfully wasn’t carrying any passengers when it went off the rails at the Ashmont train yard, before even entering the station for its morning run. Only one car out of a six car train jumped ship, per the Boston Globe, but that was apparently enough to send the entire commute into a tizzy.
#MBTA #RedLine Ashmont Branch Update: Shuttle buses are replacing service in both directions between Ashmont and JFK/UMass. The train has been re-railed and repairs are being made to the track and third rail. pic.twitter.com/ZcP0De2Xx3
— MBTA (@MBTA) May 21, 2019
According to the MBTA, the train got back on track (literally) a little before 8 a.m., but the tracks still needed to be repaired before they could be used.
Passengers are boarding busses to get from the Ashmont station to JFK/UMass after a red line train derailed. Some frustrated commuters tell me they’re going to be late to work. #WBZ pic.twitter.com/RXS4eaFMte
— Anna Meiler (@AnnaMeiler) May 21, 2019
Commuters expecting to board their regular train and zone out to a podcast Tuesday morning were instead greeted with the dreaded replacement street shuttles. Although trains resumed at JFK/UMass, the buses and transfer added a good chunk of time to the journey.
Do yourself a favor and avoid the Red Line.
— Anna S. Howard (@AnnaSHoward) May 21, 2019
Apparently, some commuters even turned to a different line altogether to get them to work.
TFW your co-workers are taking the Green Line because the Red Line is so badly borked. pic.twitter.com/buhARaBNLb
— Scott Sanderson (@scottbsanderson) May 21, 2019
The worst may be over, but delays may continue while the angry mobs and backed up trains disperse.
