The MBTA Says the Red Line Is Finally Back to Normal
More than three months after a derailment, the trains are now back to regular service.
Photo by Margaret Burdge
The Red Line suffered the signal problem to end all signal problems back in June, when a train hopped off the tracks and smashed into the digital systems at the JFK/UMass stop, leading to months of delays as MBTA operators were forced to crawl through the station manually.
But good news: The problem appears to be solved. In a tweet on Wednesday afternoon, the T announced it has finally made all the necessary repairs to get back on track, and service on the line has returned to normal as of Monday.
We know this has been a trying few months for our Red Line riders. That is why we are pleased to announce the full restoration of service as of September 23. The Red Line is now back to its pre-derailment service levels across the Line – on both the Braintree & Ashmont Branches. pic.twitter.com/pFWIufpS01
— MBTA (@MBTA) September 25, 2019
“While I’m pleased Red Line service has been restored, this event underscores the level of urgency we need to continue to build a better T,” MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak says in a statement. “I want to express my deepest gratitude to our customers for their patience while restoration work took place. I also want to thank our entire workforce and contractors for their efforts to work seven days a week to restore the system to normal.”
Crews over the last three months rebuilt 20 miles of signal cable, hundreds of signal relays, as well as so-called “signal bungalows” damaged in the June 11 derailment, the T says. MBTA officials had said previously that the repairs might not be complete until October.
If all goes according to plan, that means trains should be back to running every 4-5 minutes along the busy corridor at rush hour, news that is sure to be a relief to the thousands who rely on the Red Line each day.
Last week, we learned exactly what was to blame for the derailment: cracked axle, which had been weakened by a piece of grounding equipment that inspectors had failed to notice was faulty.
We are grateful to our riders for understanding the enormity of this task and for bearing with us through it all. We are thankful for everyone who labored to maintain Red Line service and to restore it to its full capacity. pic.twitter.com/tfq5fLs6IL
— MBTA (@MBTA) September 25, 2019
