‘Any other corporation, you’d be out of business’: MBTA Blue Line power problems frustrate riders
Power problems on the MBTA’s Blue Line left passengers frustrated after being forced to squeeze on to shuttle buses during the Friday evening commute.
The MBTA first alerted riders to a disabled Blue Line train at Orient Heights around 5:14 p.m. Shuttles buses began to replace the trains shortly after.
According to an MBTA spokesperson, around 180 people had to be evacuated from the disabled train due to the pantograph problem.
Blue Line: delays of up to 15 minutes due to disabled train near Orient Heights. Trains may stand by at stations.
— MBTA (@MBTA) March 22, 2024
Shuttle buses continued to replace service between Suffolk Downs and Bowdoin while the Power Department made repairs to the wire until after 11:00 p.m., when the MBTA alerted riders that regular service had resumed.
Blue Line Update: Repairs to the wire have been completed, and regular service has resumed between Bowdoin and Suffolk Downs with residual delays of about 10 minutes. Shuttle buses are being phased out at this time. https://t.co/QhHsTXVBSj
— MBTA (@MBTA) March 23, 2024
Joe Palladino told Boston 25 that he walked all the way down to the platform at Government Center without anyone informing him of the cancelations.
“As you can see, there’s a ton of people,” Palladino said, gesturing to the crows behind him. “No one is directing any traffic here and there’s two shuttle buses and I think people have been here for 20-something minutes. And you have two shuttle buses trying to get to the Blue Line?”
Thirty shuttle buses are currently in service, the MBTA says.
“This is not well organized and not well-run,” Palladino quipped. “Let’s put it this way, if this was any other corporation, you’d be out of business.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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