Some Red Line riders at the Harvard MBTA station are expressing concern after a second incident in under two months in which something fell from the ceiling onto the platform.
Just about two months after a ceiling panel came crashing down at Harvard Station in Cambridge, nearly hitting an MBTA rider, a woman was hurt on Monday afternoon when equipment at the same station became loose and fell.
A utility box became dislodged and slid down a column, bringing with it a supporting bracket that hit the woman, according to MBTA officials. Crews responded to Harvard Station at around 4:30 p.m. on Monday to check someone for what has been described as minor injuries. She was taken to the hospital for evaluation, and the area was shut down by Red Line staff for safety.
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Surveillance footage shows the moment the box came down.
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On Tuesday, an MBTA spokesperson said that the cause of the incident was determined to be corrosion on the support straps that secured the box to the column. General Manager Phillip Eng visited the site and directed that every station be immediately inspected for the presence of the boxes and the condition of the support straps, according to the transit agency.
The agency said the box was part of a 2011 pilot program and contained sensors that could detect biological agents. The program ended in 2013 and the box had no further purpose.
There were 13 boxes installed at Harvard, Porter and Davis stations as part of the pilot, which was led by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and funded by the Department Homeland Security. The remaining boxes will all be removed.
The MBTA spokesperson said that the inspections of the Red and Orange Lines were complete as of around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, and that they were still ongoing for the Blue and Green Lines. The inspections were anticipated to be completed on Tuesday, even though the boxes are believed to only be along the Red Line.
T officials believe the incident was an isolated case.
'Scary' Situation at Harvard Station in Cambridge
New MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng went to Harvard Station himself to personally inspect the equipment that fell. On Tuesday, he released a statement.
"The incident at Harvard Square Station last evening was stark reminder of the challenge at hand, but it is important for the public to know that delivering safe, reliable, and appropriate service is paramount and the MBTA is fully committed to ensuring that we do just that. Our team took immediate action to inspect every station to ensure there were not additional risks to riders. When I accepted this position, I fully understood the challenges and responsibility, but I remain confident that we will be successful. Ensuring safety is vital to restoring public confidence and trust. "
The T said that it was a utility box, attached to a column that became dislodged and slid down to the bottom of the column on an inbound platform.
It was a supporting bracket for that utility box that actually hit the passenger standing against the column.
Aerial video showed the passenger being taken into an ambulance, with what police described as minor injuries.
Not the First Incident at Harvard Station
This is the second recent incident at the Harvard T Station where something fell onto the platform.
In early March, a ceiling panel came crashing down, narrowly missing a passenger.
The T ended up removing more than a hundred panels as a precaution.
Now with this second incident, riders are understandably concerned for their safety.
Riders React to Harvard Station Scares
“I would say it’s very terrifying," Lucy Flamm said. "I use the MBTA every single day to commute, it’s pretty terrifying knowing when you’re walking on the platform and you’re not sure how secure and safe you are as you’re going about your commute.”
“I think it’s completely unacceptable," Destiny Crowley said. "I’ve had panic attacks walking through the T station since the last piece of large, weighty material fell from the ceiling, like it’s terrifying.”
An investigation into how this happened is still ongoing.
