Five days after the derailment of an MBTA Red Line train, passengers on the Braintree branch of the service will no longer need to switch trains at the JFK/UMass stop.
"If they can get it done in five days, that's solid. Any longer than that, you're killing me," one commuter said.
However, trains will continue to travel slowly through the JFK/UMass station while signal infrastructure is repaired. Commuters should still allow for an extra 15-20 minutes while getting to work on Monday morning.
"It should be fine—I hope. We'll see what happens. I hope it's fine," another commuter said Sunday.
The issues continue to stem from the signaling system that the train plowed into when it derailed.
The third rail at JFK/UMass was damaged in the derailment, which necessitated a partial shutdown of the service on Wednesday afternoon to repair it.
The last two weeks have been messy for the MBTA with this derailment on the Red Line and another on the Green Line.
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"This is unacceptable and we apologize for the inconvenience," MBTA officials said.
The Green Line derailment has been blamed on operator error, but investigators are still searching for a cause in the Red Line derailment. They say the driver is not to blame.
The delays have left platforms crowded— more crowded than a sardine can, a passenger said Sunday.
Some passengers now question their safety.
"I probably should think about it, but I've got to get to school," one commuter said.
After last week, it seems if you want to be on time, you have to build in extra time.
"Yes, 100%. I have to if I have to reach on time. I am okay to reach early, but I don't want to be late," another commuter said Sunday.
CharlieCards and CharlieTickets will continue to be honored on the Commuter Rail on Monday. In addition to regularly scheduled trains on the Kingston, Middleboro and Greenbush lines, extra Commuter Rail trains will be making stops at Braintree, Quincy Center, JFK/UMass and South Station during both the morning and afternoon commutes.
