MBTA

Debris Falls, Water Leaks From Ceiling at Forest Hills

Water poured onto the floor of the Forest Hills MBTA station in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood Wednesday night

NBC Universal, Inc.

It was sunny outside Thursday in Boston, but for a second straight day, it was raining inside the Forest Hills MBTA station.

Water has been pouring onto the platform ever since debris fell from the ceiling Wednesday.

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The MBTA told NBC10 Boston the debris consisted of "felt" used as padding near bridge joints, adding that it weighed less than a pound and was not concrete.

Workers have removed the debris, and a small area was blocked off by caution tape. But the water continued to flow Thursday, and the MBTA has not said where it's coming from.

"Well, they have it cautioned off," one man at the station said with a laugh. "I guess that keeps people from walking over there underneath it."

"That's not great," another rider said. "Hopefully, they'll fix that soon."

The incident is reminding commuters of another occurrence earlier this month, when a ceiling panel weighing 25 pounds fell at the Harvard stop in Cambridge — narrowly missing a woman who was walking on the platform.

"My reaction was, 'Ugh, not again,'" said Stacy Thompson, executive director of the LivableStreets Alliance. "Things falling from the ceiling, leaky spots, that's kind of a normal experience."

Thompson said the frequent nature of the MBTA's problems does not make them acceptable. She says they are the result of decades of neglect, adding that investments are needed now.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says the MBTA is trying to fix its problems.

"There a lot of issues that need addressing, and the vast majority of them far predate the folks who are in charge of trying to clean it up now, so we're working with them as closely as we can," she said.

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