Power on the Green, Blue and Orange lines was restored within a few hours, but the issue hit during the morning commute, stranding riders and plunging some of them into the dark. It’s the latest issue for the T as officials grapple with safety issues and massive budget shortfalls.
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A major power outage badly disrupted service on three MBTA lines during the morning commute Thursday, causing a blackout at at least one station.
Riders were frustrated with the hourslong snafu on the MBTA's Green, Blue and Orange lines. One person shared an image of an E Line train stopped at completely dark Haymarket Station, joking they felt like a coal miner stuck underground.
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The outage was caused by one of seven main cables that feed power to North Station, MBTA General Manager Phil Eng told reporters at the Government Center Green Line station Thursday afternoon. The cause of the failure remained under investigation, but took place somewhere outside of the MBTA's system — the cable is seven miles long, and power to that portion of the system is provided by National Grid, but what might have caused the outage remained unclear at about noon.
"I want the public to know that we apologize for the inconvenience to their travel this morning. I know how disruptive it was for them," Eng said at the news conference.
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The evening commute on MBTA subways will be free, Eng said, a gesture to indicate "our riders are paramount to us."
As the T scrambled to deal with the outage on the A/C power feed to train signals and station lighting, which also tripped all the substation's circuit-breakers, hundreds of MBTA workers fanned out across the system to control trains manually, Eng said.
It's a safe process but one that requires slower service, Eng said. Service was back by 9:10 a.m., a roughly two-hour response time he was proud of, and he expected train service to remain smooth through the afternoon.
Asked whether the public should continue to have confidence in the MBTA after the outage, Eng said, "I understand, regardless of the cause, it impacts our riders," and said his team is working to improve service every day, no matter how much financial investment the system gets.
He noted that, earlier Thursday, all speed restrictions were eliminated on the northern end of the Red Line between Harvard Station and Alewife Station.
"Regardess of the amount of resources that we're provided, I'm accountable and my team is accountable," Eng said.
How the MBTA outage unfolded
Shortly after 6:30 a.m., the T said that service was "standing by due to a power problem impacting our stations and signal system." They said a short time later that personnel were working to move trains into stations and resolve the issue.
In an update posted around 7:30 a.m., the MBTA said Green, Blue and Orange line trains might continue to hold at stations and that T personnel are working to restore power.
The MBTA said Orange Line passengers could board Commuter Rail trains for free at Oak Grove, Malden Center, North Station, Back Bay, Ruggles and Forest Hills while service was disrupted. Blue Line passengers were told to use the SL3 Bus for alternate service from Airport to South Station.
The T said Green Line trains were bypassing Haymarket in both directions due to insufficient lighting at the station. They said passengers can connect at North Station and Government Center. Orange Line trains would continue to service the station.
In an 8 a.m. update, the MBTA said that the Green, Blue and Orange lines continued to experience "significant delays" and that T personnel are continuing to work on restoring power.
The MBTA issued a statement around 9 a.m. explaining the issues in greater detail. You can read the full statement below:
The outage at North Station was unexpected, and it is one of the MBTA's primary power feeds. As a safety precaution, protective systems opened related circuit breakers, temporarily discontinuing power flow. We apologize for the inconvenience and disruption during the morning commute. Crews are working urgently to bring all infrastructure back online. We estimate service restoration within the next 60 minutes. Please check MBTA.com for the latest updates as the situation evolves. More details will be provided as soon as possible.
Shortly before 9:30 a.m., the T said power had been restored along the Green and Blue lines and most of the Orange Line, although riders might experience additional delays as they work to restore power between Forest Hills and Stony Brook.
Delays were also reported Thursday morning on the MBTA Commuter Rail line from Providence due to a train with a mechanical issue.
