As incidents continue to accumulate, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and others are demanding changes to regain the public’s trust.
The MBTA reported another runaway Red Line train Monday, less than a week after an Orange Line train caught fire on a bridge over the Mystic River.
During this most recent incident, a two-car train set rolled out 800 feet north of the Braintree rail yard before the morning commute at 5:30 a.m.
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"I need help," exclaimed a train operator over an emergency MBTA call. "Guys I need help!”
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The MBTA said no one was injured and there were no damages, but the incident is raising yet more red flags and signaling chronic issues with the aging system.
Jennifer Thomson was in the front car of the burning Orange Line train last week. She spoke to NBC 10 Boston then and has been a vocal critic ever since, even writing an op-ed for the Boston Globe.
"We need the ‘T’!” she said.
For the past 30 years Thomson has relied on the train to get anywhere, she said.
Last week’s incident was the second time she’s ridden on a burning train, she noted. But rides no more.
"After what happened I couldn't bring myself to get back on the ‘T’, I couldn't do it,” Thomson said. "We need to push lawmakers, we need to push people in power to do something. They need to act because people are dying."
She's referencing an incident in April where a man was dragged to death by the Red Line at the Broadway station.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu told WBUR radio she might consider "a larger scale shutdown" for the MBTA for a major infrastructure overhaul.
"It would be tremendously disruptive but we're at that point where prolonging this will make it worse and continue to bring about safety issues,” said Wu.
Aside from infrastructure improvements, Thomson wants the MBTA to improve its customer relations, claiming no one from the MBTA has reached out to her since Thursday’s incident.
She said she’s looking to testify in the upcoming Federal Transit Administration hearings, the agency that is currently investigating the MBTA.
As for this latest runaway train incident, an investigation is still ongoing to determine what exactly went wrong.
