Scronch. Photo by Transit Police.
A Stoughton Line bridge minding its own business at Bolivar Street in Canton Monday morning was rudely awakened by a tractor-trailer driver who perhaps figured the "low clearance" markings didn't apply in his case, only, as ever, it did. Transit Police report that, unlike the trailer, the bridge suffered no damage.
The MBTA reports delays are piling up outbound to Providence and Stoughton due to a switch near 128 that is being a bad, bad switch.
The MBTA is blaming "an Amtrak switch issue" at Forest Hills for massive delays on all the lines out of South Station that use the Northeast Corridor.
Hank Layfield reports from a Needham Line train:
Smushed Lowell Line train due to earlier cancellation this AM. Photo by Jeff Durney.
A crescendo of complaints by commuter-rail riders about cancellations, delays and overcrowded trains reached a new peak this morning as commuters into both North and South stations vented their frustration online.
They joined Lily Goldman, a Rockport Line rider who's been complaining for months now about ghost and late trains on her route: Read more.
This morning's switch problems at 128 have morphed into signal problems at Canton Junction and so Keolis is warning of Trump-level (you know, yuuge) delays on the Providence and Stoughton lines.
Keolis was blaming Amtrak signal problems for the major delays and cancellations on the Providence and Stoughton lines this morning, but Amtrak says, no, not signal problems - switch problems, near the 128 station in Westwood:
Due to a switch outage near Route 128 Station, Amtrak and commuter trains are experiencing delays moving through the area. Amtrak engineering forces are on the scene and are working to resolve the issue as quickly and safely as possible.
An Amtrak train headed to Boston lost power this afternoon, and possibly had a bit of a fire, an MBTA commuter-rail train was enlisted to push it to Boston and now things are still bollixed up betwixt Boston and Providence.
At 7:19 p.m., Brian Moore reported that after 89 minutes, his Stoughton-bound train from Back Bay still hadn't made it to Westwood. The T was reporting similar delays from Providence to Boston.
People heading into Boston on the Providence/Stoughton Line are not liking how slowly their trains are moving due to what the T says are Amtrak signal problems.
This time, an outbound Stoughton Line train met up with the ferryman between Forest Hills and Readville around 5:30 p.m. As JDB put it:
Stuck on broken down #mbta commuter rail looking at sign stating that #mbta is ready for winter.40 min delay this morning. #IRONY.
The station's being renovated, thanks to some federal stimulus money. Take a look at what a little cleaning reveals.
Do a Google search on MBTA and look at the fun Canton-related ad that pops up on the right.
Via Rick Burnes, who took a screenshot for posterity.
As I read through the accounts and talk with co-commuters, I am struck by what seems to be a stark contrast in the efficiency and effectiveness of the responses to the accident in Canton yesterday. From all accounts, local first responders recognized the scale of the accident and the high number of casualties, and responded accordingly with triage and, eventually, treatment and transportation to the hospital for those who needed it.
Triage at the scene. By Cliff Francoeur, who has more photos and a report from the scene. Matt Pillsbury also posted photos.
Andrew was on the train that got hit by a box car in Canton. He reports:
... We came to a dead stop (again, not surprising), and I waited to get going, knowing we weren't too far out of Canton Junction. What happened next was certainly the most surprising and startling moment of my life, as there was no advanced warning of any kind - suddenly I found, in one swift yet disjointed motion, my head thrown against the glass pane of the door, and my entire body lurching in the opposite direction - and not just away, backwards, but down.
The lights were out, my hat was thrown clear, and my IPod wasn't playing; in fact, my headphones weren't in at all. ...
Figures. Those disintegrating, cracked Northeast Corridor ties will affect some MBTA commuters out of South Station. The Globe reports the rail lines between Back Bay and Readville will be shut June 14 through 17 to allow for replacement of the ties there. That means buses for commuters on the Attleboro/Providence, Franklin, Needham and Stoughton lines (dear Globe: What about the Fairmount Line?).
Commute-a-holic, meanwhile, points us to this fun story about the Winchester commuter-rail stop:
Signs warning pedestrians away from the in-bound entrance to the commuter rail station along Waterfield Road in Winchester are still in place, more than two weeks after hundreds of pounds of concrete fell from the ceiling. ...
Turns out Amtrak still handles the dispatching for trains out of South Station - and the track between Boston and Providence - so a possible strike by Amtrak workers next month could make commuting a bit more interesting from the south and west:
... A strike would nearly shut down South Station, forcing thousands of commuters on to subways, buses or into their own personal vehicles. ...
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