Green Line service resumes after 46 riders evacuated, MBTA says

On Jun 3, 2024

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Green Line service resumed between Kenmore and Haymarket stations after crews repaired a disabled train that forced 46 riders to evacuate and delayed service for nearly three hours Monday afternoon, MBTA officials said.

The delays began around 2:20 p.m. when an inbound Green Line train approaching Copley station stopped as a result of a damaged pantograph, a device that receives electricity and rides along an overhead wire to move each trolley, MBTA spokesperson Lisa Battiston said in an email. Transportation workers evacuated 46 riders from the immobile train and escorted them about 100 feet back to the station’s eastbound platform, Battiston said.

Crews repaired the disabled train around 4:45 p.m., but the MBTA’s operations, power, vehicle, and mechanical teams were still investigating the cause of the pantograph’s damage after 5 p.m., Battiston said. No injuries were reported, though Transit Police and fire crews responded to the scene as a precaution.

Just before 2:10 p.m., riders were informed of the disabled train at Copley station through an MBTA social media post. Just after 2:15 p.m., shuttle buses replaced service between Kenmore and Government Center stations, according to another post.

Shuttle buses continued to replace Green Line service between Kenmore and Haymarket stations around 4:40 p.m., according to an MBTA post. Anyone traveling on the B Branch was directed to ride the 57 bus between Packard’s Corner and Kenmore, and E Branch riders were advised to take the 39 bus along Huntington Avenue, the post said.

Orange Line supervisors also assisted riders affected by the Orange Line diversion between Wellington and Back Bay, according to Battiston. Transportation personnel were “running test trains” through Copley station just before 4:30 p.m., the MBTA said in a social media post.

Shuttle buses were being phased out around 4:45 p.m., and MBTA officials did not specify when the buses would be fully taken out of rotation.

“The MBTA’s top priority is the safety of the system,” Battiston said. “We apologize to all riders impacted by this unanticipated service disruption.”

Lila Hempel-Edgers can be reached at lila.hempeledgers@globe.com. Follow her on X @hempeledgers and on Instagram @lila_hempel_edgers.