BOSTON (WHDH) - The MBTA will face its first frigid-weather test of the year on Friday, when freezing temperatures are predicted to make New England one of the coldest areas of the country.
Commuters at Park Street Station said they are worried because cold weather means delays.
Gov. Charlie Baker said the MBTA has invested more than $100 million in infrastructure in the past two years after a brutal winter left tracks covered in snow and ice and trains stranded.
“Virtually all of the third rail that broke in 2015 has been replaced,” Baker said. He added that tracks above ground on the red line and orange line were also updated.
Baker also called on Keolis, the company that operates the Commuter Rail, to do more to prepare.
Keolis announced that aid crews planned to patrol every track, train and switch to check fluids and de-ice all doors. Heaters were also scheduled to be placed on all switches and Keolis said many trains would run all night or stay idle so they remain warm and do not stall out. Maintenance crews are already out de-icing platforms and tracks and repair work has been going on for weeks.
Baker said crews have made a lot of effort to prepare for winter this year and feels the transit system is in a better position than it was two years ago.
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