BOSTON (WHDH) - The MBTA faced multiple problems across the Orange, Blue and Green Lines Friday, just one week before the 30-day Orange Line shutdown starts.
Green Line service was disrupted due to a reported power problem between Kenmore and Government Center stations, according to the MBTA.
“It’s a big headache, and I think its a shame because, as you know, these public services get underfunded, and things like this keep happening, and then no one wants to take the T, and then that’s used to further privatize services,” said trapped T rider Jeremy DaCruz, who captured video of people escaping a Green Line train through a tunnel.
The MBTA used buses to replace the Green Line service between the stations on a busy Friday night with the Red Sox playing at Fenway.
“Every once in a while, I take the T. I try to stay away from it and take my car, but, you know, traffic on Friday nights,” said T rider Brody Glindmyer.
Earlier Friday, the MBTA was forced to replace Blue Line train service between Wonderland and Orient Heights with shuttle buses after a train became disabled near Suffolk Downs, the transportation organization said in a statement.
An eyewitness previously told 7NEWS that a large metal sheet had fallen onto the station.
The MBTA said a piece of fiberglass fell from a closed pedestrian walkway breaking a piece of equipment on the train. The incident is now under investigation.
Service was restored at approximately 6:00 p.m., according to the MBTA.
Also on Friday, The MBTA has released a “Rider’s Guide to Planning Ahead” a week before the planned 30-day shutdown of the Orange Line and 28-day shutdown of parts of the Green Line.
The MBTA is set to undertake a complete Orange Line shutdown between August 19 and September 18, the first time the organization has shut down an entire line. Between Monday, August 22 and September 18, the Green Line will shut down between Government Center and Union Square, a station opened earlier this year.
A fleet of shuttle buses will replace the sections of the T that will be shut down. Commuter Rail changes will also accommodate some riders, stopping at Oak Grove, Malden Center and North Station, as well as Forest Hills, Ruggles and South Station.
“A 30-day suspension, you know, that’s pretty brutal if you have to deal with that every day, day-in and day-out,” said Tom Ricketts about his concerns. “I am lucky enough to have a private car, so I am one of the fortunate ones, but you know now that we have kids trickling back into school, you know, it’s really a mess.”
As 7NEWS previously reported, MBTA officials said a portion of the Green Line needs to close between August 22 and September 18 to allow for the demolition of the privately owned Government Center Garage, as well as for work on the new Medford Branch of the GLX. The extension was set to open this summer, but has been pushed back to late November.
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