BOSTON (WHDH) – Temperatures are starting to plummet as an Arctic blast rolls into New England this weekend, and MBTA said workers have prepared trains and tracks for brutal winter weather.
Several commuter rail trains were behind schedule on the Fitchburg Line and Haverhill Line, and one train was cancelled on the Worcester Line.
Keolis, the company that operates commuter rail lines, said 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.
In addition to delays on commuter rails, several Red Line trains were disabled Thursday morning following promises of smooth operations, though it is unclear why or what caused the trains to stop.
In one tweet, the MBTA said one Red Line train at Braintree was delayed shortly after 6 a.m.:
Red Line experiencing minor northbound delays due to disabled train at Braintree. #MBTA
— MBTA (@MBTA) December 15, 2016
The MBTA said service resumed as normal about an hour later.
But shortly after announcing trains as running on schedule, the MBTA announced another disabled train between Park Street and Braintree. Again, it is unclear why the train was disabled.
#MBTA #RedLine: Moderate southbound delays between Park Street and Braintree due to a disabled train: https://t.co/EnWvR6oxDA
— MBTA (@MBTA) December 15, 2016
Commuters still remember the bad MBTA winter from two years ago in 2014-2015, when trains were breaking down because of the record snow and extreme cold.
Keolis said they are ready to face winter this year and make sure this does not happen again.
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