BOSTON (WHDH) - The MBTA announced that service has been partially suspended on the Orange and Green Lines due to a structural issue at the Government Center Garage.
The MBTA announced that shuttle buses will replace trains between the Green Line’s Government Center and Lechmere stations, while the Orange Line was suspended in full between the North Station and Back bay locations.
According to the developers of the Government Center Garage, a team of engineers surveying the MBTA tunnels beneath the garage discovered a column compromised from years of water damage. The developers said that the column damage is unrelated to the garage demolition.
The Government Center Garage was previously under structural investigation after a partial collapse left one dead in March.
The sudden closure caught thousands of evening commuters off guard. Crowds were left idling at the MBTA’s State Street station.
“This service disruption as a result of HYM’s project is unacceptable and the MBTA will seek to hold HYM Construction accountable for all costs associated with this event,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak. “Riders’ safety is our top priority and unfortunately, as a result of this private party’s project, we must divert trains until the tunnels can be inspected and cleared by independent experts.”
According to the MBTA, rail service through the area will be closed until a team of structural engineers make emergency repairs and confirm that the subway can safely resume.
The city said that they will work closely with the MBTA, the garage owner and construction crews to ensure everyone’s safety.
Police said that they have closed off streets in the area to cars and pedestrians and that traffic will likely be impacted.
No other information was released and there no timeframe was given to when full service may resume.
This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)