QUINCY, MASS. (WHDH) - A piece of construction equipment derailed on the Red Line overnight, damaging its third rail and causing existing shuttle bus service to continue into the morning commute, according to an MBTA spokesperson.
Shuttle buses were already slated to replace Braintree service between the JFK and Braintree stops at night for scheduled track safety work. Monday was the first day of this scheduled work, planned for weeknights the next two weeks.
At about 1:20 Tuesday morning, a heavy-duty pickup truck used to transport supplies and materials to the work zone derailed on the Red Line near Quincy Center, the spokesperson said. Although no one was injured, the derailment caused some damage to the track’s third rail. At about 3:45 a.m., the equipment was re-railed, and crews completed the third rail repairs at around 5 a.m.
In the meantime, 25 shuttle buses continued transporting passengers while the power was restored and test trains operated through the area. By 6:20 a.m., Red Line service returned.
The T has emphasized that a piece of equipment– not a train– derailed, but the same issue got the organization in hot water earlier this year when the Blue Line had delayed service for a similar reason. The Federal Transit Administration is also investigating a series of derailments the T called construction equipment derailments, though the T suggests that they’re separate issues.
The MBTA said that both the Federal Transit Administration and the Department of Public Utilities have been made aware of the incident.
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