BRAINTREE, MASS. (WHDH) - New video obtained by 7NEWS captures a June 23 Red Line train derailment; an example of the incidents that the Federal Transit Administration hopes to curb with their ‘safety standdown’ mandate to the MBTA. The decree forbids workers that have not completed a safety briefing from operating MBTA transit vehicles beginning Saturday.
The video, obtained by a public records request, shows an MBTA worker throwing up his hands up as the train leaves the Cabot Railyard in South Boston on June 23.
In a letter to the MBTA on Wednesday, the FTA cited three other incidents, including an incident on Monday when a Red Line train underwent “uncontrolled” movement from Caddigan Yard through Braintree Station.
While no injuries were sustained in any of the three incidents, the FTA stated that the events were “exceptionally dangerous, can result in collision or derailment, and pose a substantial risk of injury or death to employees in the path of the train.”
Some commuters said that the safety shutdown should have come sooner.
“I think they should have done that sooner because an entire community depends on that,” said Red Line commuter Lara Pierre.
According to MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo, hundreds of MBTA employees will undergo the 15-minute briefings. Pesaturo states that the briefings will take place at the beginning of shifts and during breaks and shouldn’t impact service.
“I hope they’re right because lately, the Red Line, Orange Line, and Green Line; those are running on Saturday schedules. My bus is still running on a regular schedule. So there are times I miss the bus by a minute and a half and have to sit here for forty minutes waiting for another one,” said Red Line commuter Chris Gross.
The FTA also mandated that the MBTA must provide updates to the progress of the safety briefing processes every 24 hours beginning August 1, prepare checklists regarding existing procedures for uncoupled trains, and develop a form to document “circle check” inspections for all rail transit vehicles.
“Fully supporting the FTA’s ongoing scrutiny of safety-related processes and practices, the MBTA is committed to providing the training and tools necessary for employees to create and maintain a culture in which safety is prioritized,” the MBTA said in a statement.
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