Investigation underway following Green Line derailment in Cambridge
By Kevin Wiles, Jr. and Matt Reed
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CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (WCVB) — An investigation is underway following the latest derailment of an MBTA Green Line trolley in Cambridge on Monday evening.
MBTA officials tell Newscenter5 that the NTSB is stepping in and taking over the investigation into the derailment that sent several passengers to the hospital with minor injuries. The MBTA said that they must halt all repairs and investigation until the federal investigators arrive.
“NTSB is sending a team to investigate Tuesday’s derailment involving a MBTA light rail passenger train near Somerville, Massachusetts. Team expected to arrive tonight and tomorrow morning,” the NTSB said in a statement.
Shuttle bus service is replacing train service between North Station to Union Square and the Medford/Tufts station and is expected to continue until the end of service on Tuesday.
During a press conference outside of the Lechmere MBTA station, MBTA Chief Operating Officer Ryan Coholan said that the preliminary investigation has ruled out any issues with the track structure, and that the investigation is focusing on the human factors involved with the derailment.
“Right now, all of the track structure, all the measurements indicate that track was not a factor in this incident so no concerns with narrow gauge,” Coholan said. “Human factors look at the operator, the train operator, for how they were operating their train. Obviously, the trolley operators are expected to follow operating rules, speed limit compliance, and every other policy we have in place here at the MBTA. Right now, our investigation is focusing on the human factors.”
The incident happened at 5 p.m. Monday, shortly after the eastbound Green Line train had departed the Lechmere Station. The lead trolley of the train derailed in an area known as the Red Bridge Interlocking, a section of track where the Medford/Tufts branch intersects with the Union branch of the Green Line.
The derailment happened as the lead trolley of the train was crossing a track switch at that intersection, resulting in seven passengers suffering minor injuries who were transported to a local hospital.
Fifty additional passengers who were on board at the time of the derailment and who were not injured were evacuated from the train onto the right-of-way and were safely able to exit the tracks through an emergency exit of the railroad right-of-way.
“Again, we certainly want to acknowledge the frustration and the disappointment. The MBTA has worked really hard over the year to make remarkable improvements across the entire system,” Coholan said. “While we recognize the track improvement program and this incident are not related, we are committed to making sure that we take every step to thoroughly investigate this incident so that we better understand what happened.”
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