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Massachusetts
MBTA service resumes on Sunday after derailment, downed wires
Commuters are hoping things are back to normal on Sunday after having to deal with a derailment on the MBTA Green Line and downed Amtrak wires near Ruggles on Saturday.
Shuttle buses replaced service on three of the four MBTA’s Green Line branches due to a derailment in Boston on Saturday.
The B Branch trolley derailed about 8:55 a.m. as it left Kenmore Station headed west, according to the MBTA. Shuttle buses were replacing trains on that branch as well as the C and D branches of the Green Line.
The incident came hours after the same stretch of track reopened after an 18-day shutdown for what the MBTA had deemed critical track work.
“We understand the frustration this incident causes for riders, particularly those who have been awaiting the return of service during construction. We want to assure passengers that we are diligently working to restore regularly scheduled service as soon as possible and investigating the cause,” MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng said in a statement.
Service to Boston College, Cleveland Circle and Riverside continuing through shuttle buses from Copley Square. Cleveland Circle and Riverside trains will end at Kenmore station while westbound services will be rerouted to the E branch at Copley, the MBTA said.
There were about 25 people aboard the train that derailed, and no injuries were reported, Eng said. The T was working to return the derailed train to the track.
He noted that more than 70 trolleys had crossed the section of track between 5 a.m., when the track reopened, and when the derailment took place. Before the end of track work, test trains had also run across the track in question.
“We want to assure passengers that we are diligently working to restore regularly scheduled service as soon as possible and investigating the cause. The process of re-railing the trolley is underway, and we expect to restore Green Line service within two hours,” Eng said.
Just before 4:30 p.m. Saturday, the MBTA provided an update saying the train had been successfully re-railed near Kenmore. Shuttles were continuing to replace service between Babcock St. and Copley as crews prepared test trains through the area.
At 5:14 p.m., the MBTA said shuttle bus service had been phased out and regular service had resumed.
NBC10 Boston spoke with riders who were impacted by the derailment and they expressed continued frustration with the MBTA.
“It is such a symptom of the total underinvestment in infrastructure and the deterioration of buses, roads are less safe, bridges are less safe,” Deborah Stone said.
“I don’t feel safe, with all the accidents and everything else. It just gets worse, not better,” another MBTA rider said.
The MBTA said it has informed several oversight agencies about the incident: the Federal Transit Administration, Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities and the National Transportation Safety Board.
There was more trouble on the T Saturday as shuttle buses were brought in to replace service between Forest Hills and Back Bay due to downed Amtrak overhead wires near Ruggles Station. Riders downtown were encouraged to use the Green Line for alternate service.
According to Keolis, the incident occurred right after 3 p.m. and impacted the Commuter Rail service on the Franklin and Providence lines, meanwhile the Needham line experienced cancelations for a few hours. Amtrak and the T didn’t cancel service but they did have delays due to this situation.
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‘Blue Envelope Program’ aims to help police better connect with drivers with autism
There is a new program that has already been adopted in some Massachusetts towns that aims to assist drivers who have autism spectrum disorder and police officers during things like traffic stops that are usually a stressful time.
As most of us know, getting pulled over by the police can be nerve-wracking — the flashing lights, the anxiety, the sense of trouble… that’s a lot. And for those with autism, being pulled over adds some extra complexities.
“It is very scary to be pulled over,” Massachusetts State Sen. Joanne Comerford said.
“When you add the stress of either a traffic stop, or an accident, that anxiety rises,” said Maura Sullivan, the deputy executive director of the Arc of Massachusetts.
The “Blue Envelope Program” is aiming to change that.
The Blue Envelope Bill passed in the Massachusetts Senate unanimously and is currently in the House of Representatives. The legislation would create a voluntary program for police departments that would make blue envelopes available to people with autism who would carry them while driving.
Here’s how it works:
The blue envelope holds a driver’s license, registration and insurance card and can be handed to a police officer during a traffic stop. Then on the outside of the envelope, there’s room to write specific instructions that can inform officers the best way to communicate with the driver, as well as share information about any triggers, impairments and the driver’s diagnosis.
“I think this is a game changer, it is so exciting and so needed and so simple,” Sullivan said. “They will have a better understanding of how to engage and interact and maybe even de-escalate a situation that could have led to something more traumatic.”
“These are scary moments so why not have a symbol both for the first responders, but also, for the individual themselves, to remind everyone, hey, I live with autism,” Comerford said.
The Needham Police Department posted on social media last month that it felt like the program was such a great idea that they have already implemented their own similar version in part because of an interaction one of their officers recently had.
Needham police, who thanked Marin police for the idea, say they are offering the blue envelopes in their lobby and encourage anyone to come in to pick one up. They hope this project reaches the entire town and promotes ideas for other local police departments to do the same.
Marion police announced in early January that they were launching the Blue Envelope Program to help police better serve people in their community living with autism.
They say the envelopes can be stored in vehicles and given to officers during an accident, traffic stop or any other police interaction. The envelopes are free of charge and located at the Marion Police Department.
A similar program is already up and running in Connecticut, and advocates say it has been well received there, calling this a win-win for drivers and police.
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