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MBTA blames derailment for Wednesdays Red Line issues

BOSTON — Severe delays struck the Red Line again Wednesday morning and an array of symptoms had MBTA officials blaming a range of problems throughout the day.

According to 'T' officials Wednesday morning, a motor failed on the last car of a six-car northbound train near Andrew Station.

That motor failure created some smoke in the station, officials said.

That train was taken out of service, causing extreme delays at Broadway, Andrew and JFK/UMass train stations.

“There was smoke everywhere and I wasn't sure if it was on fire or what was about to happen,” Commuter Kyle Hemingway said. “The window across from where I was sitting started imploding.”

Officials later said the last car of the train actually derailed, which could've been what caused windows to crack and shatter on the car.

According to a release, the incident damaged about 300 feet of third rail along Andrew Station.

MBTA personnel are investigating all aspects of the incident, including that train's equipment.

MBTA officials also say one window was shattered and two had cracks.

"This is a serious incident and we want our customers to know that our top priority is to operate a safe system for our customers. While we realize this is a significant inconvenience to our customers, the Red Line will remain closed between Broadway and JFK until it is safe to resume service.  Until then, our team continues to assess the damage, and make necessary repairs, while working to identify the root cause."

- T General Manager Luis Manuel Ramírez.

While crews worked to restore service Wednesday evening, Keolis encouraged Red Line passengers to use the Commuter Rail to get back to South Station.

By the time the evening commute rolled around, delays intensified. Sky25 saw hundreds of people waiting to catch shuttle buses outside of Broadway Station.

Boston 25 News reached out to Governor Charlie Baker's Office for comment:

"The safety of MBTA riders comes first and Governor Baker is grateful there were no injuries reported due to this morning's train derailment. The governor appreciates the public's patience as the MBTA investigates this serious incident and completes necessary repairs so that regular service can resume."

– Lizzy Guyton, communications director

At 5:30 p.m., MBTA announced that train service resumed between Broadway, Andrew and JFK/UMass stations.

The MBTA apologized for the service disruption and thanked customers for their patience.