MBTA investigating after two incidents caused train delays and cancellations this weekend

The MBTA said they are investigating the root cause of a Green Line train derailment that happened Saturday morning at Kenmore station.

The T said a B-branch trolley with about 25 passengers left the tracks just west of the platform just before 9 a.m.

Transit police, MBTA workers, and shuttle buses responded to the area to help and there were no injuries.

The MBTA’s General Manager acknowledged the frustration of T riders after the derailment.

“Safety remains our top priority Phillip Eng said. “This incident underscores the importance of our ongoing efforts to enhance the reliability and resilience of the MBTA system following decades of underinvestment,” he added.

He continued, “We are committed to identifying the root cause, implementing necessary corrective actions, and keeping the public informed every step of the way. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work diligently to resolve this matter and doing all we can to prevent future occurrences.”

Passengers have been awaiting the return of Green Line service during construction.

Before they reopened the B-branch, Eng said rigorous testing was conducted. On Saturday he said service resumed at 5 a.m. and more than 70 Green Line trolleys had already safely traveled through Kenmore Station before this incident.

Hearing about these types of service issues is frustrating for some T riders like Jeffery Klug.

“I lived in Europe for about 7 years and the investment in public infrastructure was significant and it worked. You know so I know it can happen it’s just not where the American mind has been,” said Klug.

He said more money needs to go into investing in the T’s future especially when the General Manager talks about the decades of underinvestment.

“We just have to make it work. Honestly, we just don’t have that much of a choice because the only way that we’ll be able to live together collectively in the next say 50 or 60 years is to not be driving around like crazy. I mean we’re going to burn the planet. So public transportation is one of the easy fixes we just need to realign our priorities,” Klug added.

Meanwhile, that wasn’t the only issue commuters dealt with Saturday.

A downed Amtrak wire forced a little more than 80 people off their commuter rail train at Ruggles in the afternoon.

Around 3 p.m. the Franklin Line train on the tracks was held at the station until fire crews arrived and evacuated the passengers.

The downed wire also impacted other trains bypassing Ruggles on the Fairmount Line.

Four Needham Line trains were also canceled.

One commuter, Jeff Pereira, who traveled into the city on the train from Attleboro in the morning, had to navigate the system once everything happened.

“Not going to be able to get home as quickly and conveniently as I thought, going to have to rework those plans,” said Pereira. He went on to say, “I don’t come to Boston that often, I’m from kind of a small city on the south [shore]... So for me taking the shuttle buses and going around like that, it’s a little unfamiliar for me but we’re going to figure it out.”

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