Somerville, Mass. ( Associated Press) — A passenger jumped into a river and several others jumped out of windows after a fire broke out on a Boston-area public transportation train early Thursday morning, officials said. The fire is the latest in a string of alarming problems with the disturbing system.
A spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority said in a statement that no casualties were reported and that the man who jumped into the water refused medical attention.
The MBTA’s Orange Line train was crossing the Mystic River north of Boston, approaching Assembly Station in Somerville at around 6:45 a.m. when flames and smoke were seen billowing from the main car, the statement said. Gone. About 200 passengers were on board, and most were taken by train to a nearby station by MBTA personnel.
After the power outage, the train was brought to the railyard for testing and the infrastructure is being checked. The MBTA has notified the Federal Transit Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said the train in question was 43 years old, and was not one of several new Orange Line cars that were temporarily pulled from service recently after a car caused a failure in its battery compartment. had experienced. They have since been returned to service.
The Federal Transit Administration began a review of Boston’s subway system in April after several accidents that caused injuries or deaths over the past year. The federal agency issued a series of instructions last month To promptly address “long-standing problems” with the system’s “overall safety program and safety culture”.
