NTSB: MBTA train was traveling 25 mph over speed limit, blew through stop signal prior to derailment

BOSTON — The Green Line train that came off the tracks and injured 7 people earlier this month was traveling 25 miles over the speed limit prior to the derailment, the NTSB released Wednesday.

Green Line train 3874-3718 was carrying around 50 passengers and 2 MBTA crewmembers when it departed Lechemere Station around 4:46 p.m. on October 1.

The National Transportation Safety Board says the train was driving 36 miles per hour when it entered a 10-mile-per-hour zone, passed through a double red signal (which requires a stop) and reached a switch that was still moving to direct the train into the diverging track.

“When the train passed over the switch, the lead truck of its leading railcar continued straight, while the next two trucks of that same railcar took the diverging track and then derailed,” the NTSB said.

Seven riders were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries following the derailment and about 50 riders self-evacuated on the tracks and traveled to an emergency exit location, authorities said.

Damage estimates are still being calculated, the NTSB said.

“The safety and well-being of MBTA riders and employees are of the utmost importance. The MBTA has been working aggressively to improve safety at all levels and has stepped up its focus on compliance with operating rules, including adherence to posted speed limits,” said the MBTA in a statement. “The MBTA has more than doubled the size of its Safety Department in the past three years, broadening the scope of its activities and training thousands of employees to help foster a culture in which safety is prioritized and integrated into the MBTA’s core mission of delivering safe and reliable services on a daily basis. There were three derailments on the Green Line in 2019, including one near Kenmore, where 10 people were left hospitalized. Then in June of 2022, two Green Line trolleys collided and derailed near Government Center, hurting some passengers.”

“It’s a little bit concerning,” said one Green Line commuter at Lechmere station Wednesday. “Hopefully, over time, the trust can be reinstalled.”

Another added, “I was very happy I wasn’t working. But, to be honest with you, I wasn’t really surprised by it.”

Jarred Johnson, executive director of the advocacy group TransitMatters, called for citywide change.

“Getting around in Boston has gotten difficult over the past few years,” he explained. “For years, we’ve had elected officials just do stop-gap measures. It’s time to actually fund the MBTA and have a long-term, sustainable funding source.”

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