BOSTON — The MBTA gave an update on the ceiling panel inspections in the Harvard Square station. A piece of the ceiling came crashing down onto the platform earlier this week. Nobody was hurt but riders were very concerned about another potential safety issue.
MBTA cameras captured the ceiling panel falling Wednesday afternoon nearly hitting a rider. You see a cloud of dust and debris when the panel that the MBTA says weighed about 20-25 pounds – crashed down on the southbound side at the Harvard Square Red Line stop. Riders are still not feeling good about how close it came to someone.
“It is definitely not great to see it,” said a rider. “Definitely concerning.”
[ MBTA inspecting train platform after ceiling panel falls ]
MBTA Interim General Manager Jeff Gonneville says his inspectors believe the piece fell after the supports corroded. He explained the panels are decorative and hang from the actual ceiling.
“This panel was in a wet state and it did show signs of corrosion which was more likely caused by that wet state it had been in for a number of years,” said Gonneville.
Gonneville says the panels were originally installed in 1978 but underwent a detailed inspection in 2021. But he says because of the design of the station – the inspections didn’t have a clear view of the problem area.
“It is actually very difficult to get up and visibly and inspect the area,” said Gonneville.
Inspectors are now removing any panels to give inspectors a clear view. The Harvard station has four to five hundred of these panels and so far ten have been removed.
The MBTA says a system-wide safety audit of the ceilings will take a couple of weeks.
“We have to make sure our inspectors when they are there that they have a way and means to be able to inspect,” said Gonneville.
The Interim GM says not all of the T stations have these ceiling panel. He says as they tackle station improvement projects these panels will be eliminated.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW