Red Line Train Derails

A derailed Red Line train interrupted T service around 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, according to an alert from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Web site.

The fourth car in a six-car train traveling outbound to Alewife slipped off the rails just south of the Alewife Station, according to the Boston Globe. Sixty-five T passengers were evacuated from the car and no injuries have been reported.

The MBTA has replaced subway service between Alewife and Harvard with shuttle buses covering every stop between the two stations.

MBTA Spokesman Joe Pesaturo could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening.

In early November, an independent review of the MBTA's operations and management found significant water damage to the concrete slabs that hold the rails between the Harvard and Alewife Stations. The report warned that trains traveling between these two stations were in danger of derailment.

The review—requested by Mass. Governor Deval L. Patrick '78—reported that unfunded repairs to "safety-critical" areas of the transportation system totaled $543 million.

According to the report, the projected cost of repairing the problems with the Red Line—a widely used mode of transportation for members of the Harvard community—is $80 million.

Going into the 2010 fiscal year, the MBTA originally faced a deficit of $186 million and warned there may be large fare hikes to both subway and bus services. The budget gap was closed after the MBTA made $26 million in cuts and the Mass. legislature appropriated $160 million in revenue from sales taxes to the MBTA.

The T has suffered from a slew of recent service interruptions. On Monday, there were delays at the Porter Square station while a wall panel was removed due to water leakage. Last week, a Green Line train derailed near Copley Square, resulting in no injuries but long delays.