UPDATE (12:30 p.m.): Regular MBTA Red Line service has resumed.
The MBTA Red Line is experiencing severe delays Tuesday morning due to winter weather. On Monday evening some 50 commuters found themselves stuck on a subway car when the Red Line experienced a power outage.
According to the MBTA’s alerts, shuttle buses will replace subway service between Braintree and JFK/UMass stations.
“Due to a shortage of fully functioning subway cars, customers are asked to consider an alternative to the Red Line today,” said MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo.
It appears as through the freezing temperatures caused a power outage on the electrically charged third rail which is exposed to the elements above ground.
“A week of constant exposure to frigid temperatures, ice, and record snowfall has taken a major toll on the MBTA’s vehicles and infrastructure,” added Pesaturo. “Rail service, particularly on the Red Line and Commuter Rail, will be severely impacted.”
At the time this article was published, the Blue, Green and Orange Lines were all also experiencing delays with Mother Nature to blame.
Three trains on the Framingham/Worcester Commuter Rail Line have been postponed to Wednesday due to the impacted rails, as are two trains on the Lowell Line. One train on the Newburyport/Rockport Line has been canceled outright.
In declaring a delayed start for non-emergency state employees, Gov. Charlie Baker said “the MBTA plans to run a regular schedule, but commuters are encouraged to check MBTA.com/winter for scheduling updates.”
Gov. Baker opted not to suspend MBTA service or issue a travel ban as he did for Winter Storm Juno, which left Boston under 24 inches of snow.
Instead, Gov. Baker said on Monday, “We encourage everyone to take public transportation if possible, to drive carefully and anticipate a very difficult commute.”
He defended this decision by noting that for Juno he spoke with emergency management and transportation officials, the state police, the National Guard and the National Weather Service. For Monday’s storm, he spoke with the same organizations who told him it wasn’t of the same historic proportion.
