At 7:18 PM tonight, a Green Line trolley inbound from Government Center collided with another trolley stopped at a red signal in-between Park Street and Government Center Stations.
According to the Boston Fire Department 46 people were transported to local hospitals, and none of the injuries appeared to be life threatening. About 75 people were able to walk away from the incident. As of right now service in-between Park Street Station and Government Center has been shut down. Otherwise, Green Line service has been uninterrupted. The walk in-between Park Street and Government Center is about 0.3 miles, or roughly 5 minutes walking time. MBTA general manager Dan Grabauskas said that it appeared there was minor damage to the trolleys, but that both had derailed.
UPDATE: The operator of the train that collided with the rear of the parked trolley has admitted to investigators that he was texting on his cell phone at the time of the incident. The operator looked up from his phone, and slammed on the brake, but it was too late. Grabauskas described himself as “outraged.”
The Green Line is often used by Wayland students who are going into Boston. Students can get on at Riverside station to reach a number of popular Boston destinations, including Fenway Park, where there is a Red Sox game tonight. Tonight’s crash follows a string of accidents with the Green Line rail over the past year.
In December, two Green Line trolleys collided at the Boylston street station, only minutes from Park Street and Govt. Center. 9 people were transported to Mass General Hospital in that collision.
Roughly a year ago on May 29th 2008, two Green Line trains collided in Newton, killing one of the train operators. 10 riders suffered minor injuries from the crash. Once again a train was stopped for a red signal, when another car coming from behind slammed into it. Riders said that upon impact chairs dislodged from the train floor and personal belongings flew everywhere around the cabin. One woman who was trapped in the wreckage filed a lawsuit against the MBTA. The cause of this accident is still being investigated.
At time of publishing it is unclear when the Green Line will resume normal service.
Sources:
http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/08/trolley-crash-blamed-on-texting/
http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO112799/
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