The Boston Fire Department requested that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shut off power to the third rail Wednesday night while they investigated an electrical fire at South Station, MBTA officials said.
Orange Line services were also turned off, forcing evacuations of Chinatown, Downtown Crossing and South Station MBTA stations, according to The Boston Globe. An electrical overload apparently caused the fire at South Station and another at Chinatown station.
‘Crews are working to restore power,’ MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said.
The Boston Police Department, Fire Department, EMS, and MBTA Transit Police responded to the incident, according to The Globe.
An MBTA police officer who wished to remain anonymous because of department policy said the Longfellow Bridge and the Red Line were both shut down as of 8:50 p.m.
MBTA buses are transporting passengers from Kendall Square to Broadway, and on the Orange Line, between Chinatown and Downtown Crossing, according to The Globe. All other lines are functioning normally.’
This is the third incident involving underground MBTA stations this year. A trolley derailed on the Green Line in the Government Center station earlier this month, and two trolleys collided in May because one train operator was text messaging, according to a Sept. 3 Daily Free Press article.
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