By Isabella Abraham, Lily Kepner
A train-on-train collision on Commonwealth Avenue between Harry Agganis Way and Babcock Street injured at least 25 passengers and damaged the tracks and trains Friday night, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials said.
No life threatening injuries were reported, according to Boston Emergency Medical Services. At least 23 passengers were brought to the hospital, but all transported were “conscious and alert,” MBTA general manager Steve Poftak said at a press conference at the scene.
“Right now we are in the midst of conducting an investigation,” Poftak said. “Obviously, our first thoughts are with our passengers and our employees who were injured.”
Both trains were headed westbound toward Boston College when one train rear-ended the other shortly after 6 p.m. in front of Raising Canes.
The MBTA suspended Green Line B Branch train service due to the collision, and shuttle buses have replaced service between Kenmore and Washington Street.
The stretch of Commonwealth Avenue from Harry Agganis Way to Babcock Street headed Westbound was initially closed, but has now been reopened to traffic.
“This should not happen,” Poftak said. “We will find out why it happened to ensure that it won’t happen again.”
The front train’s windshield shattered upon collision, bending the metal of the train’s stairs and the top of the car upward. The tracks around the trains also sustained “significant” damage, Poftak said.
Boston University College of Communications senior Lauren Richards, who lives off campus in Brighton, said she was on campus to get a COVID-19 test when she saw the damage and commotion at the scene shortly after the collision.
“It was really shocking to see a bunch of caution tape, helicopters, police cars, ambulances and fire trucks all here,” she said, “and then to see the T’s physically damaged.”
Richards said it was “really shocking” to see the extent of the crash and the “crumpled” look of the trains.
“Anyone could have been on the T,” Richards said. “Students use it, residents use it … Seeing it is kind of jarring because of the thought of how many people could be and are affected.”
About 65 to 75 passengers were on the train total, said Joe Pesaturo, director of communications at MBTA. All four operators of the trains received medical attention, he added.
Poftak said the operators will likely be on leave until the MBTA’s investigation is over.
MBTA officials were unable to provide a timeline of when service will be up again or when the investigation — which involves looking at the speed of the vehicles and if any safety systems were activated — will be complete.
Coolidge Corner resident Emma Payne said she took a later train home from Copley Square after getting delayed at work. But as she boarded the B train, she said, she quickly realized it wouldn’t be a normal ride.
“As soon as I got on the train and the doors closed, I got a picture sent to me by a friend who was one of the first responders,” she said. “If I had left work on time I very likely could have been on this train.”
Her train stopped at the Kenmore T station, and passengers could take the train or the Route 57 bus. Payne took the Route 57 bus to the Boston University Bridge.
“It’s shaking me up a little bit because I take this all the time,” she said. “Train collision isn’t something I think about when I get on the MBTA every day.”
Payne, a self-described long-time MBTA supporter, said the collision will not affect her “faith” in them, though the experience did rattle her.
“I very much likely would have been in that back corner because I like the spot where it’s the three [seats] right by the driver’s area, so it’s just shaking me up a little bit,” she said. “Hopefully they can get the line back up and running as soon as possible, up to safety standards.”
MBTA employees from the safety department are currently at the site investigating the damage, Poftak said. He added state officials may join the investigation later on.
“We will obviously get to the bottom of this,” Poftak said. “This should not happen and we will find out why it happened to ensure that it won’t happen again.”
After the investigation the trains will be re-railed and the track and cars repaired, he said. It is unknown when service will return.
The last MBTA collision occurred in 2009 at Government Center when a Green Line driver rear-ended another train while reportedly texting. In May 2008, a crash on the Green Line in Newton resulted in the train operator’s death.
The trains will not be moved until clearance is provided by internal departments, as well as the MBTA’s state and federal oversight partners.
“The safety and well-being of our riders and employees is our chief priority,” the MBTA wrote in a tweet. “We take this matter extremely seriously and are actively investigating the incident to understand what occurred, and prevent it from happening again. We will provide updates as they become available.
Lily Kepner and Alexandra Dowd contributed to the reporting of this article.
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