Derailment Shuts Down Fairmount Commuter Rail Line

mbta commuter rail derailment fairmount line

(Chris Fama/WBZ NewsRadio)

BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — After their second derailment in eight days, the MBTA has shut down service on the Fairmount Commuter Rail line and is using shuttle buses during the Wednesday morning commute.

Those buses were lined up outside South Station, replacing service between the station and Readville inbound and outbound.

Keolis, the company that runs the Commuter Rail, said the low-speed derailment happened around 8 p.m. Tuesday night, when an out-of-service train struck a Fairmount Line train just outside of South Station, derailing three coach cars.

There were four people on the Fairmount train, but nobody was injured.

Crews worked overnight to inspect the track to try to determine the cause of the derailment, but Keolis Director of Public Affairs Tory Mazzola said they realized around 4 a.m. that service wouldn't be ready for the morning commute. He couldn't say when the line would be operational again.

"I don't have an estimate," he said. "This investigation will be deliberate, and it's really critical that it proceeds as quickly and detailed as possible ... As the progress is made, we'll update passengers and we'll update media."

A crane was on-site at South Station to re-right the coach cars, which were put back on the rails by 8:30 a.m.

WBZ NewsRadio's Chris Fama said some of the shuttle bus drivers reportedly don't know where they're going—they're being asked to drive routes they aren't accustomed to driving—causing additional delays.

One shuttle bus trip on the inbound side of the shuttle replacement took about 90 minutes.

Mazzola said those who use the line should stay connected to the MBTA Commuter Rail's customer service team on Twitter for updates.

Last week, several lines were delayed after a low-speed derailment just outside North Station.

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Hear from Keolis Public Affairs Director Tory Mazzola below


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