In this image snapped by a Fitchburg line commuter, passengers are crowded onto a train after hours of delays Tuesday morning. (Photo courtesy Jacob Edelman)
FITCHBURG (WBZ NewsRadio) — The company that runs the MBTA Commuter Rail is apologizing to customers this morning after serious delays—and passengers say the trains sent to pick them up were "overcrowded" and "unsafe."
A disabled train on the Fitchburg line near Wachusett Station held up all inbound service to Boston for around two hours.
Keolis Public Affairs Director Tory Mazzola said Train 404 had a mechanical issue and wouldn't start—and that it happened in an area that blocked traffic.
"We apologize to our Fitchburg line passengers who experienced delays this morning but for the remainder of the morning normal service has resumed," Mazzola said in a statement to WBZ NewsRadio.
Some of those stranded passengers tweeted their frustrations:
The passengers included State Senator Jamie Eldridge, who later responded to other stranded passengers saying, "I'll continue to advocate for greater investment in public transportation."
Jacob Edelman, a Fitchburg line commuter, told WBZ NewsRadio that, after waiting in the cold for nearly 40 minutes for the next train, "frustration was abundant"—and that the ride when the train finally came was rough.
"There were people in standing room only, it was really shoulder-to-shoulder on board the train," Edelman said. "Folks who had bad legs were struggling to find places to sit even, because it was so hard to push through the car. Meanwhile, it was 20 degrees and windy outside waiting for the train."
Listen: Interview with Commuter Rail passenger on delays