Thursday, 4:30 PM
Red Line repaired in time for afternoon rush
(George Rizer/Globe Staff)
All riders heading to or from Braintree on the Red Line were forced to change trains this morning at the JFK/UMass station because a 20-year-old gear broke.
By Emily Canal, Globe Correspondent
Repairs to a faulty gear on the Red Line were completed and normal service was restored at 3 p.m., according to an MBTA spokesman. Trains should be running on time and without interruption through JFK/UMass station during the afternoon rush, said Joseph Pesaturo, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
The 20-year-old gear broke during rush hour this morning and caused substantial delays when thousands of commuters were forced to change trains at JFK.
"The equipment is old," Pesaturo said. "That is why we have a major upgrade planned for Columbia junction."
After 7:15 a.m., all riders heading to or from the Braintree branch of the Red Line were forced to change trains. It caused confusion at the JFK/UMass station as commuters crowded train platforms trying to figure out where to go.
"The whole process [took] me about two hours," Tram Nguyen said as she was waiting for a train. "I had an appointment somewhere else, and I missed it, so now I am trying to get home."
