A funny thing about subway stations in Boston: When it rains outside, it pours inside.
As a winter deluge soaked the city yesterday, water stains the color of coffee spread across the ceiling at Kendall Station and oozed down the walls. Maverick resembled a site for water torture. State Street sounded as if a river ran through it. At North Station, where MBTA officials have spent more than $262 million renovating the station, water poured in through the ceiling.
"I'd like to see a discount for every drop that hits us," said John Shields, 43, of Kingston, N.H.
The problem of water in T stations is almost as old as the T itself. And these days, MBTA officials say, construction projects and renovations are allowing more water than normal to seep into some stations, a problem that should end when the projects are complete. But in other stations, it is simply a fact of life when the weather gets wet. The solutions employed yesterday by the T are about as old as the problem: buckets and mops.
At many places yesterday, receptacles like garbage cans were used to catch leaking water. In some places, signs or orange traffic cones warned of wet floors.
"It shouldn't be like this, not at all," said Mike McNeil, 25, of Jamaica Plain. "One little sign is not going to stop people from slipping."
At the Orange and Green lines on the subway at North Station yesterday, would-be riders stepped gingerly and dodged the streams of water pouring through the roof of the Causeway Street entrance. T employees eventually cordoned off a soaked section of stairs, and a worker dressed like a Gorton's Fisherman in yellow plastic pants tried in vain to battle the water with his mop.
Downstairs, commuters stood waiting for trains as water poured steadily onto the benches by the track. A few towels did little to sop up the mess.
"It's a new station, isn't it?" said one commuter as he jogged off to catch his train.
North Station has a history of water problems. In 2005, it was plagued with leaks, most notably a yellow liquid streaming from the ceiling near the northbound passenger platform of the Orange Line that caused problems with escalators and elevators.
Joe Pesaturo, MBTA spokesman, said yesterday that leaks in the underground tunnels are normal and that the particularly problematic ones are a result of construction projects that expose the tunnels to the elements.
But T officials have sometimes lost the battle with Mother Nature. In 2005, train service on three subway lines was interrupted after 3 inches of rain fell on the city in a matter of hours. In 1996, the Muddy River flooded twice in two months, throwing the Green Line into chaos and causing at least $15 million in damage.
"The tunnels are underground; it's like your basement at home," Pesaturo said.
At North Station, the ongoing construction of a private apartment building over the station has meant near constant leaks near the Causeway Street entrance.
Pesaturo said that the construction company will soon replace the sieve-like plywood and tarpaulin covers that were placed over the skylights with something more watertight.
"The developer has acknowledged this is their issue," he said. "They're addressing any problems associated with the water."
The problems at Maverick, on the Blue Line in East Boston, and State Street station near City Hall are also temporary, Pesaturo said, since both stations are undergoing major renovations.
"During construction activity there are areas that are open to the elements," he said.
Maverick is undergoing a $55 million renovation that includes platform extensions, new elevator and escalators, and updated mechanical and electrical systems. State Station will also get new platforms and improved lighting, communications equipment, and historical graphic panels.
The drips aren't simply annoying to some riders. "The leaking is troubling," said Damon Clark, a law student who takes the T nearly everyday.
"It just suggests there's something not stable."
But while the tunnel leaks might appear troubling, they don't indicate any danger, Pesaturo said. "We have a very elaborate drainage system and a lot of pumps."
Not everyone is worried by the water. Jameer Nelson of Roxbury said he doesn't mind the leaks in North Station, even though the water dripping onto a bench meant he couldn't sit down to wait for his Orange Line train.
"I can't complain," he said, "as long as they get the Big Dig taken care of."
