Power surges cause Haverhill line delays

100 commuter trains slowed so far this year

Unexplained power surges have been striking the Haverhill commuter rail line tracks like bolts of lightning since at least January, shorting out signals and delaying at least 100 trains, a rail official said.

National Grid, which runs power lines along the tracks, said the electrical disturbances do not pose a safety risk, but acknowledged they can disrupt travel. The company that runs the commuter rail line complained in a July 16 letter that National Grid is not acting quickly to fix the "emergency situation." A National Grid spokeswoman said the company's employees are working diligently on the problem but do not know exactly what is occurring or when it will be fixed.

The surges have dragged down the Haverhill line's recent on-time performance. In June and July, about one in four trains was at least five minutes late, inconveniencing thousands of commuters.

Within the last month, National Grid brought in a consultant to try to find the origin of the problem and correct it. During the surges, current from adjacent power lines somehow electrifies the metal tracks, shorting signals along the way, said Rich Davey, deputy general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co., which runs commuter rail under a contract with the MBTA. The tracks on the diesel-powered rail line do not normally carry high levels of electricity.

"It's a perplexing problem," Davey said. "I think that the folks at National Grid, by hiring an expert, have admitted that they're not sure what's going on."

In his July letter to National Grid, Davey wrote that his company "remains extremely concerned for the safety of our workforce and the public and the reliability of our infrastructure." He said that the company has made no significant progress on the problem.

Davey downplayed the safety risk to passengers in an interview, but said track workers have been trained "to be extra cautious" on the line. It is never safe, he pointed out, for pedestrians to wander along rail tracks.

"With errant electricity running down the rail, it's possible - unlikely, thankfully - that there could be a safety issue," Davey said. If track signals break down, they automatically default to red lights, and the gates at road crossings default to the down position, he said, causing delays but eliminating the chance of collision. When trains resume, they are sometimes forced to travel just 5 or 10 miles per hour, rather than the usual maximum of 60 miles per hour.

"It's unacceptable," said Daniel A. Grabauskas, general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

Grabauskas said he is distressed that National Grid is taking so long, "given the seriousness of the issue" and the inconvenience to commuters.

A National Grid spokeswoman, Deborah Drew, said in an interview and in e-mail that the company has been responsive, working on the problem as soon as it was brought to the attention of its officials.

"We do not believe the situation presents an electrical safety hazard," she said.

An energy specialist not involved in the situation said train passengers are not likely to face a danger from the surges. But "that's not supposed to be happening," said Stephen Connors, research engineer at the MIT Energy Initiative.

"It's not a huge safety issue, but it's certainly not something you're going to look the other way on," Connors added.

Davey said the tracks have been struck by eight to 10 surges since January, each lasting a few seconds. Some have exceeded 10,000 volts, he wrote.

Late trains have long been a problem for rail commuters. Last fall was especially difficult, with late service on many lines for a variety of reasons unrelated to power surges. At least 10 percent of Haverhill trains have been late since February, with that number growing in recent months, according to MBTA figures.

"It's just frustrating," said Jeralyn Levasseur of Haverhill, an administrative assistant at Massachusetts General Hospital, "that every day, if you have something you need to be to at a certain time, that you're not guaranteed to get there."

Levasseur is annoyed with many aspects of the service and safety on the trains, though she praises conductors for acting professionally despite the turmoil.

Though National Grid has not located the specific source of the problem, Drew said it appears to be related to the proximity of power lines to train tracks. She also said that the transit system's newer equipment can be more sensitive to electrical disturbances.

"Nothing in our system has changed," she said.

National Grid's power specialists believe the problem might be triggered by lightning strikes or tree branches touching National Grid's equipment. The company has replaced a transformer in the Haverhill area and redoubled its tree-trimming efforts, Drew said.

"The solution will not be a simple one, as there are many things to consider, including the safe and uninterrupted supply of electricity to our customers," she wrote.

Davey said his company has been pleased with recent steps taken by National Grid, since his letter was written, and is depending on the company to fix the problem soon.

"We're experts in running railroads," he said. "We're not experts in operating a utility."

Noah Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com.