Trolley collision injures 7, delays Green Line

Joe Pesaturo again- this guy has no conscience whatsover. A minor accident: tell that to those in the hospital!

As a passenger on the train that collided, I can tell you that it was a bit scary. We heard a loud noise and several people fell. One man hit is head and was bleeding. A medical person immediately came to his assistance and the other passengers were very helpful and calm.

The frustration came in the lack of any information from the operator whatsoever. I would have been assured to hear something like, "We have contacted our operations center and requested assistance. We apologize for this delay."

Otherwise, this was handled well.

Thanks for the information, MBTA! My train (C-Line, inbound) was stuck between the Copley and Arlington stops for 10 mins. There was ZERO info from the conductor. Finally, after another 5 mins, he says 'there are slight delays'. Finally, we pull up to the Arlington platform and people are standing around because again, there was ZERO information from any MBTA representative. No one knew whether to stay and wait or hoof it to work.

The MBTA needs to go away. Or, why not raise T fares again, throw money at the problem, and have the same issues resurface time and time again.

It's more than 15 - 20 mins!!!! I was just evacuated off of the train behind the accident through the tunnel. I then had to walk from Boylston Station to North Station because service is entirely disrupted!

Thanks for the information, MBTA! My train (C-Line, inbound) was stuck between the Copley and Arlington stops for 10 mins. There was ZERO info from the conductor. Finally, after another 5 mins, he says 'there are slight delays'. Finally, we pull up to the Arlington platform and people are standing around because again, there was ZERO information from any MBTA representative. No one knew whether to stay and wait or hoof it to work.

The MBTA needs to go away. Or, why not raise T fares again, throw money at the problem, and have the same issues resurface time and time again.

another "texting" fool.

i was on one of the trains stuck behind the accident and we were not told what was going on. the 15-20 minute delay is an understatement. i got off at copley since they told us that there were shuttle buses at arlington but i figured it would take another 10 min. to get to arlington. the MBTA system is absolutely ridiculous! i lived in several european cities and things like this simply do not happen. the T system should not even operate.

My co-worker said that he was standing on the platform at Arlington station and witnessed a whole trainful of people walking along the rails in the train tunnel toward him, all ages including many elderly. Apparently they disembarked a stalled or disabled train and walked along the rails in the dark and then hoisted themselves up onto the paltform. Isn’t there a danger of electrocution via the 3rd Rail? I hope they turned it off.

Minor Trolley accident............................Nice Spin by Dan Grabuskas. I just sat in the tunnel between Kenmore and Copley not moving for an hour, while the conductor repeatedly said we have minor traffic and will be moving shortly.

They finally kicked all of us off the train at Arlington and forced me to walk to work.

Just another example of the MBTA giving horrible service and than spinning it to the public......hiding the truth.

10 minutes is absolutely a lie! I was in the trolley behind this one, and we waited underground for 45 minutes! Then they discontinued service on the green line, outbound. How and why the MBTA does not have a contingency plan to get passengers to North Station or Lechmere is beyond me!!

At some point in the future, everyone will have an iPhone or gPhone, and it will track your GPS location, determine ythat ou are on the Green line traveling inbound, and send you text messages containing service alerts should there be any.

Or, they could just have Green Line operators announce this to passengers as they board.

Whichever is easiest.

"The trolley stood idle just short of the Boylston T station for about ten minutes", Chen said

I like the part where they left out the, "But the trains behind us had stranded passengers who waited over an hour to finally get to arlington."

Perhaps the MBTA should instill a mandatory driver safety course...another rear-end collision just months after the deadly D line accident. And this after fires on the red line and a green line derailment earlier this year. Accidents do happen, but this is one too many for one year.

My sis was on the train behind this and she waited in the train for 20-mins before they made announcements that there was going to be a delay; then another 10-mins that there was a medical emergency and finally another 10-mins before conductors told everyone they had to walk the tunnel. I can understand the delay but 20-mins waiting for the announcement that there was a delay. With the parking rates going up you would think the MBTA would do better to improve things. I would be pissed standing around especially during rush hour for 20-mins not knowing.

No solid. My sister was not on the trolly but is very upset about the situation.

MBTA: Accident Free for 2 hours.

Once again the MBTA fails to provide proper service. Communication to passengers on the train after the accident happened was null. We were left in shock without explanation. No one from the MBTA called out to see if everyone was okay. They are calling it a minor accident, but it was a major performance disaster by the MBTA. Joe Pesaturo is a failure.

The T often does a good job informing passengers about delays, but not this morning -- at least on the car I was riding in and after we were told to get off at Arlington Station.

I was in one of the T's that were hit (I believe we had a front end collision). We were stuck between Boylston and Arlington and didn't move for fifteen minutes. The T driver did not give us any information following the collision, and some people were injured and crying. I am very unhappy with how the MBTA handled this situation. If there is an accident and hundreds of people are essentially trapped underground there needs to be some sort of announcement given. It seems like the MBTA is more worried about avoiding liability than about safety. Luckily no one was seriously hurt but all T drivers need to know what to do in an emergency situation such as this one. Simply avoiding the passengers might not work in a more serious accident. I know there are a lot of good T drivers out there, but there are also a lot of bad ones, and I really feel that this accident was due to driver error. Perhaps I would be more willing to forgive if I didn't just have to sit in an enclosed metal box underground with dozens of upset passengers for fifteen minutes with no idea what was happening and for how long I would be trapped there. Way to fail, MBTA.

As of 11a, riders are still being bussed from Copley/Hynes to Government Center. Most trains experienced delays of more than an hour in between underground stops. Not a good day to be a Green Line passenger.

WhoCanWeSue.com?

"Chen, the Northeastern student, said his trolley stood idle just short of the Boylston T station for about ten minutes. All passengers exited the trolley and had to walk through the subway tunnel to get to Boylston station."

They forgot to mention the stranded passengers on the trains behind the accident were stranded for over an hour before finally arriving to Arlington and allowed to get out. Best. Train Rider. Ever.

I can't believe they didn't even mention the mice!

It was a complete nightmare, the T lied about the times of the crash and the actual delay times. It happened more like 8:20 and the delays were over an hour.

There were no buses! I sat underground in a trolley car the entire time between Hynes and Copley. The train conductor told us we needed to sit tight, because they would be providing buses for us. Shame on you MBTA, I was 1.5 hours late for work.

I was stuck this morning between the Kenmore and Hynes stops for over an hour before they crept into Hynes and forced us off the train at 1030. I ended up walking to financial district for work. nice day out. i would have missed it otherwise.

This is the second time this has happened in a year at this station.

I was on the back train. It is inaccurate to say that one train "bumped" into the other. It was a full-fledged crash. People went flying and falling. Blood was spilled. It was bad enough to crash, but worse yet, the conductors didn't say a word to us afterwards, for the 20 or so minutes that we sat there. Not a single word over the PA about what had happened nor what would happen next. Even worse than that, is that when they finally did move, they gave no word of warning - instead the train lurched forward with all riders completely unaware. It is a wonder that further injuries didn't result. When we finally alighted the train at Boylston, there was still no one available to reassure or answer questions. Total incompetence.

Seriously...how many days out of the year do you douches get to work on time...once or twice you're delayed and it's the end of the world as we know it...get a life! Drive yourself or walk if you don't like the T....

Knowing several people on the train that was hit, including the person quoted, they were all unaware of the backup caused by their train collision, and they were all told to just walk through the tunnel to boylston and leave from there. they weren't told that much from the MBTA either.

Boarded E train at Northeastern University at 9:25...Sat for awhile between Prudential and Copley...10:30 I made it to work at Park Street...More than a 10-20 minute delay. It would have been nice if our conducter had told us we were going to be delayed BEFORE we got on the train...

The delay was MUCH more severe than this. I was heading inbound on the E line this morning. We sat in the Prudential stop for abotu 10 minutes, then were stuck in the tunnel leading to the Copley stop for JUST UNDER AN HOUR! No announcements, no information, nothing. Then finally we heard there was an accident up the line and that we should be "moving shortly." Another 20 minutes later we moved, but had to stop short of every station and wait. It easily more than doubled my commute. The T's notifications and communication are nonexistent, and the system is just too bungled. Delays like this are being common even without an accident!

Did the Globe do any investigative reporting on this, or did they just assume that the press release from the MBTA was accurate? Get out there and do some research and interview people! All of us who were on those trains are telling you that your story is factually INCORRECT. Something needs to be done about the MBTA because this happens far to often and gets buried as a little link on the side of your webpage....this pattern of accidents, debt, fares, and lack of service is very important to those of us depending on this service.

I was on one of the trains when it happened. This story minimises the impact of what actually happened. From where I was standing about 15 people where physically thrown to the ground. I hurt my neck and about ten other people around me where talking about how they weren't feeling well either. The conductor didn't say anything for about 5 minutes. People were panicing because everyone thought we were in the middle of a terrorist attack. They wouldn't open the doors to let us off the train, it was horrible. Then once we got off they kept going around asking us to sign waivers saying we were hurt but had refused treatment. Does anybody see anything wrong with this situation?

Again public servants who just don't care. No accountability.

I was stuck, first at Kenmore and then in the tunnel to Hynes, at about 10:30. Learning what caused the delay puts just being stuck underground into perspective, but it's appalling that no information whatsoever was given to us, either about the nature of the delays (we were just told about 'heavy traffic' ten minutes in) or, for example, when we were standing at Kenmore and still had the opportunity to escape.

I think my train was three or four trains behind the train who got into the accident at boylston street. I waited underground for about 20 minutes (sorry to everyone else that had to wait over an hour underground!) when they finally let us off at arlington to get on the shuttle buses, there was a huge crowd waiting. I waited there for another 40 minutes before I finally got on a shuttle bus to get to park street. EVERY bus that drove by was "out of service." Great work, MBTA. Since these types of things happen all the time (does anyone recall the medical supply truck accident on the B line last May? I do!) you think they would actually be prepared to bus people to their desired location. The fact that every bus for a half an hour went by and said "Out of Service" shows the lack of readiness by the MBTA for situations like this. I am glad that everyone in the accident is seemingly okay, but the MBTA really needs to step up their game when these situations arise.

The Green Line tunnel is over capacity (too many trains) and the cars are still over-crowded. Can someone explain to me why they refuse to run longer trains? If they ran triples during rush hour, and increased the spacing between trains by one or two minutes, it would really improve reliability in the tunnel.

The time of the accident is fairly accurate- I had checked my phone around 8:35 to see if I would get to work on time. We crashed shortly after that. We did, however, stay in the tunnel longer than 10 minutes before they let us out through the Boylston exit.

The only announcement we recieved (I was in the rear car of the train that hit the other) was after the second lurch when the driver got on and mumbled, "We apologize for the inconvenience..." People looked around and nervously laughed. I mean really, that's all you have to say?

The man who hit his head was luckily enough to have a doctor onboard who helped him reduce the bleeding, and plenty of passengers who provided napkins, tissues and wipes to help him clean up.

I did have to walk to work, due to the lack of buses arriving on the scene. But I did see them coming as I made my way down Tremont Street. Frightening ordeal, and by no means 'minor' in my book.

Yikes, talk about some serious spin. Ten minutes? Not even close. I was stuck on a train between Hynes and Copley for a little over an hour while they cleared this mess up. And saying that "service resumed" around 10:30 is a little misleading; yea, the trains started moving, but it still took 40 minutes to get back from Arlington to Kenmore.

Nevermind that European systems are better....I've lived in 5 major American cities and the T is absolutely the WORST transit system I've ever used to get to work. I felt this way BEFORE I spent 2 hours getting to work this morning on the green line . Without exaggeration, it is LITERALLY just as fast or faster for me to walk the 4.5 miles to my job than taking the T. I'm willing to be that the reason Boston has the highest per capita rate of people who walk to work is because the T is so horrible, not because they want to! In addition, the constant, never-ending delays are bad enough, but now it feels downright dangerous to ride the trains!!! addressed

Yes, 10 minutes is a gross understatement. It took me 2 hours to get to work from Coolidge Corner to Copley. Rather than telling the passengers to get off at Kenmore, they failed to inform us that we would be stuck underground if we stayed on. We just heard repeated "delay" message...leaving us all late. One passenger was probably going to miss his airplane flight.

I do not hear stories of in any other city. The T gets me to work late at least 50% of the time, usually with some sort of breakdown or unavilability of C trains. Something needs to change...

I was on the train that collided into the one if front of us. I was on my way to work when we experienced the normal "heavy traffic" delays between Arlington and Boylston. We were stopped for about 5/10 mins when we started moving again, pretty quickly. Suddenly the brakes were jammed on really hard two or three times and then you could feel the impact of running into something ahead of us. People went flying everywhere. Once everyone regained their composure we sat for another 20 minutes with no announcements advising us what happened, etc. We did lurch again and everyone braced themselves to go flying and then we slowly made our way into Boylston with the only announcement being "this is the last stop, we apologize for the inconvenience." There were some transit police and medical personnel at Boylston, but again no one directing or assisting anyone unless they were approached. More of the MBTA's inadequate response to everything. Overall it was pretty minor for me, but really shakes you up in the AM when you're on the way to work and you see other people getting hurt.

7 reports of neck and back pain? a couple of these were probably pre-existing problems that people ignore until something like this happens.... but i don't blame anyone for getting checked out. and seriously, it might be complete stupidity that caused it, but this is a minor accident compared to what can happen. Anyway, the MBTA still sucks. NEVER any communication to the riders. Yesterday, I was stuck at Washington Sq for 30 minutes because they couldn't close a damn door! it was the first car, and i was in the second.... and it took at leats 20 minutes before we found out what was going on! People would be much happier if they were informed and were able to make other arrangements ASAP so their day isn't disrupted. i guarentee, many of the trains backed up in the tunnels could have pulled closer together get other trains into stations and let people off.

I bet the MBTA still wonders why even good people try to skip paying fares.

Jorge.... I'm lucky if I get to work ONTIME 2 or 3 times a month. go suck a d***

"Seriously...how many days out of the year do you douches get to work on time...once or twice you're delayed and it's the end of the world as we know it...get a life! Drive yourself or walk if you don't like the T...."
-Jorge

"get a life"? I think it is very understandable why this comment board is filled with disgruntled comments about how poorly the MBTA handled the situation today. Obviously you have no idea what happened: it was not simply a delay, but an accident that involved injuries with no info given to passengers. You are either not a mbta-commuter or just a dumass troll.

I got on the D train this morning at 8:45 at Longwood. We were stuck for over half an hour between Hynes and Copley. Every five minutes the driver apologized for the delay, telling us there was "traffic" up ahead. Then he changed it to "a disabled train." Then he told us the disabled train was moving, and we'd be moving shortly, but there was still traffic up ahead slowing us down. When we finally got to Copley, he told us we'd be sitting there a while due to traffic up ahead. Five minutes later he told us that, due to "traffic," there were shuttle buses upstairs to Government Center. Never once did he say there was an accident up ahead.

I got on at Symphony on the E-line and waited for FORTY-FIVE MINUTES between Prudential and Copley!

If it's going to be that long, they need to be informing passengers BEFORE they get on the train so they can make other arrangements--no exaggeration, it would have been faster for me to CRAWL to work this morning! And we got just about NO information while we waited.

Being late for works is one thing, but I felt bad for the gentleman next to me who missed a job interview and didn't have cell service to call and notify them...

Crash? What "crash"? There was no crash, no accident. Didn't you read what the T said? A train "BUMPED" another train- it didn't crash into it.

"One trolley bumped into the back of a second trolley... "

Bumped. Just a little bumping. Whoopsy-daisy. I beg your pardon, sorry to bump you.

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. There was no accident. You people people imagined the whole thing. Nobody sat in a trolley car with bleeding, crying passengers for an hour with no word what was going on. Move along, Folks- nothing to see here.

Rider1, thanks for the inside info on what happened today. Waivers forms? Wow, that's awesome.

The T has an institutional failure of management. Despite what some say, it's not the operators/conductors, it's the managment:

- the operators are unfriendly because they take no pride in their job, and it's tough to proud of something so broken

- morale is low because the truly poor employees, who don't do their job properly or at all, are not fired, leaving others to be further unfriendly, lose pride and be lazy

- the operators don't give you information because they don't get information! don't blame the operators

Approptiate punishment would be for Senior Management of the T to ride it for a month and see how they like the service. What a pathetic excuse for transportation.

I was on one of the trains that got stuck. It took forty minutes to get from Kenmore to Copley--this was from 9:05-9:45. I finally got out and walked to Govt. Center.

I stayed in Brookline last night so I wouldn't have to make the two hr drive from w. mass for my 10am mtg @ park street. Turns out the Greenline from Coolidge Corner takes just as long. I'm glad the crash wasn't worse and I wish an actual, accurate timeline was given. Hope those injured are doing ok.

#8. No 3rd rail for green line. Juice on top.

MBTA management has failed. Plain and simple. Its time for the city of Boston to take responsibility for this failure before we have a catastrophe.

I agree with Luca Z. I have travelled on many light transportation systems around the world and the Green line is by far the worst. I ride the D line and every other day there are lengthy delays which are always attributed to a "medical emergency" or a "disabled train". I lived in NY for years and never experienced the kinds of delays which are a daily experience on the T. These issues are compounded by poorly trained operators and management which clearly puts a low priority on customer service.

Wahh Wahh... I had to walk from Arlington to North Station. Get some exercise! And to all of you complaining about your delays while people were possibly injured, shame on you.

you all know about the on time guarantee? you can get your money back for this. they send you charlie tix but you can redeem them for cash. imagine how much the T would have to pay today!

i would never live in a green line neighborhood (unless i had a car!). i ride the red line, haven't had a problem for 8-9 months.

I too was on the back of the two trains. To call it a "bump" is ridiculous. Several people went flying. The driver did absolutely nothing. Isn't there supposed to be some first aid kit on these things? A woman who was helping someone who was clearly cut had to gather kleenex and wipes from the other passengers. Finally the driver deigned to go back and see what was wrong. As to the back or neck pain, when people are propelled forward 10 feet onto the ground, or down the stairs, they are probably going to get hurt. Hopefully no one was seriously injured. Waiver forms??? I didn't see that but it is typical - the T trying to evade responsibility again! Some things never change. Don't sign them!

This just makes me happy i dont take the T..Sorry for the folks who got injured and the incompetence up above not alerting anyone on what happened, making people walk through the tunnel, very classy MBTA...

Maybe we could just locate more understanding T riders. Ones who dont' think a 10-minutes delay with a short hike is "the worst nightmare" or that a lack of news for 5 minutes is a "totally mishandled" situation. Sure, the MBTA could say more -- except if they said the wrong information, they'd be sued because of petty riders.

Sure, the MBTA could improve their service. We all agree. Why don't all you whiney little brats provide concrete solutions instead of just blasting the management? Might be a more productive use of everyone's time.

In the meantime, thanks for reminding me why I appreciate grown-up company.

a friend just told me that they got on at Coolidge around 8:50... and they werent told ANYTHING until they left Hynes! so she was then stuck in the tunnel and an hour and 45 late to work! a simple...."there's been an accident and we will be significantly delayed after this stop, we advise you to use alternate forms of transportation" would have made SO MANY people less angry about the situation.

What can we do as citizens and taxpayers to get more accountability from the T. The system is completely broken--it is always a total hassle to have to ride the T in any circumstance, and the number of accidents lately should be of great concern to us all. Remember the article in the Globe a month or so ago regarding T administration complaining that they have rude passengers? I wonder why?

I agree that it sounds like this was not handled very well (as usual, poor communication from the T), but the complaining about things that inconvenienced you show a lack of get up and go. I thought we were better than this in dealing with adversity! For those hurt or really unable to get to where they needed to go, but I think most of this complaining is a bit over the top. The main lesson for the T is train your drivers (and take away cellphones!) and be effective in your communication both at the time and later on. Better to have honest mea culpas.

Another accident on the T. Shocker.
The drivers were DEFINITELY texting and caused the accident. I see them do it all the time.
What will it take to finally get a true overhaul so that the T is safe and dare I say it, a pleasant experience? It's disgusting.

Antihero, NO ONE is compaining about having to walk!!!!! they are complaining about being put into a situation that can EASILY be avoided when proper information is distributed!!!! And I bet you were really concerned about the injured people while you were walking to No Sta.! KMA

I did receive MBTA alerts this morning (you can sign up for it for free on the website). the first was sent at 8:55 , saying there were 10-15 delays. .. HA, my ass 10-15!!!!

the next was at 9:17, and it said they were busing people from Arlington to Gov Center. but this assumes riders could even get to Arlington!! by this time, id guarentee that i was backed up to Hynes!

I was on the train that was immediately behind the two that crashed. 8:45 a.m. is accurate. We stopped just short of Boylston station, and I checked my cell phone immediately to gauge if I would be late for work. It was 8:47 a.m. We stood there with nothing from the T conductor for ten minutes. At 9:06 they said there was a medical emergency ahead of us and as soon as it cleared up we would get moving. At 9:17 they finally evacuated us from the train (I know the time b/c I Twittered as I was walking). So we were stuck in the train for about 25 minutes. (and it seems that times that people were stuck increased in time the further back you were from the crash)

There was NO shuttle beyond Government Center (and it took them an hour from the time the crash happened to set that up, at which point walking was faster), so all passengers traveling on the E line to Lechmere were screwed. I ended up taking the Orange line and was an hour and a half late for work.

The communication was absolutely vile. We should have been briefed long before 20 minutes in about what was happening. And to Jorge -- the T is completely unpredictable, and I can leave an hour early and still be late to work on a regular basis. Grumbles about the T and delays to work are valid -- it is a completely unreliable system in terms of timing, and something like this just demonstrates that despite two similar accidents this year, the T is horrible at crisis management.

Rachel,

We are not talking about a 10 minute delay.

We were stuck for an hour between two stops. Had the conductor told us what was happening at the stop prior, we all could have found alternative means to get to work.

Not to mention, for the injured people on the collided trains to have zero guidance from the person driving the train is utterly irresponsible. I would not doubt, that employees are advised to say as little as possible to avoid lawsuits. I could not imagine how this morning would have played out had there been a larger incident or a blackout as in NYC.

I was on the Green Line around 9am this morning. The C-line was held back for 15 minutes at Coolidge Corner and another 15 minutes at Kenmore with the comment that our train had to "stand by". IOnce we reached Hynes, we were going to "stand by" again. After 10 minutes, the operator informed us that an accident had occurred and that busing would commence at Arlington. After another 10 minutes, the operator said that this may be the last opportunity to get off the train as they were instructed to continue on to Copley. In other words, you may get stuck in the tunnel! Get out while you can. So I did, walked to the Back Bay station and took the Orange line. The entire trip took an hour and forty minutes. I am just glad our operator was nice enough to tell us to get off the train.

To Chris: Those aren't mice! Those are rats! (If you can't stand rats, don't ride the T. You will see them sooner or later.)

In Denver I have 3,500 photographs of the Light Rail Train running red lights. The train hits and kills and RTD does not report the accidents to the FTA as required by law. RTD says the Light Rail Train can't run red lights because it is Automated Rapid Transit.

Why can't the T just learn that the key to good customer service is COMMUNICATION. Talk to the passengers. Airlines are just as guilty (save for JetBLUE). Tell us what is going on do not just leave us in the dark. It's damn irritating.

I was on that train, and let me tell you - that was no "bump!" It felt like we rammed into a concrete wall. I don't think anyone who was standing was able to remain upright. And while, thank goodness, only 7 people went to the hospital, I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been popping Advil all day b/c of head and neck pain!

Rachel,

I'm glad you know so much about how to operate and maintain the world's oldest rail system. So much so that you think you and other can somehow give ideas on how to fix it. I however do not know much about it. What I and others riding the T do know is that we deserve, heck Demand proper service like every other Mass Transportation in the world.. Our job as riders is not to tell the T how to do their job, apparently you know more than us. But to let them know the deficiencies and with that info, they should be able to come up with a solution...after all it is THEIR JOB! Not ours, on making the T better.
Do you know you get your money back in Japan if the train is more than 2 mins late!! Avg delay in Japan is 30 secs! If you get bad service at a store, do you then give he executives ideas on making it better? No you demand better service

bob-yes you are right...I hope everyone uses that ontime guarantee...little consolation for those that were hurt or whose plans were really screwed up, but go to www.mbta.com and its under Customer Service. I just got a refund back...for two trips in one day! I was an hour late TO work and an hour and half FROM work. So its not much to compensate your time but make them pay.

I was on the other side of the tracks on the "D" going toward Riverside. I could see all the trains backed up as we rode along and felt so bad. Did anyone feel claustrophobic?

To those of you maligning people complaining about the MBTA, please remember that many of us have indeed proposed solutions to ameliorate congestion and other problems. But not once have I ever seen any inclination of the part of MBTA management to take such proposals seriously. And as to those who complained about being late to work, if they are "non-exempt" employees, as am I, then the half-hour or so that they were late today, or hour+ for those people stuck behind the trains involved in the accident - would have to be docked from their pay, or otherwise made up! That's the real world people - I have a grad school education, but this is the economy I find myself living in. I'm sure for some people, like myself, skipping lunch to make up the missed time is absolutely no big deal whatsoever. But I'd never deign to assume that is the case w/everyone!

I contacted someone I've worked with at the State House who called the MBTA. They called me immediately and wanted to hear what happened and asked if I could be contacted as the investigation goes further. For what it's worth, anyone who was on either train should definitely contact the MBTA and make your comments known. Not sure what will come out of it, but it is up to us who were on the two trains to speak up and tell exactly what happened.

I was on the train that crashed and many of the standing passengers fell. Two people in the car I was in had to be removed using stretchers, and they were clearly in substantial pain. Take this as a reminder as to the importance of giving seats to older and handicapped people, who may not be able to withstand the trauma of such a "bump" as well as most of the other, younger passengers. People were very helpful to one another. I was on the train after the crash for about 50 minutes.

It's George Bush's fault.

Rachel, I am not sure why are you name-calling people who have as much right as you to express their opinions?! Additionally, it looks as though you have not read the comments above you, in which people clearly stated that they were stuck on trains between stops for 30 mins to an hour at a time. As I was stuck on one of the trains between Hynes and Copley and was forced to take a cab to work from Copley to MGH so that I would "only" be an hour late, I do not appreciate being insulted by someone who clearly was not in the same situation.

Who wrote this article? I love how simple make all this sound. The T takes people to work, people need to be at work on time. They knew something was wrong. The accident happened at 8:45. I got on at Harvard Ave @ 9:15. They were going really slow and got to Kenmore at 9:45.

Here is the problem. Instead of telling people what the deal was, they went past the station and then we were stuck between Kenmore and Hynes until 10:45. Over 1 hour. Unacceptable.

We are not transients....we are friggin consumers. Try treating us like it.

I was on the train that was hit. We were not "bumped" as the boston.com story states. We were stopped in the tunnel, apparently waiting to approach Boylston on a straight stretch of track. Without any warning there was a CRASH; the train jolted upward as it was struck from behind. Almost anyone who was standing was thrown to the floor. I was thrown from my seat against the wall and was cut on the arm. Coffee flew everywhere. We sat in the train for at least 15 min. without any announcement. Not a single T employee or emergency worker ever came into the train to see who was hurt. Eventually the front door was opened and everyone had to walk out through the dark tunnel on the crushed stone on the side of the tracks. Several people were tripping. No one from the T came to help the elderly. Hopefully, no one was killed...this time. The GLOBE needs to do better reporting and not rely on the T's downplaying of this as a "bump."

What is the passenger capacity of these vehicles? It seems to me that simple physics will tell you that if the car is overloaded, it will take longer to brake!
I know that this morning, some of the cars were so loaded that you could not get on and had to wait for the next one with room.

There is so much money in the MBTA Police that there isn't anyone to handle the logistics. The citizens must come together as one to fight these institutions. I have recently been taking the green line and it is horrendous how one trolley is behind each other at all times. I know how to fix the problem and it is not rocket science. The focus is arrests and protection from Bin Laden himself. We can hit a satellite going 100,000 mph from a moving ship but we can not get someone to make the trains go around the track!

The MBTA is a monumental failure. In particular, the Green Line service is horrendous. I have also used subway/trolley services in many other cities throughout the US and Europe. Boston's public transportation is BY FAR the worst. It's truly a disgrace and something should be done NOW! The amount of money that's being wasted on this horribly managed service is appalling. This is all clearly due to complete incompetence at the upper management levels. Just look at all the posts above this one....people waiting for the first chance they get to vent about it. There's a reason for 60+ posts on one little blurb of an "article." Something needs to be done.

I was on the train at Copley at the time of the crash. They told us there was an emergency at Boylston, so I got off the train (we weren't in a tunnel). I took a nice walk in the warm drizzle, grabbed some breakfast, got on the Orange Line at Back Bay, and went to work. My sympathy to those who were scared or injured. To those who were inconvenienced, welcome to the world.

T employees are incompetent, lazy and unapologetic. i hate to say it, but you go to New York, and there is a clear announcement at every stop. Further, they actually answer your questions and give directions.
Our system here is embarrassing. One trolley runs in to another and they don't have the decency or professionalism to alert the tax-paying Charlie-card carrying riders to the nature of the delay / crash? wtf is that about? Governer Patrick should dismantle their ridiculous union, fire them all and privatize the MBTA. I for one would definitely be prepared to pay a little more for timely, efficient, 24 hour service.

RUDEINHISTORY.COM!!!!

I was on the train that got hit from behind, I wouldnt say it was a minor accident and was way more than a bump. People were smashed back and forth between the seats. I went from standing, holding a railing to my hands and knees after slamming off the window. An elderly woman remained on the ground she seemed badly injured. A few people were thrown off their seats onto the ground. There was no announcement from anyone about what had happened. The doors opened, we walked through the tunnel out to ambulances and paramedics examining the injured. Some people got banged up pretty badly. I wouldnt be surprised in the morning if every single persons neck was soar after that.

Well now we know why they're raising prices...

I was on the train that got hit from behind, and I hit my head pretty hard against the window. I have had head and shoulder pain all day that is bordering on dizziness. I did not report my injury to the MBTA, just my own doctor. I'm very disgusted by the Green Line system. And about those waiver forms? if anybody handed me one right now I think I would kick them in the head. What a fun commute.

This is the exact quote from mbta.com service alert:
"Green Line service is experiencing 10-15 minute delays due to an earlier disabled train. 11/14/2008 10:27 AM"

I was at the Brookline Village stop (inbound side) about 9 am. On the outbound side, a T official was informing the passengers about the incident and the resulting delays. This T person did not inform those of us going inbound, so it appeared that the delays were for outbound only.

The train comes, we get on. At 9:21, we were told about delays and some people were able to get off. I was actually able to text work that there were train problems (around Hines, I think). So the train moves a few feet and between Arlington and Copley, we sit for about 45 minutes! Unfortunately, I did not exit Copley until 10:18 (I know the exact time because I called work when I got out).

So I get on a shuttle bus (which I was very surprised was actually already there) and the driver announces "Government Center" but we were really at Haymarket. The walk was no big deal to me, but I bascially walked the same route the driver was taking and saw her drop people off right around the corner from my building. Just proves another point about the incompetance of some of the drivers. (On another shuttle bus I was on last year, I was actually giving the driver DIRECTIONS of where to go!!)

One of the worst aspects of this situation was that I needed to tell work why
I was an hour and 45 minutes late for work due to the T problem and their own website only said "10-15 minute delays." Not only did they handle the current problem poorly, their own website blatantly lied about the delay. This does not inspire confidence in a system that most people have NO choice to take.

An operator on the E Line yesterday afternoon indicated there was a problem with the signaling system which caused a short delay and then the terrifying "lurching" forward cautiously. I figured THAT would have been my first accident on T. I'm wondering if the two issues are connected.

There is no danger of electrocution on the Green Line because it is light rail, not heavy rail. The electrification comes from overhead wires & there is no third rail. There is also no platform at Arlington onto which people had to "hoist themselves," Mr. Schnirpus. All Green Line platforms are ground level. Arlington, one of the oldest stations on the line, has platforms that are at the same level as the tracks. Passengers step up to get into the trains, not onto the platform.

I would be willing to bet that the driver wasn't paying attention to what he was doing.. I swear, I think the T will let anyone drive their subways/busses.. I was almost hit by a bus driver speeding through a flashing red light. When I caught up to him at the next light, I yelled at him that he ran through the light and almost hit me.. He yelled back that it was a flashing light, so he didn't have to stop!! I have almost been hit numerous times by bus drivers while crossing the street in a crosswalk.. Complaints to the MBTA go unanswered, so I really don't think they care.. They raise their fares, raise their parking, how about training your drivers so you aren't spending so much money defending against lawsuits??

Matylda, don't pay attention to Rachel's insults. Clearly her life sucks and she has had 17 failed suicide attempts so instead goes on this comment board, despite not knowing anything about today's accident and proceeding to call everyone who is sharing their opinions, "a whining brat", so she will feel better about herself.

"The amount of money that's being wasted on this horribly managed service is appalling."

I agree. That's why I voted YES on 1.

I was ON the train this morning that crashed into the other train. People were scared (myself included) and we had to wait for news on what was going on (even though it was fairly obvious what had happened). Mostly I was impressed by those who stepped in to help others, and the doctor who came running when he heard someone had hit their head.

My only complaint is that the conductors themselves didn't really seem to know what to do. I don't fault them as people, the conductor of the rear train did seem genuinely concerned that the man had cut himself, and was patting him on the shoulder. BUT, he looked like a little kid that didn't know where to be, what the do in the time of crisis. He didn't seem to know if he should be walking around with the riders to see if they are ok, or sitting in the cabin waiting for news. (Keep in mind this was the rear car so he couldn't see what was going on out there, either.) This is something that needs to be DRILLED into these employees by the MBTA as emergencies occur every day.

I do laugh at those who are just besides themselves that they were inconvenienced this morning. Although I can find fault with the MBTA's response, I think it's odd that an article about 7 people who were injured has turned into a list of people complaining about they were late this morning. Do you get a text message when there is a car accident on the highway? I mean seriously, if you had gotten to the T this morning and they told you not to get on, you'd be on here complaining about how incompetent they are for making you walk all the way to the T station in this cold, rainy weather for nothing. People were hurt and others' safety was put at risk- Be grateful all you had was a late start to a Friday morning. Sheesh.

Just be happy nobody got killed, thank the lord for that.

I do not have to use the T. In the past I rode the green line for many years, and I sympathise with all those who experienced this.

What I despise is the foul language which many of the writers here use. There is no need for it. If they (YOU) were decent people they would use their legal names in these comments and watch their mouths--or is it fingers?

Another thing. I got the following message when I submitted my comment.

"Depending on the blogger, your comment may or may not go live right away. We want to keep the troublemakers at bay, so this blogger may choose to look over the comments he or she receives before posting them. Just trying to keep the discourse civil."

"This blogger" is not doing his or her job. Civility is being ignored.

The MBTA is terrible at telling passengers what's going on in serious or potentially serious situations. I was on the red line when it was stalled one night. We were stuck in a tunnel for forty five minutes. All of a sudden smoke started to fill our compartment. Operators had been rushing through the train frantically without pausing for some time, but when the smoke started to come into the train, nobody else came through. No announcement was made whatsoever. So there we were, locked in our compartment with smoke and no idea what was going on. We weren't sure if the conductor even knew there was smoke. Someone pushed the emergency button to inform the conductor and I don't believe it was ever answered. The only explanation we ever got was "We're having slight technical difficulties and should be running again in a few minutes."

And then I heard about this accident from someone who was on one of the trains that was involved in the accident. They said that there were no first aid kits on the green line trains, and the conductor didn't even check to see if anyone was injured for ten minutes after the accident. (And someone had been injured, though not seriously.) MBTA, you've got to communicate with your passengers better.

Basically, folks, you are on your own. like it or not. By the way, I was in the train that hit the front car.

Boston MBTA trains belong to 18 century.
It takes 60 minutes to cover 6 miles( from Chesnut Hill to Park Street).
So,this is equal to average speed of a horse when walking.
May be we should just start to use carriages with horses again. Probably will not be so many accidents as MBTA has right now.

Menino has to resign! Let's recall him!

Boston MBTA trains belong to 18 century.
It takes 60 minutes to cover 6 miles( from Chesnut Hill to Park Street).
So,this is equal to average speed of a horse when walking. See WikiAnswers!\
May be we should just start to use carriages with horses again. Probably will not be so many accidents as MBTA has right now.

My wife is 7 months pregnant and rides that T everyday. I am so thankful she wasn't on it. But, I will be even more thankful to all of you who might give up your seat for her. Should such an occurence occur again, she will be much safer on her butt than on her head.

Do you think we will ever find out why this occured? I bet it WAS texting or cell phone call. The T totally covered up the deadly crash last summer on the D line. I expect they will cover up this "minor incident" too.

Anyone know which train line it was that "bumped" the other? B, C, D, E?

I was stuck between Copley and Arlington for about 40 minutes before getting let off, but the driver of 3864A I thought did a great job keeping the people relatively updated about what was going on (I was standing at the front so I could hear the information as he was getting it and he was relaying it every 5 or so minutes).

"Isn’t there a danger of electrocution via the 3rd Rail? I hope they turned it off."

No.
No third rail is used on the Green line. It's powered by an overhead wire instead, via the sideways V shaped panograph on the roof of the car.

Wow I just took the Green Line home from my appointment in town around 4:30 PM this evening and I don't hear about this accident until I read this article. Reminds me of the fatal crash in May that killed an operator. Also reminds me of the crash last December at the same station where today's accident occurred. I also have memories of two previous accidents that occurred before I started riding the T. The first one in November 2004 (4 years ago from November of this year) when two Riverside trains collided outside Newton Center station and the second collision in July 2005 outside Arlington station.

I was on the first half of the train that hit the front train and stood not too far away from the operator. I would use "minor crash" instead of "bump". It was absolutely a shock to me because I was standing reading a book with both hands holding it. I felt the training pulling out very slow after leaving Arlington, couple attempts to stop, then a huge sound "bang", my entire body flew and landed on a lady who fell down on the floor, so did my book (thank God my 500 page book did not hit anyone in the head). I exclaimed “my God”. Couple passengers dragged me up quickly and asked if I was OK. Three ladies surrounding me complained pain – one with her arm, one with the hip and lower body and one with the legs. T staff and police got on in about 10 minutes checking ID with those who reported injuries or discomfort. The train then was pulled to Boylston and everyone was asked to leave. The entire process lasted for about 15-20 minutes. No announcement or apology were ever communicated other than the instruction to “leave”. If reliability of T is an issue only relates to “on schedule”, that is excusable; but if it gets to a point when a passenger worries about her safety, it becomes a very bad signal.

I'm very sorry anyone got injured. But did anyone ever think maybe the train had some sort of breaking problem? Please don't rush to judge. The person driving may not be at fault. The green line trains are old and sometimes not well maintained. These things just happen. Maybe a "major" slip through the crack and not the drivers fault. And BTW, when I rode the T, I met some very nice T drivers. Not all of them are bad. Give credit where credit is due.
If so many people hate riding the T, then drive and stop complaining, like I did.

The Trolly drivers can not tell you what is happening because they have no more information than you have. Its that simple.

I know there was a delay at North Station of a train defective. Crew were sent out to fix the electrical problem. Inspector, safety crew, and an engineer that fixes trains on the green line around 10am this morning. Accurate account of icident. The control electrical panel was being worked on by two men. At this time an employee of the MBTA Jamie Evers looked up and noted a very small fire on the panel. Yelling out to the men to shut down the control panel, they looked up and did not see what he saw. He then ran into the train to shut off the control panel himself. The train hit a wire and a live copper wire hit the train. When this happens usually the wire hits once and any voltage is stopped.. Well that not being the case the wire started to hit the platform of the train, the station actually putting holes in it. Jamie Evers of Rockland Ma then being on the train himself had to run for safety. As the wire thrashed around he covered his head and by some higher power ran off the open door train for safety. He was not hit. With that voltage being hit by a wire like that would of broken a bone, caused a hole through the body or electrocution. This all occured within seconds. Those waiting on the orange line on the other side saw the incident, some very paniced ran yelling running for safety. The passengers on the other side were not at danger at all. It was a brave effort on the employee of the MBTA, James Evers, II to endager his life to run into the train when he saw what was about to occur. He risked his life trying to prevent a fire or someone from being electocuted. We all will hear of the delay of the train this morning on the news, but will we hear of the employees that indeed care and do their jobs. We hear of only the mishaps and accidents that occur not the everday risk of the workers that work on these live wires and have to walk at times a mile to fix something or check out that the all is okay and it is safe for all to ride the MBTA. Mr. James Evers II has a wife and two children at home to support. Let us all give this young man a thank you for his knowledge, alertness, and bravery.