Local News

New Orange Line trains pulled from service due to brake issue

“The MBTA appreciates and apologizes for the frustration this may cause."

By Arianna MacNeill

May 19, 2022

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The new Orange Line trains have again been taken out of service, this time due to a disabled brake.

The incident happened Thursday at Wellington Station, where one of the multiple brakes on one of the trains “went disabled,” according to the MBTA in a press release.

“The issue never presented a hazard for riders nor employees, but the train was removed from service for an inspection,” the T said in the release. “While the MBTA works to determine the exact cause of the failure, a proactive decision has been made to keep all of the new trains out of service while the vehicle engineering and technical teams troubleshoot the problem. With safety being the top priority, the MBTA took this action out of an abundance of caution.”

Older trains will remain in service to operate the line, but wait times are a bit longer — 8.5 minutes on Thursday.

“The MBTA appreciates and apologizes for the frustration this may cause,” the T said.

This isn’t the first time the trains have been removed from service. 

In 2021, the trains were pulled from service for about six months after one derailed that March. Two were first put back in service in late August, with the third and fourth planned for a September return.

In late 2019 to 2020, the trains were removed for seven weeks after an “unusual noise” was detected. The trains returned to service in January 2020.