Staffing Shortage Caused 16 Commuter Rail Train Cancellations Sunday

BOSTON (CBS) -- A staffing shortage caused several MBTA commuter rail cancellations on Sunday, according to Keolis, the company that operates the commuter rail system.

"It was a series of unprecedented events yesterday and we apologize for our passengers for the inconvenience they experienced," Keolis spokesperson Leslie Aun said in a statement to WBZ-TV Monday.

Sixteen round-trip trains were cancelled Sunday. Aun said most of the 600 affected passengers were taken to their destinations by bus.

Keolis officials confirmed the issues that caused the staff shortage included two crew members being absent for a death in the family and an illness, as well as time off for an entire train crew after a man was struck and killed by a commuter rail train in Franklin on Saturday.

The cancellations included the Franklin, Framingham/Worcester, Fairmount, Greenbush, Middleborough/Lakeville, Providence/Stoughton, and Kingston/Plymouth lines, Aun confirmed.

Aun said full service had been restored Monday.