Mayor Walsh: There Should Be No MBTA Fare Increase Until Red Line Is Fixed
BOSTON (CBS) -- Boston Mayor Marty Walsh tweeted Monday that there should be no fare increase on the MBTA until the Red Line is fixed. Service on the Red Line has been reduced or delayed since a train derailment at JFK/UMass station nearly a week ago.
"The MBTA must act with urgency and it's unfair to ask riders to pay more until the Red Line is fully operational," said Walsh.
Commuters on Monday were asked to give themselves an extra 20 minutes of travel time as the Red Line continues to run on manually operated switches, forcing trains to slow down for a particular part of the track.
Tuesday's derailment damaged nearly 200 feet of tracks, third rail, and severely damaged three signal bungalows.
Crews have been working nonstop to repair the physical system and reboot the signal systems, which also controls the countdown clocks on the line.
The MBTA's investigation into what caused the derailment is focusing on the train itself. The car was built in 1969 and overhauled in the '80s. It was last inspected on May 3.
Operator error, foul play, and infrastructure have been ruled out in the Red Line derailment. On June 8, a Green Line train derailed near the Fenway station. The operator is believed to be at fault and has since been suspended.
On Monday evening and Tuesday morning, the South Shore Limited Commuter Rail will continue to run.
"It's a quality of life issue," said Braintree Mayor and MassDOT board member Joesph Sullivan. "I don't doubt the effort. It's just the question of we need to have a sense of urgency about fixing this."
Riders like David Vieira have a lot on the line. "I am legally blind, I'm visually impaired. I use the Commuter Rail and the regular bus and train service almost on a daily basis," he explained.
Chris Brindley said, "I wouldn't want to be on the Red Line or the Green Line. I don't want to be on any of them. I don't feel safe on them."
