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Mayor Walsh Calls For Reinstated Local Position On MBTA Oversight Board

BOSTON (CBS) -- One week after a derailment caused major delays on the Red Line, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is calling for better checks and balances and increased community representation on the MBTA's Oversight Board.

"Everywhere I've gone there's been nothing but concerns and complaints," Walsh told reporters Tuesday. "People trying to get to work, that is their main source of transportation."

Riders were told to add an extra 20 minutes to their Red Line commute times until the signal systems are completely restored. The major issues caused by last Tuesday's derailment are fixed but the train has to ride slower in certain spots.

Unrelatedly, evening riders dealt with more delays on the Braintree branch after a blown motor.

Walsh called on the MBTA to do two things: delay the scheduled July 1 fare hike until trains are fully operational and reinstate a local Boston position on the MBTA oversight board, the Fiscal and Management Control Board. The position was eliminated nearly a decade ago.

Walsh feels as though reinstating it could restore faith in the T.

"Getting your fiscal house in order is one thing, but now it's about getting the trains running, and there has to be something more to that," he said.

Some riders agree. "I think it's a good idea because if you don't commute every day, you don't know what we're going through," said rider Ebony Haley. She's been late to work most days since the derailment.

The MBTA announced Tuesday it would stop supplemental commuter rail service it started to help with traffic after the derailment.

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