Even the MBTA had to confess: Service from South Station was a complete mess

Tonight was not commuter rail's finest hour, or in the case of one frustrated rider, four hours. The T reported "severe delays" on the Needham, Franklin/Foxboro and Providence/Stoughton lines due to both "a switch issue" near Ruggles and "an equipment shortage," because you know how hard it can be to get good trains on short notice.

The rider whose normal one-hour commuter stretched to four - and included a ride back to South Station to transfer to another train added that train crews were kept in the dark as much as riders.