State Street incident now blamed on fact Orange Line trains are literally falling apart

MBTA General Manager Frank DiPaola says an exterior metal panel fell off a southbound Orange Line train at State Street last night and then a second train ran over it, leading to a chaotic scene that involved passengers kicking out windows to escape the second train when it and the station began filling with smoke. In a statement, he says:

It is believed that last night a body panel fell off the side of an Orange Line car and onto tracks near State Street Station because the panel's fastening fixtures had deteriorated.

Specifically, he says, a body panel 12 feet by 12 inches near the bottom edge of one car fell on the tracks:

The train ran over this panel, causing the train to become disabled as it entered State Street Station. It is believed the body panel struck a wall and then the third rail, causing an arcing event, which led to a residual smoke situation.

Officials didn't realize the panel had fallen off, let alone fallen against the third rail, causing smouldering and smoke that at least one person on the platform videoed. Then another train entered State Street:

As Train 1217 traveled toward State Street Station, it also struck the piece of body panel that was still on the tracks. The impact caused an arcing event leading to another smoke situation. Train 1217 became disabled and was not yet properly berthed at the platform area at State Street Station when smoke was seen by passengers. Several emergency alarms were pulled by passengers onboard who became rightfully concerned. Because Train 1217 was not fully to the platform, the doors were automatically in the lock position, causing some concerned passengers to disembark by using doors at the end of some of the train cars and by kicking out windows and crawling out of the train.

Following the incident, T workers checked body panels on all 120 Orange Line trains - and found 13 that needed to be better secured. He adds:

The MBTA is immediately incorporating a more thorough exterior check of body panel hardware as part of regular maintenance work on Orange Line cars. Bolts and rivets of body panels will now be examined every 12 thousand miles, which is approximately every 8 or 9 weeks, when Orange Line cars are taken into a garage for scheduled comprehensive maintenance. This maintenance already includes checks of the safety system, evacuation equipment, propulsion system, brake system, suspension system, communication system, doors, wheels, lights, seating, and other interior compartment items.

DiPaola says permanent relief should come when the T starts rolling out an all new fleet of Orange Line cars in 2019, assuming nothing goes wrong with the factory the winning bidder recently started building in Springfield.