A Red Line train left station in Braintree without an operator causing passengers to be alarmed. Because of what happened, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority motorman of the said train was placed under administrative leave. The operator was not identified but it was divulged that he is 51 years old and has been employed in the company for over 28 years.
Stephanie Pollack, State Transportation Secretary, viewed the accident as an 'operator error' which caused the train to run on its own. 'The MBTA's first and foremost responsibility to its riders is to make sure that we keep them safe. As I think everyone knows by now, this morning an incident occurred on the Red Line that represents an unacceptable breach of our responsibility to keep our riders safe,' Pollack goes.
The incident happened when the train operator, unable to start the train, left the vehicle before it automatically ran on its own. The train was then stopped at North Quincy station when the said operator reported the runaway to the MBTA officials. There were 50 passengers on the vehicle who were alarmed when the train ran without a conductor.
'We pressed the intercom alarm that you can talk to the driver and nobody answered so I thought the driver went out,' Fernanda Daly, a passenger at the runaway train, shared her experience.
'It looks like the driver manipulated the train in such a way that when he flipped the switch on the train, it took off. There was manual manipulation of this train.' Mayor Joe Sullivan, mayor of Braintree shares his insights. 'This is a case of human error; it is not a technological problem,'
However, Governor Charlie Baker believed that the train was tampered and manipulated, but facts were not elaborated as investigation is still underway. Baker also added that the FBI was not yet involved in the investigation but may soon be if things got out of hand. MBTA, Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the state's public safety office are the ones handling the investigation at this point.
