The MBTA melted down during the coldest commute in five years yesterday.
“While the weather was extraordinary and we took a number steps over the week to mitigate as much as we possibly could, we still fell short,” MBTA GM Rich Davey said. “Some equipment is old but that’s no excuse. We need to do a better job under those circumstances. I suspect we will for [today’s] rush hour.”
Propulsion and brake systems on the Orange, Red and Green Lines couldn’t handle temperatures of minus-2 degrees. Signal and grade-crossing malfunctions hampered the commuter rail, and buses were also affected.
“The service worked in a blizzard, today it failed,” Brian Kane of the MBTA Advisory Board said. “Any goodwill [the T] had is gone.”
