The MBTA has released two videos showing a runaway Red Line train that went amok after an operator abandoned his post last December. The train left Braintree station without anyone at its controls, after the operator tied the accelerator into the “on” position with a microphone cable and left the train to fix a signaling problem. He was later fired after an agency investigation. The train ran four stops before MBTA workers were able to turn off power to the third rail and stop the train. No passengers were hurt, but the operator experienced minor injuries when he was clipped by the moving vehicle. The whole ordeal lasted about ten minutes.
“While the MBTA is grateful that no one was harmed, the safety of our passengers and employees is something we take very seriously,” MBTA General Manager Frank DePaola said in a statement. “Within a week of the incident, the MBTA acted quickly, implementing new procedures which require a supervisor be present when a train operator is granted permission to ‘bypass’ a faulty signal. The MBTA also issued a special order to all train operators, reinforcing the policies against tampering with safety equipment, and reminding them of the disciplinary action for such violations.” You can watch the footage, taken from surveillance cameras, below:
MBTA releases videos of runaway Red Line train
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