Engine issue adds to already delayed rides on the Worcester/Framingham Line

BOSTON — Riders had even longer commutes on the Worcester/Framingham Line Friday morning after the first outbound train out of South Station had engine issues and was later canceled, causing delays of up to an hour. And that’s before the extra 30 minutes the T said to add to morning commute times due to damage and repairs from Thursday’s upright derailment at Lansdowne station that damaged tracks.

The 4:40 a.m. outbound train from South Station train was delayed for up to 50 minutes, then canceled just after 5:30, causing late trains up and down the Worcester/Framingham Line.

The added delays come as riders were already advised that inbound and outbound trains would share one section of track, adding at least 30 minutes to trips while the side damaged in an apparent "slow-speed upright derailment” at Lansdowne Station undergoes repairs.

MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak told Boston 25 News Friday morning that track repairs were completed overnight and both tracks through Lansdowne Station are now operating, but delays of up to 30 minutes will continue on some trains, he said, adding passengers should check for the latest updates on the Commuter Rail’s Twitter account or website.

By 2 p.m. Friday, Keolis told Boston 25 News “considerable progress” was made to repair the track infrastructure. Keolis said “while some trains this evening may operate with delays of 10 to 20 minutes, regularly scheduled train service is expected to operate this weekend and Monday.”

Thursday’s incident caused severe delays along the line into the evening with shuttles taking passengers from South Station to Newtonville Station and all trains terminating and originating at Boston Landing.

An upright derailment on the Red Line, near the JFK/UMass station in June, caused delays for months and heavily damaged signal infrastructure, adding delays to the city’s already stressed public transit system into the fall. That derailment was attributed to “poor electrical connectivity,” in an MBTA report issued in September, which caused an axle to fail and fracture, derailing the train and smashing a signal bungalow.

The derailment at Lansdowne Station, according to Keolis, which operates the Commuter Rail in partnership with the MBTA, is believed to have been caused by an improperly set switch, caused by human error.

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