‘It’s a new issue all the time’: Green Line service interrupted after electrical problem

BOSTON — A Green Line train stopped in its tracks at Lechmere Station in Cambridge just as the  Friday rush hour was beginning.

Shuttle bus service replaced trains between Union Square and North Station as well as to the Medford/ Tufts station stop for several hours after one of the Green Line trains suffered an issue with its pantograph, the device connecting the car to the overhead power line, the MBTA said Friday.

One student was on the train when he says it just stopped moving.

“I was just sitting there and it stopped for no reason but then they told us to get off and leave and I had to walk 15 minutes to the place I needed to be,” said Dawit Kegne who takes the T to work.

“It’s just really inconvenient when that’s what you’re relying on to get around the city,” said Faith LaChance who lives in Boston.

Just before 7:30 p.m., the MBTA alerted riders that regular service had resumed.

Riders were encouraged to use the Route 80 bus to travel between Medford/ Tufts and Lechmere.

On Thursday, the MBTA announced that problems with the MBTA’s new 4.4-mile Green Line Extension were so severe that the agency will need to widen more than two-thirds of the nearly brand-new tracks.

“Every time I feel like I want to ride it there’s another issue going on and then I have to find a different way to get around,” said Pfordresher. “But I feel like it’s a new issue all the time,”

Frustrated passengers say unexpected problems like this that add not just minutes but sometimes hours to their commutes.

“Now when you have to shuttle everywhere you’re adding on what – 20 to 30 minutes of extra travel time,” said Pfordresher.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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