SOMERVILLE, Mass. — Surveillance video released by the MBTA shows the moments leading up to a fire on an Orange Line train on July 21, and the resulting evacuation of about 200 passengers.
The video was released just days after the MBTA announced plans to shut down the entire Orange Line later this month “to improve service, safety, and reliability on a faster timeline.”
In the video, you can see a black piece of metal, sticking out from the left side of the train as it approaches a bridge over the Mystic River.
As the train starts to cross the bridge, you can see sparks fly and the resulting fire.
Riders on board the train were forced to break through windows to escape to the tracks below. One passenger even jumped into the Mystic River to escape the emergency. Riders on board the train took their own videos of their escape.
The MBTA has indicated that a section of the sheet metal, or side panel, on the vehicle came contact with the third rail, “igniting material below the car.”
Last week, the T announced plans to close the entire Orange Line for 30 days.
“The plan to shut down the entire Orange Line during this 30-day time period will provide work crews with unencumbered access to the entirety of the Orange Line’s 20 stations, over 121,000 feet of track, and infrastructure, allowing a substantial amount of work to be accomplished,” according to a statement from the MBTA on August 3. “Following these 30 days, riders will experience faster trips and better service on an Orange Line fleet that is predominantly new cars.”
Two days later, on August 5th, the MBTA announced it is also shutting down a new section of the Green Line between August 22nd through September 18th.
Green Line trains running from Union Square Station in Somerville will be on hold for a month. The MBTA says free shuttle buses will run between Union Station and Government Center.
The MBTA has created a webpage related to the closures at mbta.com/BBT2022.
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