MBTA Reports Worker “Near Miss” on Orange Line
Written by David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief
MBTA Orange Line Car
mbta.com
BOSTON –– The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) reported the "near miss" of workers on the Orange Line earlier this month.
According to Boston.com , during a presentation to the MBTA Board’s Safety, Health & Environmental Subcommittee on Thursday, Deputy Chief Safety Officer Nancy Prominski reported that at 10:20 a.m. on March 1, workers in a tunnel between Tufts Medical Center and Chinatown were nearly hit by a train because its operator committed what MBTA calls a “procedural violation.”
An advanced mobile flagger warned the train about the work taking place in the tunnel while the train was stopped at the previous station. The train proceeded through the tunnel and, according to Boston.com, Prominski told the subcommittee that “The work crews safely positioned themselves within the niches in the walls which are actually little cutouts within the tunnel walls that are designed for people to seek safe haven.” When asked by the board if the niches were unique to MBTA, Prominski said that these are “industry standard safety measures.”
MTBA General Manager Philip Eng joined Prominski in reporting two additional safety problems that occurred this past Saturday. First, Orange Line service was delayed by a downed Amtrak wire, then a Green Line train derailed and delayed service for hours.
These are not the first recent reports of safety problems on MBTA. Boston.com also reported that in 2023, just before General Manager Eng assumed his duties, there were four near misses, and a worker was almost hit on the Green Line in January. There was also a worker injury and a near-miss involving an electrified third-rail.
Despite all of this, Eng reported that he is seeing a shift in the safety culture at MBTA. He added that “The employees are seeing that by reporting things, management is taking a much more hands-on approach to solving these problems sooner.” The Boston.com report added that “MBTA officials said the workers reported the March 1 Orange Line incident immediately, and the investigation is ongoing.”
