THE GREEN LINE TRAIN that derailed on October 1 was traveling at 2 ½ times the speed limit when it ran through a stop signal and then went off the track as it crossed over a moving switch, according to a preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
MBTA officials have said the most likely cause of the accident was operator error, and the safety board’s preliminary findings would appear to support that conclusion. The findings offered no explanation for the operator’s driving, but the safety board said “future investigative activity will focus on speed rules compliance and internal and external oversight.”
Fifty passengers and two MBTA crewmembers were on board the two-car train as it left Lechmere Station heading east. Seven passengers were transported to the hospital with minor injuries after the accident.
According to the safety board report, the Green Line train entered a 10 mile-per-hour speed zone traveling 36 miles per hour and then passed through “a double red signal” without stopping. The train then reached a switch that was still in the process of moving to steer the train toward its destination.
“When the train passed over the switch, the lead truck of its leading railcar continued straight, while the next two trucks of that same railcar took the diverging track and then derailed,” the report said.
The report indicated weather that day was not an issue at the time of the derailment, approximately 4:46 p.m., with visibility clear, no precipitation, and a temperature of 62 degrees fahrenheit.
The driver of the lead train car, who has not been identified, has been suspended pending the results of the federal investigation as well as a review by the MBTA’s safety department.
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