Commuters recently noted more trouble for the MBTA in the form of debris crumbling from the ceiling at the Downtown Crossing station.
Just the latest issue for the transit system, the issue prompted reactions from riders and the T.
“I mean, I guess I’m not surprised to see that,” one rider said on Tuesday.
A visitor to Boston from Baltimore tweeted at the T on Monday night saying he and other passengers were standing nearby when debris fell at Downtown Crossing. The visitor continued, urging inspectors to safeguard the public.
“You don’t want it to be scary to ride the T,” said Cynthia Peters, a concerned MBTA passenger. “And when you see something like this where a ceiling just collapsed — somebody could have been standing there, somebody could have been looking at the map trying to figure out where to go and a big piece of debris could have fallen on them.”
A day after Monday’s incident, on Tuesday, a 7NEWS camera captured more signs of decay inside the Downtown Crossing station.
Elsewhere on Monday, another concerned commuter tweeted a photo of the cracked beam at Copley station. 7NEWS later found straps shoring up the crumbling facade.
One woman said she walks the Downtown Crossing station in fear during her commute home to Quincy.
“It’s insane the amount of terror I have walking down that hallway three times a week,” the woman said.
In March, a falling insulation tile weighing about 25 pounds nearly struck a passenger at Harvard station in Cambridge.
Two months later, a heavy utility box hit a Harvard PHD student at the same station.
World travelers this week said Boston deserves better.
“In 2019, I went to Moscow and their subway system is absolutely amazing,” said Sarah Newcomb.
An MBTA spokesperson confirmed ceiling debris fell along a wall at Downtown Crossing on Monday. There were no injuries and the spokesperson said the area was cordoned off while work crews performed overnight repairs.
“The area was deemed safe during the overnight hours, and the barriers were removed from the area prior to the start of service this morning,” the spokesperson said.
Hours before the recent maintenance issues, MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng spoke with lawmakers on Beacon Hill, promising officials the T is working to make its system safer and more reliable.
“Modernizing and upgrading the T, including areas relating to safety, can and does take time,” Eng said. “But we are continuing to make progress.”
Among measures, the T spokesperson said the agency is establishing a new chief of stations role “as a single point of accountability for ensuring the safety, security and cleanliness of stations.”
“In addition to implementing strategies that improve communications with riders and addressing rider concerns, this individual will manage a staff of employees responsible for the inspection of stations and develop a process to report any defects or other findings to the appropriate departments for mitigation,” the spokesperson said.
from Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News
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