MBTA Blue Line Train Evacuated Due To Power Problem

Riders were forced to evacuate an MBTA Blue Line train due to a power outage near Government Center during the Wednesday morning commute.

T officials said Wednesday afternoon that the power outage was caused by "equipment failure" on a train near Government Center, and that the train is being inspected and repaired.

WBUR reporter Carrie Jung was on the train when it lost power. She took video as MBTA employees led riders across the tracks and into the station:

Jung says you could smell what she believes was smoke in the air as she was evacuated. T spokesman Joe Pesaturo says about 200 passengers "safely exited this train."

Service was suspended for about an hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., between Maverick and Bowdoin stations, and temporarily replaced by shuttle buses.

During the morning commute, riders shared photos of massive crowds waiting outside Maverick Station for shuttles.

The MBTA has been under scrutiny after it implemented fare hikes less than a month after two trains derailed just days apart.

A recent WBUR poll found that riders are very frustrated with the transportation system, and just 29% have a favorable opinion of how Gov. Charlie Baker has handled the MBTA.

Hours after the Blue Line incident, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh tweeted that he has requested the MBTA provide "additional service for passengers," particularly for those on the Red Line.

Pesaturo, the MBTA spokesman, told WBUR that crews "are making good progress" to fix damage done to the Red Line following last month's derailment.