Slow-Moving Orange Line Train Derails With 100 On Board

One of the MBTA's new Orange Line trains derailed in a work zone near Wellington Station on Tuesday morning, creating significant delays while passengers were shifted to shuttle buses, the agency said.

A spokesman for the T said the northbound train derailed while crossing over to the southbound track and "moving at a slow rate of speed" around 11:40 a.m. Tuesday. About 100 passengers were on board at the time of the incident.

"The cause is under investigation," MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said in an email. "There were no injuries. The train was crossing to the southbound track to accommodate the ongoing Orange Line maintenance work."

T employees are working to put the train back onto the rails, and shuttle buses will replace Orange Line service between Oak Grove and Community College stations in the meantime.

The T plans "a thorough damage assessment" to examine the train set once it returns to a maintenance facility.

A string of high-profile derailments in 2019 prompted creation of an independent panel to examine safety at the MBTA. In December of that year, the group concluded that the T had a "questionable" approach to safety including frequent lapses in maintenance and inspections.