MBTA Blue Line riders describe evacuation from Boston Harbor tunnel – NBC Boston
Riders who had been among the many tons of evacuated from an MBTA Blue Line practice on Tuesday described a surreal expertise as they waited in – and finally walked by means of – a sizzling, darkish, musty practice tunnel beneath Boston Harbor.
This all unfolded at about 2:30 p.m. as that Blue Line practice was just about in the course of the tunnel, between Aquarium and Maverick stations, that are on both aspect of the harbor.
Round 465 of them had been compelled to evacuate, strolling down the tracks within the tunnels, up the steps and out two exits in Boston and one in East Boston.
The T says it was a downed communications wire that induced the practice to return to a screeching halt.
Passengers stated they may see the cable hanging over the practice.
“You might see it out the window, we had been searching the window and like this large fats cable like simply hanging exterior the window and we’re like wow that’s not speculated to be there in all probability,” stated Hayden Inexperienced, who was on the evacuated practice.
“That they had us like holding on the practice for like an hour, they’re like, ‘oh, we’re attempting to get it mounted, there’s observe points,’ we’re like we see the cable exterior the window, it’s not a observe concern,” Inexperienced added.
Viewer video
Viewer video Three nonetheless photographs of individuals in a Blue Line subway tunnel in Boston from video shared with NBC10 Boston on Tuesday, July 15, 2025.
It took about an hour earlier than officers decided they couldn’t get the practice going once more. Passengers stated at that time the T needed to minimize energy, which meant chopping the AC as effectively.
“In addition they killed the AC like 20 minutes earlier than even acquired to begin strolling out,” defined Jaden Wenceslao. “Didn’t odor nice, it was actually sizzling and every little thing.”
Shuttle buses and the ferry changed the practice till service resumed at about 8 p.m.
Passengers who had been on that caught Blue Line practice stated it was one thing they by no means thought they’d expertise.
“We’re sitting there after which abruptly you recognize, only a loud flash, brilliant flash of sunshine exterior, loud crunching sound and everybody form of seemed round like what’s occurring?” Finn O’Connor stated.
Nobody was harm. The reason for the downed wire remains to be being investigated.
