The Green Line car derailment on Tuesday, October 1, caused a temporary shut-down of part of the line until Thursday of that week.  ~Photo by Bobbie Toner

By Harry Kane

City Councilors upset by the Green Line’s recent trolley derailment voiced their concerns at their bi-weekly meeting on October 10, calling on MBTA officials to implement revised safety protocols during responses to accidents.

Ward 3 City Councilor and President Ben Ewen-Campen condemned the MBTA’s response to the derailment on October 1, saying there was a failure in addressing the needs of the passengers in the aftermath of the accident, which occurred on the Red Bridge during a track switch on the way to Union Square from Lechmere Station at 5:00 p.m.

“This was a truly terrifying event, completely unacceptable,” said City Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen. “All of us are incredibly grateful and relieved that it was not worse.”

After hearing the harrowing account of the derailment from Somerville resident Maggie Norcross-Devin, a commuter on the streetcar, Councilor Ewen-Campen was upset.

“When I heard this story, it made my blood boil,” Councilor Ewen-Campen said.

Councilor Willie Burnley, Jr. said that he was greatly thankful for the Green Line, however, he said, “I share the deep concerns from my colleague in Ward 3 that what happened was unacceptable.”

A number of individuals, including Somerville residents, were injured in the derailment, said Councilor Burnley Jr.

“When they were told to get off of the train and to walk on tracks to safety, there was no one there to say, ‘are you okay,’ there was no one there to check them, there was no one there to make sure that we were not sending our constituents into a potentially life-threatening situation,” said Councilor Burnley, Jr.

Councilor Burnley, Jr. said that while the partnership with the State of Massachusetts supersedes the city, there needs to be accountability.

“If you are harming our residents, we are going to demand transparency and action from you to ensure that when people step on public transit in Somerville, we know there are safety precautions, protocols and policies that make sure they get home safe to their families.”

Somerville resident Maggie Norcross-Devin recounted the harrowing accident in front of the City Council. “Very shortly after we left the station, there was a very big bump, enough to startle everyone,” she said. “Then there were a succession of very very violent bumps.”

Passengers were screaming, and the 50 commuters were trapped in the lead trolley car.

“There was black smoke filling the front of the car,” she recalled.

The door to the trolley opened shortly afterwards and the passengers exited and waited on the bridge for approximately ten minutes.

“One thing that struck me was that the operators of the train stayed with the train … they never came to check on the passengers, to my recollection,” Norcross-Devin said.

Passengers were apparently told they could use shuttles to get to their destination. Seven riders were transported to local medical centers for evaluation, according to officials.

Norcross-Devin says that the MBTA didn’t assist passengers with proper safety protocols following the accident.

“In my mind the MBTA failed the passengers,” she said. “I understand that accidents happen; we can’t avoid accidents, but we can have policies and procedures in place to ensure passenger safety in the immediate aftermath of the accident. That’s what was lacking.”