~Photos by The Somerville Times staff

Sunday, March 6, an emergency response drill was conducted involving a Green Line train between the newly built Lechmere and Union Square Stations. Agencies participating in this exercise included MBTA Operations, MBTA Transit Police, Cambridge Fire Department (CFD), Somerville Fire Department (SFD), and Medford Fire Department (MFD) and Cataldo Ambulance.

The learning exercise included a scenario in which a train is traveling outbound between Lechmere Station on the Union Square Branch. In the simulated exercise, the train is traveling faster than the posted speed and makes contact with the train directly in front of it and derails before coming to a stop. Several passengers are injured, and others must evacuate the train. The exercise is designed to establish a learning environment for public safety officials to exercise emergency response plans, policies, and procedures as they pertain to a mass casualty event on a Green Line train on a new section of the viaduct.