The MBTA today announced that all Red Line service will be free with station fare gates open from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.. 

“We apologize to our riders affected by this morning’s incident involving a piece of track maintenance equipment. Understanding the impact of this issue, the Red Line will be free this afternoon and through the peak evening commute,” said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng. “While this does not make up for your experiences this morning, we’re committed to continuously improving everything we do. This is our duty because we care about the public that we serve.”

Early this morning, a piece of maintenance equipment derailed on the northbound Red Line track at Park Street station, causing damage to the third rail. The incident occurred while crews were moving materials and equipment in preparation for the upcoming 16-day Red Line Track Improvement Program work. Crews worked to rerail the piece of equipment, move it off of the track, and perform repair work. The cause of this morning’s incident is under investigation.   

During this time, Red Line service was replaced with shuttle buses between Harvard and Broadway stations while MBTA crews made repairs. Shuttle buses were phased out with Red Line train service resuming at approximately 10:15 AM.  

The MBTA extends its appreciation for its riders while MBTA crews worked to make repairs during this incident. 

For more information, visit mbta.com or connect with the T on X (the site formerly known as Twitter) @MBTA, Facebook /TheMBTA, Instagram @theMBTA, Threads @thembta, or TikTok @thembta. 

-MBTA