Investigation Into Tampering Underway After Red Line MBTA Train Departs Without Operator

(SOURCE:  NECN.COM)

Authorities are investigating whether someone tampered with safety equipment on a Red Line train in Massachusetts, causing the Boston-bound train to depart Thursday morning without an operator and with passengers on board.

Gov. Charlie Baker said in a press conference Thursday some of the train's safety controls appear to have been manipulated.

"It's pretty clear the main control that drives the train was tampered with," Baker said. "I think the big issue on this is whether it was a negligence issue or something else."

The MBTA released a statement saying the incident happened shortly after 6 a.m., when the train departed Braintree Station. The train made no stops and continued past North Quincy Station, when workers were able to cut power to the third rail, bringing the train to a stop.

Baker said in the press conference the third rail was cut off a couple minutes after the train left, but the momentum of the train caused it to coast through several stations before it ground to a halt.

The stations highlighted in yellow were affected during the Red Line incident Thursday morning.

Passengers were asked to get off the train, which was then taken out of service and examined. Massachusetts Department of Transportation officials said the train operator suffered non-life threatening injuries. It's unclear how the person was hurt, but Baker said the operator got out of the train to check on the signal.

"Passenger safety is the highest priority for the MBTA and this highly troubling incident is under investigation by Transit Police detectives," MBTA General Manager Frank DePaola said in a statement Thursday.

Meanwhile, FBI officials in Boston said they're aware of the incident and are letting MBTA Transit Police investigate "at this moment." Baker said MassDOT and public saftety officials are also investigating.

In a statement, Baker said he's "grateful no passengers were injured in this troubling incident and will be monitoring the investigation closely."

He said the incident appears to be isolated.

According to the MBTA, the Red Line accommodates more than 250,000 riders every day during the week.

Runaway MM&A Oil Train Explodes Near Maine Border; Quebec Town Center in Ruins

(SOURCE:  BDN-Maine / By Mathieu Belanger, Reuters)

LAC-MEGANTIC, Quebec — A driverless freight train carrying tankers of crude oil derailed at high speed and exploded into a giant fireball in the middle of a small Canadian town early Saturday, destroying dozens of buildings, killing at least three people and leaving an unknown number of people missing.

The disaster occurred shortly after 1 a.m. when the runaway train with 73 cars sped into Lac-Megantic, a picturesque lakeside town of about 6,000 people near the border with Maine, and came off the rails. Witnesses said the town center was crowded at the time.

Four of the pressurized tank cars caught fire and blew up in a fireball that mushroomed many hundreds of feet up into the air. The train was transporting crude oil from North Dakota to eastern Canada, likely to New Brunswick, news that is bound to revive questions about the safest way to carry the oil needed to service North America’s economies…………………………..

An official from Montreal, Maine & Atlantic, the firm that operated the train, said the train had been parked some distance away from the town and no one was on board when it derailed.

“We’re not sure what happened, but the engineer did everything by the book. He had parked the train and was waiting for his relief … somehow, the train got released,” vice president of marketing Joseph R. McGonigle told Reuters………………… READ WHOLE ARTICLE