BOSTON (AP) — A collision involving two subway trains in Boston sent four employees of the city’s troubled transit system to the hospital, officials said.
Both Green Line trains derailed in the crash around 9:20 p.m. Wednesday, officials said. The subway system continued to experience service disruptions Thursday morning, but regular service had resumed by the afternoon.
A two-car westbound train carrying 20 to 25 passengers struck a two-car train without passengers as it was preparing to enter service at Government Center Station, a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority spokesperson said.
Four operators went to Massachusetts General Hospital. Three had been released by Thursday afternoon, MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said. He did not disclose the nature of their injuries, but said all four were able to walk off the trains on their own after the crash. Per protocol, all four have been placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation.
The driver of the train that struck the empty train has no prior safety or rules violations, he said.
No passengers were treated for injuries, he said, and both trains have since been placed back on the tracks.
The cause is under investigation, but Poftak said so far there is no evidence that there was an issue with the signals, trains, or track infrastructure and human error seems a possible explanation.
The collision comes amid a federal review of the MBTA’s safety following several recent accidents that led to injuries or death.
A 39-year-old man died in April when he was dragged after his arm got stuck in a malfunctioning subway car door. Nine people were injured in September when an escalator at a station malfunctioned, and more than two dozen people went to the hospital in July when a Green Line train rear-ended another trolley.
The Federal Transit Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have both been notified of the latest crash.
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