Columbia Junction (Red Line) Derailment 6/11/19

Derailment reported on the Red Line at JFK/UMass station. At least one car derailed, which is resting at an angle directly underneath Columbia Road bridge. I know no other details. Not a good week on the subway!

Looks like 1602 sustained some damaged.

https://twitter.com/NBC10Boston/status/ ... 0432191488

Wow, not a good month for the T!

More photos of the damage from the derailment
https://twitter.com/JacqueGoddard/statu ... 6588682240

From the tweet picture looks like a major signal bungalow under the bridge has been significantly damaged. This must be affecting operation through the area. Is this the equipment for controlling Columbia Junction? Are they having to switch it manually now?

From the Globe:
"“Without the signal system, trains must be given permission from our Operations Control Center to move from one station to the next, one train at a time. This also means we need people along the tracks to physically set the routes to direct trains,” T officials wrote in a tweet."

Have there been any thoughts on the cause?

Are other parts of the signal system, namely Alewife to Andrew and Savin Hill to Ashmont, still in full operation?

Seeing that we're now 2-1/2+ days beyond the accident, has the T publicly announced a recovery timeline to restore the Red Line to regular service. Apologies if I've missed it if it has been announced.

At this point, there has been plenty of time to assess the damage and develop a recovery plan. Whether it's a day, week, month or more, the public is owed that answer -- now.

Another thread from the MBTA Twitter account: https://twitter.com/MBTA/status/1139561780072636416
Basically, they hope to have a better idea towards the end of the weekend. Speculation quoted in the news (Globe, tv) is that if they need to order new equipment, it could take until the end of the year to get things back to normal.

That section of track has been out of whack for some time. Trains entering the station at normal speed sway enough to sometimes hit the side of the platform.

Does it really add 15 to 20 minutes to the average trip when trains pull up to a junction, wait their turn, and are (manually) flagged through at a little under 6 MPH (compared with normal automatic signal interlocking)?

Disney Guy wrote: ↑Wed Jun 19, 2019 5:43 am Does it really add 15 to 20 minutes to the average trip when trains pull up to a junction, wait their turn, and are (manually) flagged through at a little under 6 MPH (compared with normal automatic signal interlocking)?

According to a post I saw on FB the signals are out from North Quincy to JFK, Field's Corner to JFK, then JFK to Broadway. So it sounds like they have to move under manual control from the dispatcher station to station through those areas and the max speed is 25 mph. That would account for the 20 minutes.

North Quincy to Broadway is 5.3 or 5.9 miles by car, I think 5.9 miles is about the same as the Red Line. Mr Google thinks the Red Line takes 16 minutes for 3 stops. At 16 min that is 22MPH, at 36 min it's 9.8MPH. If it takes 36 min it's only a little faster than a bicycle (bicycles have to stop for traffic lights / road crossings). 36 min seems unreasonable even with manual track authorization.

Google says 31 minutes to ride a bike from North Quincy to Broadway. My general experience is that it overestimates trip time (32 minutes for my bike commute, which actually takes 25 minutes). I wouldn't be too surprised if a cyclist would beat the train under current conditions.