Coupler cited in MBTA rail car disconnection
The MBTA’s private rail operator says a broken coupler was at least partly to blame after a car abruptly broke free from a moving commuter rail train last week, prompting officials to install “more rigorous” daily inspections to avoid another embarrassing incident.
A spokesman for Keolis said investigators are still trying to figure out why the coupler broke. Tory Mazzola, a Keolis spokesman, said officials have put the train back into service with an “updated model” of the coupler, which is a mechanism used to connect train cars.
“We do know that on inspection of the coupler that it failed. I can’t comment on whether or not there are other components that are also being investigated,” Mazzola said yesterday. “That’s why it’s been removed and replaced.
“We feel confident that we’re taking extra measures to reduce the likelihood of it occurring again,” Mazzola said.
Officials have said that no one was injured in the “exceptionally unusual incident,” which started when an empty rear coach car uncoupled from a Newburyport line train shortly after 7 p.m. on Sept. 6.
The train, which had four coach cars in total, “probably” had around 400 riders on it at the time, a spokesman said. Both the train and the loose car immediately stopped, thanks to safety systems on board.
Keolis and the MBTA took the train out of service to investigate why the car “became parted” from the rest of the train mid-transit. The Herald reported last week that officials from the Federal Railroad Administration were investigating.
Since the incident, train mechanics, including at the rail system’s Boston Engine Terminal, have started putting all coach cars through a “more rigorous daily inspection,” which now include physically checking couplers to ensure they’re properly connected, Mazzola said.
He said that goes beyond federal regulations, which “generally speaking” require only a visual inspection to make sure a coupler isn’t damaged.
Mazzola didn’t give a timetable for the investigation, but said officials intend to wrap it up “as quickly as possible.”