Major Boston Train Station Leaves Thousands of Commuters Scrambling

BOSTON, MA - South Station, one of the busiest commuter hubs in the United States, was virtually closed Thursday because of shoddy equipment, causing tens of thousands of commuters to arive late to work — if at all — while scrambling for alternative transportation to get around a region that’s a nightmare to travel on a good day.

And Friday may not be any better.

Amtrak canceled the majority of its commuter rail lines departing Boston’s South Station, the largest railroad station and bus terminal in Massachusetts, because of a nearby signal problem.

The delays wreaked havoc on passengers all of Thursday, with already busy stations filling up with increasingly frustrated passengers. A revised schedule with alternate departure locations was put into effect for evening commuters. All that did was help ensure more people would get home — very, very late.

Some delays were said to be upward of two hours.

Amtrak notified the Massachusetts Department of Transportation it may not be able to resolve the issue before Friday morning’s commute.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has advised all passengers on other lines to avoid going to South Station.

WHDH has a live video feed at Back Bay Station:

Photo courtesy of WHDH, 7-News