It's Only a Test: MBTA Plans Train Emergency Drill at Gillette Stadium

A train arrives in Foxborough for a Patriots game when an engineer notices smoke filling up one of the cars, except this isn’t real, it’s only a drill.

On Oct. 15 at 10 a.m., the MBTA will practice this situation when they conduct an emergency evacuation drill on a commuter rail train that will be stopped outside the Foxborough Commuter Rail station at Gillette Stadium. The two-hour exercise is scheduled to take place from approximately 10 a.m. to noon.

Neighbours in the area should expect heightened activity in the area starting as early as 8 a.m.

In the scenario, an MBTA Commuter Rail train approaching the station with customers planning on attending a 1 p.m. Patriots game against the Tennessee Titans comes to a stop. Shortly afterwards, the train’s engineer becomes aware that one of the cars is filling with smoke, and notifies the Mass Coastal Dispatch Center and begins evacuation of the train. About 80 volunteers from the public will play MBTA customers during the exercise.

The exercise is designed to train public safety officials how best to enact emergency response plans, policies and procedures in regard to a mass casualty event on a commuter rail train, according to Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Agencies taking part in this exercise include the MBTA, MBTA Transit Police, Keolis, The Kraft Group, Foxborough Fire Department, Foxborough Police Department, Mass Coastal and Fallon Ambulance Service.