MBTA Train Hits Car In Ashland, Causes 'Severe' Delays

ASHLAND, MA — An MBTA train headed to Worcester collided with a car in downtown Ashland on Thursday night. No one was injured, but the accident shut down the Framingham-Worcester line, delaying some trains for two hours or more.

Ashland Police Chief Vincent Alfano said that a sedan got stuck at the Main Street crossing. The passengers were able to get out of the car before the train hit it. Alfano said the train might have been going as fast as 35 MPH.

"People really shouldn't stop on the tracks," he said. "It's a miracle no one got hurt."

The train pulled the car down the tracks, and the vehicle was blocking the inbound side. It came to rest right behind Ashland's downtown police and fire stations.

At around 7:15 p.m., commuters were streaming off the stuck train, trying to find rides from downtown Ashland. One commuter, Andrey from Westborough, told Patch he didn't even feel the impact. He was waiting on his wife to pick him up. Ashland police were letting people use the department's lobby to get water or get warm, and some commuters appeared to be getting into rideshare cars.

Other commuters described the experience on social media.

"The car was right outside my window... It was banged up but I couldn't see a person inside. Looks like it was hit in the front and spun around," commuter Fred Barrett wrote on Twitter.

The MBTA was warning commuters to expect "severe" delays. All trains were being held in the area. The train that hit the car was also blocking Main Street in Ashland, the main north-south route through town.

Despite long delays up and down the line, the train involved in the accident began heading toward Worcester just before 9 p.m., and other trains were starting to move.