23-07-2025
The T says an old steel cable caused last week's Blue Line snafu. Was the cable ever inspected?
At some point July 15, in the T's telling, a guy wire supporting fiber-optic cables collapsed. The guy wire and the cables it held ended up on the track. At around 2:30pm, according to the agency, a crowded eastbound train ran over them. The train stopped.
What caused the cable to collapse?
The MBTA's early assessments point to a familiar culprit responsible for
The T said guy wires should last decades, acknowledging that cables installed in more extreme climates (like underwater tunnels) can degrade at a quicker pace.
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When was the specific guy wire that failed last inspected?
The T didn't provide a date.
'The guy wire is not typically an item that sees a regular inspection interval. The fiber-optic cables attached to the guy wire would be,' the MBTA wrote to the Globe. '(Inspecting the guy wire itself can be likened to doing a routine check on the electrical wiring inside house walls.)'
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Asked if there were any prior reports of wear, age, or needed replacement for this specific guy wire, the agency shared a link to its Capital Needs Assessment and Inventory — a quadrennial check-up on the condition of the entire MBTA system. The latest report,
The agency later added that its 'tunnels and track areas are walked and visually inspected multiple times a week.'
'During these inspections, our crews regularly make infield observations of these assets and report anomalies, such as damaged or degraded equipment like guy wires,' the agency wrote.
Fiber-optic cables, they went on, 'are inspected as part of system checks, which happen every several days.'
'During that inspection,' the MBTA wrote, 'any anomalies or issues with fiber-optic cables, such as sagging, would be further investigated and addressed as necessary — this would include the guy wire supports, if necessary.'
Will cables be inspected and replaced?
While making 'interim repairs' to the downed cable, Eng said last week, MBTA crews found 'other areas of cable that we want to proactively address.' Maintenance workers continued to inspect wires across the Blue Line over
'We have a lot of antiquated cables in our system. We have some cables that are in there for previous uses, but no longer in use,' Eng said. 'But as we start to dig out of the hole in some of our major elements, these other things are top of mind.'
The exact timeline and scope of the cable repairs wasn't clear.
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'This is not a flip of the switch, to be able to just say, 'Tomorrow, everything's running perfectly,'' Eng added. 'What we need to do is continue to invest in our workforce, continue to invest in our infrastructure.'
Shouldn't the Blue Line be fixed by now?
Delays and service suspensions have bedeviled Blue Line commutes for years.
The MBTA
On June 16, the day the MBTA expected to put trains back online, signal problems surfaced,
The T plans to suspend service between
The agency
'Riders deserve a system they can count on — this includes repairs, but also deep investment that makes transit safe, faster, fairer, and more reliable for everyone,' said Caitlin Allen-Connelly, the group's executive director.
Jaime Moore-Carrillo can be reached at
