Trouble on the tracks: 2 trains were on collision course
(The following appeared on the WHDH website on September 15, 2009.)
BOSTON Train officials are investigating how two trains got onto the same track headed for each other.
The train company CSX, which operates the section of the track involved, confirmed there were two commuter rail trains on the Worcester line heading right for each other.
Passengers on the outbound train said they felt the train come to an abrupt stop and then travel backwards.
"The train pulled away from Back Bay and we were moving forward, and then all of a sudden it came to an abrupt halt. Nothing fell down or anything, but it was definitely a quick forward motion when it braked. Probably about five seconds later, we started moving backwards," said Sarah Visveek, a passenger on the outbound train.
The conductor came on over the intercom and told passengers they were on the wrong track and needed to go back to switch.
"Just as I was getting off, the conductor told us that we came within a hundred feet of hitting another train," said Jenna Sherman, a passenger.
Both trains had passengers on board at the time.
CSX is the same company that was sued along with a lumber company by the MBTA about a year and half ago when a freight train rolled down a section of track, undetected for miles, and slammed into a commuter rail train in Canton. Dozens were injured in the incident.
