Power outage causes widespread MBTA shutdown, delay, officials say

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Transport

The shutdown lasted about 20 minutes Tuesday afternoon, officials said.

Boston, MA – 2022-09-19 Despite power returning to other T lines, the Orange Line is still experiencing delays, officials said. Carlin Stiehl for The Boston Globe

The MBTA experienced a widespread power outage Tuesday that shut down the entire subway system for about 20 minutes, officials said in a statement.

Officials said the outage began around 1:18 p.m. due to an electrical problem with the downtown substation. All train lines stopped operating until 1:40 p.m., when, according to the statement, trains began running with extreme caution.

Although power was restored, officials said the Orange Line continued to experience delays between Forest Hills and Stony Brook. Shuttle buses replaced service between Forest Hills and Back Bay for just under an hour, but were phased out around 3 p.m., the agency said on social media.

However, Orange Line delays persisted after the MBTA said regular service was resuming. The latest MBTA update Tuesday afternoon said Orange Line riders could expect delays of up to 25 minutes due to a signal problem.

“MBTA subway system operations are stabilizing and we appreciate the public’s patience as we address system issues,” the statement said.

Officials said the problem was not related to current track work and that they are investigating the cause of the outage.