MBTA Adds Crews, Resources in Preparation for Weekend Winter Storm
Friday, January 18, 2019
GoLocalWorcester News Team
MBTA preparing for winter storm |
According to the National Weather Service, the storm is expected to hit Saturday, January 19 into Sunday, January 20. It could drop as much as six inches of snow on the area.
“We’re closely monitoring the forecast, particularly the rain-snow line, to properly deploy our resources for our passengers. Our goal is to minimize the storm’s impact on service to ensure passengers who need to travel can use commuter rail as an alternative to driving in these conditions. Passengers who do have to travel this weekend should leave extra time to get to stations, use caution on platforms and when boarding trains, and stay connected for service updates here,” said David Scorey, Keolis CEO and General Manager.
Taking Precautions
Due to the storm MBTA announced that more than 350 personnel will be deployed across commuter rail to shovel, sand and salt passenger areas, as well as to respond to incidents that occur during the storm, such as downed trees.
MBTA and Keolis crews will be pre-positioned at key facilities and infrastructure (switches, signals, etc.) to help ensure normal operations. Switch heaters will be activated in key areas to ensure a normal flow of train traffic.