Teed Off at the T

Electrical fires. Near collisions. Passenger injuries. Potential fare hikes and service reductions.

FlyBy wonders if there's any incentive whatsoever to continue riding the T, or if we should all just start cabbing it to Boston instead.

An electrical fire between Downtown Crossing and South Station crippled service on the Red Line during rush hour yesterday, according to the MBTA's Twitter Web site, forcing hundreds of passengers to evacuate the subway. Service wasn't restored until at least 9 p.m., and the MBTA's substitute shuttle buses caused delays and traffic jams in Harvard Square.

At about the same time, a fire broke out on the Orange Line—possibly prompted by a passenger throwing debris onto the third rail near the Chinatown stop—and stopped service on that route as well.

Learn more about the delays, and other MBTA debacles, after the jump.

The Mass. Secretary of Transportation told the Boston Globe last night that the two fires were a "perfect storm," coming one after another, and that workers had done the best they could to handle the situation. But the MBTA seems to be swamped with trouble lately.

A commuter rail train hit a metal back stop on Tuesday—injuring 18 people—and two other trains nearly collided on Monday. And in May, two Green Line trolleys collided and injured dozens because the operator was text messaging.

Over the summer, the MBTA announced that it was considering fare hikes and service reductions to help eliminate the agency's $180 million budget deficit and $5 billion debt. But Mass. Gov. Deval L. Patrick '78 has suspended planned public discussions on the service changes, and it's unclear if the proposals are still on the table.

MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo told FlyBy that a decision about how to proceed with service changes won't be made before November.

Photo: Crimson/Bora Fezga