A collision between two MBTA trolleys in Somerville sent five people to the hospital amid heavy snow late Saturday night, renewing longstanding concerns about safety on the Green Line and prompting another investigation by federal transit authorities.
Shuttle buses continue to replace train service Monday morning on the Green Line D and E branches from North Station to Union Square and Medford/Tufts, the MBTA posted on X.
A train carrying five passengers collided with an out-of-service train at East Somerville Station, the MBTA said in a statement. One car from each of the two-car trains derailed.
The crash is the latest on the Greenline extension that arrived with much fanfare in Somerville in 2022. The crash comes just months after a train derailed at a station in Cambridge.
“It’s frustrating and very disappointing that these issues continue to happen on a line we’ve been waiting on for generations,” Somerville City Councilor Willie Burnley Jr. said in an interview Sunday. “It really shakes the foundational trust people have that there’s going to be consistency on the T.”
Shuttle buses replaced Green Line service between North Station and Medford/Tufts Station over the weekend as authorities investigated the crash and worked to fix the derailment. The Federal Transit Administration was notified, and the National Transit Safety Board is investigating.
“The MBTA apologizes to Green Line customers who are impacted by the ongoing disruption in service, following a late-night incident involving two trains,” MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said in a statement.
On Sunday evening, passengers bundled up in the 30-degree weather as they waited for the next shuttle. Most had the same sentiment: they are numb to T problems.
“It’s been a crazy day,” said Mario Vianna, who started his day at 6:30 a.m. on the Green Line.
Vianna, who is in his late 40s, was heading home to Union Square Sunday evening after leaving work in Copley.
“Really, I would like to know how this happened,” Vianna said, noting the “constant” track maintenance on the T.
Armos Velney, 38, wore light blue glasses and a large black coat as he waited for a shuttle bus to take him home to Union Square.
Velney takes the T multiple times a day, and from his prior experience living in Chicago, he said the T has room to improve.
“They need to do better,” he said. “It’s not fair to us as taxpayers.”
All four train operators were taken to a hospital while conscious and alert, the MBTA said. All were released without being admitted. One passenger reported a neck injury, was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital and has since been discharged, according to a hospital spokesperson.
The crash is the latest of a series of safety problems on the T which have sparked scrutiny from federal regulators.
In 2019, a Globe analysis of federal rail safety data found that MBTA trains had derailed 43 times in the previous five years -- the second-highest total of any metro rail system in the country. Derailments of subway cars with passengers have dropped dramatically since then, though derailments of maintenance vehicles have increased.
In 2022, Federal Transit Administration issued a 90-page that found serious flaws in the MBTA’s safety protocols, including understaffing and failing to prioritize day-to-day-safety.
The MBTA made major operational and safety improvements last year, MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng said last month. The agency has addressed issues identified in the FTA report, increasing staffing and installing an automatic crash prevention system on the commuter rail.
“Our successes are the result of collaborations across many departments and teams –- from Operations to Safety to Technology to Accessibility to so many more -– to deliver on our commitments and provide the riding public with meaningful results they can trust,” Eng said in a January statement.
Last year, a state audit found that contractor workers hired to assist T customers did not receive proper safety training and failed to complete visual inspections of stations on time.
In October, another derailment on the Green Line occurred after a train blew through a stop signal while traveling three times its speed limit. Seven passengers were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
One Somerville official is astounded by another crash on the newly opened line extension.
“It’s kind of mind-boggling that there could be a derailment and collision within months of each other on a brand new track,” Somerville City Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen said.
Ava Berger can be reached at ava.berger@globe.com. Follow her @Ava_Berger_.