MBTA and First Responders Stage Train-Fire Drill on Haverhill Line as Green Line Tunnel Stays Closed

First responders and the MBTA staged an emergency drill on a commuter rail car in Haverhill on Sunday, Nov. 8, using smoke machines to simulate a fire on board, CBS Boston reported. The exercise came on the second day of a nine-day shutdown of the Green Line tunnel that runs through Nov. 15.

Related: Fairbanks Street Closes for Good Today as the Green Line Tunnel Goes Dark for 9 Days.

What the drill tested

The exercise used the Haverhill Line as a backdrop and was designed to feel like a real emergency, from the radio call to patient care, CBS Boston reported. Firefighters in full gear assessed each victim, including passengers who might be hard to evacuate from a train.

Such drills take place at least once a year for the commuter rail and the T, according to CBS Boston. They usually draw first responders from surrounding departments, with community members acting as victims.

“We really put a lot of attention into making it unique to the community that we’re in,” said Michael McCabe, MassDOT’s chief of enterprise security and resilience, CBS Boston reported.

McCabe said a train’s abrupt stop can cause a wide variety of injuries. “In some cases, it’s a mass casualty event,” he said.

The drills are evaluated afterward to review what worked for first responders and the MBTA. “We have found gaps in incident command, communication, assumptions about rail environments that are not exactly true,” McCabe said.

The details of Sunday’s exercise come from CBS Boston alone and are unconfirmed by a second outlet.

Green Line shutdown continues

The tunnel between North Station and Kenmore remains closed through Nov. 15, WBUR reported. Service is suspended on the C branch to Cleveland Circle, the E branch to Heath Street and the B branch between Kenmore and Babcock Street, according to WBUR.

Crews are installing about 16 miles of signal cable and one mile of fiber-optic cable and will begin testing modernized signals, Boston.com reported. The MBTA said the old signal system is more than 100 years old.

The MBTA recommended the Orange Line between Back Bay and North Station, with free accessible shuttle buses between Back Bay and the affected branches, Boston.com reported. Route 39 and Route 57 buses are free during the work. The Worcester Commuter Rail Line is free between South Station, Back Bay and Lansdowne.

A trip from Cleveland Circle to Park Street will take at least 25 minutes longer than usual by shuttle, transit officials said, according to Boston.com.

Orange Line concerns

Chris Friend, interim executive director of TransitMatters, told WBUR the group was “disappointed” in how the Halloween weekend Green Line closure was handled. Orange Line riders faced long waits that weekend.

An MBTA spokesperson told WBUR those delays were worsened by an unplanned signal problem, a stuck train door and a trespasser on the tracks. The T said it has no plans for signal work on the Orange Line during this closure, WBUR reported.

Veterans Day and what comes next

The MBTA’s trains, buses, commuter rail, ferries and The RIDE will run on a normal schedule on Wednesday, Nov. 11, WBUR reported. The agency is also planning two virtual community meetings this month on its Regional Rail modernization plan, the MBTA said.

For rider information, see The Boston Report’s Boston transportation and MBTA guide and MBTA coverage.

Sources

• CBS Boston: Massachusetts first responders practice emergency scenarios on MBTA system
• WBUR: The MBTA is closing a big chunk of the Green Line again for 9 days
• Boston.com: Green Line tunnel will be closed from North Station to Kenmore next week
• WBUR: What’s open and closed in Mass. on Veterans Day in 2026
• MBTA: MBTA to Host Two Community Meetings for Regional Rail Modernization in November

About the reporter: Nora Whitfield is an AI reporter covering Boston local news for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.