CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Concerned MBTA riders returned to a busy Red Line station on Friday morning, one day after a scare on the platform.
The MBTA shared video from inside Harvard Square station in Cambridge that showed a ceiling panel break loose and crash down on the platform near two people who were awaiting a train on Thursday morning.
The panel is made of light tin and although it did show some signs of corrosion, the exact reason for the fall is still under investigation by engineers and facility management, according to the MBTA.
Similar panels inside the station were removed overnight, but that didn’t stop Red Line riders from sounding off after yet another incident at the station.
“Number one, I’m thankful no one was hurt, but number two, the rapid transit system is long overdue for an overhaul to have things done,” Bill Cunningham told Boston 25 News.
“It shakes my confidence,” said rider Jaz Nettrour. “[MBTA construction] all seems to be reactionary.”
Andrew McGrath, another rider, added, “It’s like playing Russian roulette... It’s like do or die!”
Thursday’s falling panel comes a little over two years after another panel fell on the very same platform, narrowly missing a woman climbing the stairs.
“In that moment… I didn’t really know, was it a one-off situation or if more of the ceiling tiles were going to come falling down,” said Cianna Navarro, the woman who was one step away from being hit by the falling panel. “It has made me appreciate life more, I guess, you know, don’t take things for granted.”
The MBTA removed 76 ceiling panels at the station following that 2023 incident.
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