Mass. officials defend MBTA preparations amid winter storms

BOSTON — State transportation officials defended their winter preparations on Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) subway and commuter rail lines after track failures caused a train to derail and resulted in service interruptions on the Red Line on Tuesday, The Boston Globe reports.

Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack blamed the track breakdowns on the cold but said a full investigation has been launched to determine why a section of track on the Haverhill commuter line shattered as a train carrying a conductor and an engineer passed by early Tuesday.

Pollack added that the issues do not signal a failure of the state’s efforts to improve service after last year’s record-breaking snowfall pushed the subway and commuter rail networks to the brink. For the full story, click here.