The National Transportation Safety Board has concluded that a short circuit on one of the Red Line's older trains led to Robinson Lalin getting stuck in a door as the train pulled out of Broadway station on April 10, 2022, but that other systems that might have prevented his death also failed him - including one that actually worked as it was intended to.
In a report issued earlier this month, the NTSB repeated its earlier contention that the short circuit in the mechanism that was supposed to keep the train from moving if a door was not fully closed let the driver take the train out of the station even though the door was not closed because Lalin got trapped as he tried to get off the train, leading to his death by colliding with a wall at the end of the platform.
But, the NTSB cited other issues with the train and its driver:
- The driver was supposed to keep looking out her window at the pilot lights above doors until they all blinked out, but didn't.
- The camera/monitor system the T installed at stations after eliminating the job of train conductor, which the driver was also supposed to look at, has a blind spot exactly where the door that trapped Lalin was on the car.
- A system meant to lock doors in place once the train reaches 3 m.p.h., to prevent passengers from opening doors in mid-ride, actually worked, dooming Lalin because it locked the door and him in place.
Under normal operating conditions, the passenger door interlock circuit would have prevented train propulsion if a door obstruction was detected or the doors were open. However, the short circuit that bypassed the passenger door interlock circuit allowed the train to proceed even with the passenger’s upper body obstructing the accident railcar doors. The railcar passenger doors were designed to become secure in their positions at a train speed of 3 mph or higher. When train 1034 accelerated to leave the station, it quickly reached 3 mph, and the doors became secure in their positions, leaving the passenger unable to free himself.
The train consisted of 1500-series cars, dating to the 1970s, which make them some of the oldest subway trains still in use in North America. The NTSB says the MBTA now claims it will replace them all by next March.