A Dorchester man is due in court today on charges he attackeds three women, one an ex-girlfriend and another pregnant, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Antwan Thompson, 25, was arraigned today on two counts of assault and battery and one count of aggravated assault and battery, the DA's office says. His alleged victims: A former girlfriend from Roxbury, 22, and two of her friends, a 28-year-old woman from Dorchester who is eight months pregnant and a 21-year-old woman.

Prosecutors say the three women were waiting for an inbound Orange Line train around 2:30 p.m. when they spotted Thompson - and moved down the platform to stay away from him. At Downtown Crossing, however, Thompson left his car and entered theirs, the DA's office says:

The victims later told MBTA Transit Police that Thompson began shouting at his former girlfriend as he entered the train car. When her pregnant friend attempted to separate the defendant from the victim, Thompson allegedly punched her in the back.

Thompson then allegedly began to punch his former girlfriend in the head and face with a closed fist. When another female friend of the two women approached Thompson and yelled at him to stop the assault, he allegedly pushed that woman down on the floor.

An unknown man managed to subdue Thompson and kept him pressed against a wall until MBTA Transit Police arrived, the DA's office says.

Thompson was ordered held in lieu of $8,000 bail.

Innocent, etc.

Rachel Zarrell spotted an interesting Elizabeth Grady ad on the T.

MassDOT today announced an agreement to swap land at Lechmere with land by North Station that will lead to a new rail service north and west of Boston - and actual construction of the long stalled North Point development.

Under the deal, the state will give Pan Am Railways the land used for the current Lechmere Green Line station in exchange for the former Pan Am rail yard, which is across the Charles River from Massachusetts General Hospital, and rights to use other Pan Am tracks in the area.

It's only 7:30 a.m., and already three Orange Line trains have simply decided not to run anymore, at Wellington, Green Street and Community College.

MassDOT and the T have pressed into service five commuter-rail locomotives (shown here in Worcester) from Maryland to see if they're worth buying. MassDOT reports the units were rebuilt in 1995 and are in "very good" condition, and could help ease problems caused by our failing locomotives until new diesels come online in a couple years.

Another view.

After last night's inaugural sleeper-car service, the MBTA made sure to have one of those new Utah locomotives at the front of the 5 p.m. train to Worcester at South Station.

Meanwhile, MBCR, which operates the T's commuter lines, offered a free ride to passengers to make up for yesterday's ordeal.

UPDATE: Well, that didn't last long. Rob Friedman tweets from the 5:35 p.m. train to Worcester:

UPDATE: Would you believe a three-hour delay on the Worcester line?

No, not on the Green Line, which is having major problems tonight, but on the Worcester commuter-rail line.

Kristen Garvey reports from somewhere not all that far out of South Station:

Okay, MBTA, we have been stuck here for close to 90 min. Can u send the rescue train? Mass Pike you look better everyday.

And what the MBTA is trying to do about it until it can replace the 31-year-old Orange Line cars:

Jamaica Plain Patch reports the 39 driver passed the test but was taken off his route pending an MBTA investigation.