The T

The T forwards this video of the woman who fell onto the tracks at Broadway on Saturday afternoon, causing delays on northbound trains. According to a Transit Police report:

I interviewed a witness, who stated that prior to the incident, he observed her standing on the platform and "nodding." While "nodding", she moved closer and closer to the pit. He believed that she was going to fall into the pit and moved towards her in an attempted to grab a hold of her, but he did not get to her in time. He stated she fell into the pit, and landed with her right hip on the first rail. He then immediately entered the pit to assist her. I also spoke to two other witnesses on scene. Both stated that prior to the incident, she appeared to be stumbling around the platform. She moved closer to the yellow line, then fell into the pit.

The 29-year-old woman was conscious but "lethargic" when taken to the hospital by Boston EMS.

Amy Derjue reports from North Quincy this afternoon, where there is no Red Line service because of a person in the pit to the north - but she reports the person was scooped out off the tracks pretty quickly, so there is hope yet.

At 3:47 p.m., Eric Steinhardt tweeted:

2 ambulances & 2 fire trucks. Person on stretcher at bottom of stairs. Carrying her up now.

Photo by Boston Office of Emergency Management.

Police, fire and emergency-medical crews from across the area have descended on various locations in Boston this weekend for drills on dealing with a variety of situations, from hostage-taking bank robbers at the Circle Cinema in Cleveland Circle to a hazmat/suspicious package situation on a Blue Line train at Bowdoin (above). So any gunfire you might hear? Chances are it's not real.

On the Blue Line. Photo by BFD.

When Kenmore station was filled with water. By Fourduce1

The Christian Science Monitor interviews Michael Mulhern, who was director of subway operations at the MBTA in 1996 when the unexpectedly mighty Muddy River overflowed its banks, overwhelmed its tunnels and burst into Kenmore station, shutting it completely down for two months:

"When it was finally up and running it was initially far less service than commuters were used to," says Mulhern. "It took us a year to get back to full capacity. I think it will be a long time before New York's services are back to normal."

Photos of flooded New York subway tunnels.

MBCR, which runs the T's commuter trains, tweets somebody left a turtle on one of its trains now and that it's now looking for an aquarium or school to take him in. And no, wise guy, they're not going to adopt him as a mascot.

H/t Kat Hasenauer for coming up with his/her name.

No bunching for this 39 bus.

MBTA Transit Police report arresting a man they say tried to piggyback a plainclothes cop into Park Street around 11 this morning.

As the officer was stepping through the fare gates he observed a male, later identified as Michael Cammisaro, 57 of Waltham, MA. attempting to "piggyback" in behind him without paying his fare. The officer stopped and inquired what Cammisaro was trying to do, Cammisaro responded by shouting "MOVE, MOVE MOVE !". Then Cammisaro proceeded to physically assault the officer by shoving him with both hands and attempt to force him through the fare gates. The officer and Cammisaro struggled, the officer was able to gain control of Cammisaro and cease the assault.

He now faces a charge of assault and battery.

Innocent, etc.

MBTA Transit Police report an inbound Orange Line train hit a 22-year-old man on the tracks about a half mile north of Malden Center around 8:40 tonight. He was taken to Mass. General and is expected to survive what AlertNewEngland reports are leg injuries.

Police say Orange Line service has been replaced with buses while they investigate the incident.

Robby snapped this photo of a cat on the Red Line this evening. A cat in a stroller. A big-ass stroller, apparently. He tweeted:

What's wrong with this picture? Many things ...

Another commuter, AH, also took to Twitter, around 6:20 p.m. and was more specific:

Lady with a cat in full-sized/meant for children stroller preventing me and 8 other saps from going on T. #wtf #catbitch #mbta

Ah, but the cat owner tweets, too. In fact, Coco Koh has blogged about her adventures on the T with Jacoby the Abyssinian. So she tweeted right back:

FYI snippy woman on the Red Line: cats (& dogs) ARE allowed on #mbta as long as they're properly contained!!!

MzKeating chimed in:

[H]ave you ever tried to get a cat to walk on a leash?

Robby answered:

No, that sounds ridiculous. That was her rationale as well, along with cat does not like the escalator. ... Let's recap, cat, stroller, peak hours, capacity train. No, still not reasonable. Thing was gigantic.

Keep up to the minute by doing a Twitter search on #strollercat.

Boston to a T has compiled positive comments about T service today.

Boston Public Schools will be open tomorrow, the city announced. In contrast, Newton, Somerville, Chelsea and Revere will be closed.

The MBTA, meanwhile, announced it expects to run normal subway and trolley service tomorrow, except between Reservoir and Riverside, where buses will be swapped in. On commuter rail, downed trees will mean no service on the Providence/Stoughton line past Mansfield. Other lines will run, but likely with delays.

Photo by MBTA.

The scene on the Orange Line near Stony Brook this afternoon. Also see photo of a tree on the platform on Eliot on the Green Line. The T reports more than a dozen downed trees along the Beacon Street line.

Dave snapped the departure board at South Station around 12:30 p.m. He reports the station was "just a little more crowded" than the usual end-of-day rush as commuters try to get the last train out.

Subways, commuter rail, buses, the whole megillah.

Sandbags at Fenway portal. Photo by MBTA.

The MBTA trucked in sandbags to the Fenway tonight, in case workers have to barricade the portal used by Riverside trolleys to head into Kenmore in case Sandy supercharges the Muddy River. The T wants to avoid a repeat of a 1996 flood that shut Kenmore for two months when the Muddy overflowed its banks and poured down the portal into the station.

Fenway portal dam in action, in 2010.

Rob McDougall reports somebody was shot in the arm shortly before 7 p.m. The suspect was described as a black Hispanic male who fled in an older Civic last spotted headed toward Revere.

Andy Dost reports cops were in no mood to explain what was going on to bystanders:

Armed police have set up a tape perimeter at the Orient Heights stop. An officer told me when I asked, "Escaped zombies."

The inbound track needs repairs, but that requires some special parts, which are currently on order, T spokesman Joe Pesaturo says:

The speed restriction will remain in place until the repairs are made. Upon the arrival of some parts needed to make the repairs, the work will be scheduled for a weekend within sixty days.

Six teens were arraigned today on charges they attacked a woman on an Orange Line train yesterday evening and made off with her cell phone. And after they were done, they exchanged high fives, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

The DA's office adds that one of the teens, Eric Thompson, 18, of Dorchester, was arrested at Transit Police headquarters in Roxbury when he showed up to help bail out the other teens - still wearing the same sweatshirt he allegedly wore during the attack.

According to the DA's office and Transit Police, the six went after a woman on an outbound train approaching Tufts Medical Center around 6:40 p.m.:

MBTA Transit Police say they know who attacked two women at the Quincy Center T stop on Oct. 8 - now they have to find him.

The Herald reports he punched one woman in the nose hard enough to break it and hit the other. Police say the man was angered when they declined his offer to give him money around 10:50 p.m.

Police add:

Working in conjunction with the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office, Transit Police will continue the investigation and take appropriate steps to ensure the subject is held responsible for his actions.

The Globe reports a T worker who found a wallet on a Charlestown bus seat with $900 inside returned it to its owner.

MBTA Transit Police report arresting a Roxbury man on charges he indecently assaulted a woman around 11 a.m. on Sept. 28 at Shawmut and then another woman around 9 a.m. on Oct. 2 at Andrew.

Police say Xavier Wyatt, 19, grabbed the first woman as she standing on the platform and the second woman as she was getting on a train. He was arrested this morning at Community College on the Orange Line.

Innocent, etc.

MBTA Transit Police report a man responded to a bus driver's refusal to let him off the bus exactly where he wanted this morning by punching the driver in the head, pushing out an emergency-exit window and jumping out.

Boston EMTs rendered aid to the driver, stopped at 700 Albany St. around 5:40 a.m. Police continue to hunt for the puncher.

Shortly before 10 p.m., by a commuter-rail train on the Northeast Corridor tracks, just south of Canterbury Street.

MBTA Transit Police report the victim, a white male who appeared to be in his 20s, was hit by an inbound Franklin Line train.

In August, 2011, a man was killed by an Amtrak train at Hyde Park station; a little more than a month later, another person died when hit by a commuter-rail train just south of the station.

Hey, Penelope lady, take notes.

Via Steve Annear.

MBTA Transit Police report arresting a man they say went even more berserk than he already was when ordered off a bus in Dudley Square for swearing at the driver.

Police say that around 7:45, a route-45 driver picked up Carlos Ramirez-Rodrigue, 38, at Blue Hill Avenue and Dudley Street:

Ramirez-Rodrigue entered the bus and immediately began yelling and swearing at the driver who asked Ramirez-Rodrigue to get off the bus which he did. While exiting the bus Ramirez-Rodrigue spit in the direction of the driver multiple times. When Ramirez-Rodrigue exited the bus, the driver closed the front passenger side door. Ramirez-Rodrigue then began punching the front passenger door with a closed fist and shattered the window.