Transit Police report arresting a Boston man on charges he openly masturbated on an inbound Lowell Line train yesterday evening.

A train died on each line, a suspicious package showed up on the platform at JFK/UMass, there was a medical emergency at Kendall, commuter rail had snow issues, but, yes, the trains ran (except the Mattapan Line, which was replaced by a bus).

Clearing the tracks along Comm. Ave. in Brighton. Photo by MBTA.

Transit Police report arresting a guy who donned one of those bright orange vests T workers often wear in an attempt to evade paying to get on the Orange Line at Back Bay.

"Nice try," police said laconically.

According to police, Willie Gill, for some reason in town from Springfield, piggybacked behind a paying customer around 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Video shows he even waved at somebody before he tried to fare evade. Police say officers, however, were immediately suspicious because actual T workers have their own passes:

First there were signal problems at Harvard. Now, "severe delays in service due to a track problem," specifically, a cracked rail near Central, are creating hordes of refugees. Mamajoan reports from Porter Square:

Commuters exiting Porter like rats from sinking ship. Buses crammed full, driver waving people on without paying.

Amy Lynne Grzybinski adds:

I've been on the train from Porter for 30 minutes and haven't left Kendall yet. HAHAHA

This morning, we had the construction worker saved by plastic sheeting. And now comes word, via Jerzy Eisenberg Guyot, of a slippery lunchtime rescue at the Downtown Crossing T stop:

Man trapped with suitcase in Downtown Crossing MBTA turnstile, turnstile experts are on the scene with lubricant.

A few minutes later:

Luckily the turnstile support team was able to save the man, although he's now drenched in oils.

Transit Police report a man stopped for questioning at Park Street for allegedly nabbing another Green Line rider's phone turned out to be wanted on a warrant for indecent assault and battery on another MBTA train.

Upon arrival officers were met by the reporting party who stated as he was traveling on a Green Line westbound train another passenger, later identified as Dane Mullin 26 of Boston, chose to sit in between the reporting party and another female passenger despite the fact there were several other available seats. Prior to this Mullin oddly walked back and forth through the train car before taking a seat. As the train was approaching Park Street the reporting party got up from his seat and began making his way to the doors. He suddenly realized his cell phone was missing from his jacket pocket. He suspected Mullin had stolen his phone and confronted him. An MBTA employee who observed what was taking place contacted Transit Police.

Police say they did not find the other passenger's phone on Mullin, but placed him under arrest for the warrant. Mullin, a former Salem resident who now lists the Pine Street Inn as his home address, has a sex-offender record dating to when he was 17 and was convicted for grabbing a woman walking down the street in Salem.

Innocent, etc.

As of 8:20 a.m.: Two trolleys died on the Green Line (one at Chestnut Hill Avenue, one at Park Street) and one train died on the Red Line (at Charles/MGH).

The T today turned on new digital ad screens at Harvard, in a move that could mean "millions of dollars of new advertising revenue for the MBTA in the coming years," the state Department of Transportation says.

Park Street Station, North Station and South Station will also get some of the large-screen TVs to beam ads and service info at the faces of commuters.

Harvard Station is equipped with three 70" Tri-Faced screens in a kiosk in the main atrium and five 55" Landscape Screens; one double-sided on the inbound platform and three single-sided across the track on the inbound platform.