Running late was probably not the best idea this morning, though it rarely is. After rushing to Green St. I was happy to see an inbound train arrive less than two minutes after I did.

We made our way to Back Bay fairly rapidly. The tunnel past Mass Ave went quickly. There was the mind-numbing roar of that segment, followed by the last push into the station where the train always seems to go just a little bit faster, the roar intensifies, the glass blocks appear and the sound fades and the lights of the station replace the darkness of the tunnel before you settle to a stop alongside the platform.

This time the darkness of the tunnel was replaced by more darkness. Back Bay was pitch black. All of the lights seemed to be off. The sunlight coming through the station windows in the lobby didn’t make it to the platform.

We continued on to New England Medical Center where the situation was repeated, though there were two lights on. One at either end of the platform. Everything else was off.

The doors remained open and after about three or four minutes an announcement was made that we would stand by. Two minutes later another announcement was made that the power failure continued on further into the subway and we wouldn’t be going anywhere.

It was then that most passengers decided to ditch the train and make their way on foot. There was passable amount of light in the lobby and the gates were wide open. Unsurprising as they require electricity to stay closed.

The new emergency lights that have been installed recently (which – judging by the 600V warning sign on each of them – appear to draw directly from the track circuit) weren’t working.

On the way up the stars the mass exodus of passengers crossed paths with a handful tourists headed down. Welcome to Boston.