More Boston rail system delays expected Friday

The rail lines saw huge delays throughout the day Thursday, starting during the morning commute as trains were unable to access South Station.

Passengers on commuter rail trains from west and south of the city were forced to get off trains at stops before South Station and transfer to rapid transit lines or, in some cases, walk the remaining distance to their destination.

The Amtrak issue at South Station involves the failure of a switch control and has resulted in all but one commuter rail train being able to arrive at South Station for the morning commute.

Meanwhile, delays are not only occurring with the MBTA commuter rails trains.

A spokeswoman for Keolis, which operates the 394-mile commuter rail network under a contract with the MBTA, apologized to passengers while noting the problem was with equipment operated by Amtrak. Amtrak is unsure whether signal issues will be fixed before then, the MBTA wrote on its website. “It’s not the preferred route for any of us, and I get the frustration, believe me”, Baker said.

After the morning commute, the T bolstered its off-peak service between the morning and evening rush hours by adding two 6-car trains on both the Red and Orange Lines to meet increased rider demand, according to a T spokesman.

The MBTA said they would be offering free transfers for Commuter Rail passengers to Orange and Red Line trains while Amtrak works to fix the problem.

Problems at South Station were also heavily affected by an Amtrak signal problem causing delays on the Framingham/Worcester, Needham, Franklin, Fairmount, Providence/Stoughton, Middleborough/Lakeville and Kingston/Plymouth lines, WHDH reported.

All other commuter rail lines are running their regular schedules, the statement said.

Officials urged people to consider alternative means of transportation.

For more information, here are the latest service alerts from the MBTA.

“It has very, very low ridership and it’s hugely expensive to operate”, Baker said.