After railroad crossing incident, district and MBTA conclude systems functioned; training and route reviews underway

School and transportation officials updated the committee on a March 25 incident in which a school bus and a commuter train interacted at a local crossing. The Federal Railroad Administration reviewed the event, and district officials reported that MBTA and federal reviewers concluded the railroad and MBTA systems were operating within applicable federal regulations and that the bus driver made appropriate safety decisions.

District staff described steps taken since the event: daily operational check-ins with First Student, increased driver training in partnership with Kilios Commuter Services and the MBTA, periodic central-office staff rides on buses to observe operations, and requests to town property owners to keep sight lines clear near crossings. The district has forged training partnerships among First Student, the MBTA and district operations staff.

Separately, First Student produced a route-efficiency analysis identifying routes that could reduce ride time, mileage and stop counts; staff said they asked the vendor to focus on routes 2, 7, 10, 13, 15 and 19 initially. District staff cautioned that some suggested stop changes would add walking distance for students and that driver shortages and substitute drivers make frequent stop changes impractical at present. Parents asked about a real-time tracking app; the district said it piloted an app previously and will re-evaluate options while continuing to rely on principal-to-parent communications for the near term.

Ending: The district will continue daily monitoring, pursue additional driver training with MBTA and First Student, examine stop-by-stop proposed changes with building principals, and return to the committee with recommendations rather than making immediate route changes.