Criminal probe opened into Boston area's transit agency

BOSTON (AP) — Prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into the Boston area's public transit agency to determine whether there was a “lack of oversight or negligence" that contributed to a trolley crash in July that sent 27 people to the hospital.

The investigation into the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority was announced Thursday by Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins, who on Monday will be sworn in as U.S. attorney for Massachusetts.

“There is perhaps no single state agency that impacts the daily lives of the millions of people who live and work in the greater Boston area more than the T,” Rollins said in a statement. “Therefore, it is imperative that if we see a continued lack of oversight or negligence at the MBTA that it is exposed and corrected.’’

Beyond the July crash, in which the operater of the Green Line light rail trolley that crashed into the rear of another faces criminal charges, there have been several other safety issues with the agency, Rollins said.

A spokesperson for the MBTA said safety is its top priority.

“The MBTA has been cooperating with the district attorney’s office since the summer, and the T will continue to do so,” Joe Pesaturo said in a statement.