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BOSTON (AP) — A malfunctioning signal outside Boston's busiest commuter hub triggered massive delays Thursday for rail passengers with no immediate word on when the problem might be fixed. 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 signal is operated by Amtrak, which said track switches were being operated manually, significantly reducing the amount of trains that can arrive or depart from the station. Amtrak was also reporting delays of 30 minutes to 2 hours on some trains departing Boston for destinations on the Northeast Corridor such as New York, Philadelphia and Washington. Massachusetts transportation officials said Amtrak had notified them that the problem would persist through the evening rush hour and gave no assurances that it would be corrected before the Friday morning commute. "I've been ready to strangle somebody all day," a frustrated Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said during his monthly "Ask The Governor" segment on WGBH-FM. "I'm just waiting for somebody who looks like they deserve to be strangled." The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority canceled several afternoon commuter trains and announced that only two lines, the Providence/Attleboro and Stoughton lines, would operate out of South Station. Other lines would begin their trip from other Boston-area stations. A spokeswoman for Keolis Commuter Services, which operates the 394-mile commuter rail network under a contract with the MBTA, apologized to passengers while noting that the problem was with equipment operated by Amtrak. Michael Tolbert, a spokesman for Amtrak, said the railroad had not yet been able to pinpoint the cause of the malfunction in the signal, which he described as a switching control that guides trains to the 13 sets of tracks at the station. The signal had been one of Amtrak's most reliable in the past, he added. "We're working as hard and as fast as we can," to resolve the issue, Tolbert said.

Amtrak signal glitches foul Boston's rail system