A person died after they were struck by an MBTA Blue Line train, with shuttles provided to passengers at the station.

An old and neglected piece of equipment caused the issue that led to a Blue Line train being stopped in a tunnel, MBTA general manager Phil Eng said.

The 50- to 60-year-old steel cable probably “weakened until the point where it came down” after decades in a damp, subterranean tunnel, said Phillip Eng, the MBTA general manager.

The MBTA's general manager said that a decades-old cable led to the shutdown of the Blue Line on Tuesday, which prompted the evacuation of 500 people under Boston Harbor.

A communication wire issue led to the evacuation of about 465 passengers from a Blue Line MBTA train in Boston.

A central section of the MBTA through Downtown Boston will close from Thursday night through the end of the weekend.

MBTA Blue Line trains were being held in Boston and buses brought in to replace service because of a signal problem near Long Wharf on Tuesday. The issue was near Aquarium Station, the transit agency said,