Hundreds stranded below in another T breakdown

To help, the T tried to run buses in pairs, with an experienced local driver leading a less experienced one; short of that, an MBTA inspector in a car led the way.

Until they got aboveground, stranded passengers had no cellphone service. The tunnel, at 200 feet underground, is the deepest point of the subway system, said transit police Lieutenant Commander Robert Lenehan.

That meant newly unemployed Brennan Molina, 28, of Davis Square, could not call an MIT office to say he would be late for a job interview as an administrative assistant.

“What could I do? We were all in there,’’ Molina said, shrugging. “There was a lot of waiting, and a lot of, ‘We’ll be getting you out of here soon.’ ’’

That rueful acceptance was nearly universal, sparking a serendipitous relationship a few cars down. Morgan Bickle and Sravish Sridhar, engineers with technology company Kinvey, met an employee from a start-up company. The three talked for two hours about collaborating on a smartphone application that would tell users the best route from point A to point B, taking into consideration, of course, unexpected delays.

“This was actually the perfect place for a meeting,’’ said Bickle, who describes himself as “a code whisperer.’’

The group planned to meet again last night to hash out specifics.

The Holmans, a family of four, were headed to the zoo when the train broke down. Emily Holman, 33, said passengers lent their iPhones to keep her son, Liam, 3, and daughter, Dorothea, 2, entertained with the popular touch-screen game Angry Birds. The kids saw exploring the tunnel as an adventure.

“But I think we’ve had enough adventures for one day,’’ Holman said, as her husband and Liam dashed off to find a bathroom. “We’re headed home.’’

Laura J. Nelson can be reached at lnelson@globe.com. Eric Moskowitz can be reached at emoskowitz@globe.com.