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Orange Line riders will have trouble getting into town due to a train that just plumb broke down

The T is warning of the dreaded "severe" delays on the Orange Line inbound from Oak Grove due to a train that needs to be taken out back and shot at Assembly Square. It's so bad, the T is telling people to take the Green Line between North Station and Back Bay, assuming they can get to North Station to begin with, that is.

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New cars should start rolling off the assembly line once the assembly line rolls off the assembly line, should only be another few years

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2021 i think they said, then again the company is having quality issues in other countries.

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Too bad they can't seem to figure out how to use that express track that's rusted over. Would solve all the overcrowding and rush hour problems, and allow them to run trains around disabled ones.

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extension to Malden was constructed in the 1970s, the center track was supposed to be the bi-directional express track (inbound in AM and outbound in PM), and the outer tracks were supposed to be the local tracks. However, they were never able to extend the three tracks past Wellington once the plan to run the Orange Line all the way to 128 (now I-95) in Reading was scrapped. When that happened, they needed to retain one of the two commuter rail tracks for Reading service.

Apart from the fact the extra track likely can't support train service at normal speeds, at present, they can't run some trains express, or run around disabled trains, between North Station and Wellington for these reasons: The elevator on the platform between the center and east tracks at Community College has been out of service for some time, and the platform itself is in bad condition (thanks DTP for the reminder) - and the T obviously has no intentions of repairing it; Assembly Station is lacking a third platform between the center and outside tracks; and while the outside track could be used for outbound "express" runs, the track configuration at Community College does not include a direct "outside track" to inbound track connection - making it impractical to use the track for inbound service.

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Also note that it's not just the elevator out of service at Community College - the entire platform is abandoned. It never received ADA upgrades years ago (e.g. yellow tactile warning strips), the columns holding up the canopy are crumbling away, so it's supported with wood cribbing, etc.

The third track does get used once in a blue moon for testing, storing disabled trains, things like that, and unless I'm mistaken doesn't have any speed restrictions compared to the other tracks, but you are correct that the platform and switch layouts preclude any useful service on it except outbound expresses, and I question the utility of those anyway, since all they'd skip is Community College and Assembly (could skip Sullivan too, but it's far too busy of a station with far too important of bus connections. Same goes for Wellington).

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with the outer platform at Community College Station. And you are absolutely correct. Skipping only two or three stops really wouldn't make much of a difference in terms of service.

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express track and platform that is already BUILT is the most MBTA thing I've ever heard.

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