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From Worcester and Needham, heat means lack of speedham
By adamg on Mon, 06/12/2017 - 10:26am
When the heat gets too hot, Worcester and Needham Line trains have to go extra slow because, of course, the tracks weren't designed to handle regular-speed trains in the heat. Or as Goodband-C puts it when talking about what is normally 33-minute ride on the Needham Line:
Crawling into South Station a quick 80 minute trip from Hersey.
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Comments
According to this 2014 Globe
According to this 2014 Globe article, speed restrictions were supposed to be a thing of the past starting in 2016. Are they still doing this work? Is there a more recent source someone can find?
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/07/09/commuter-rail-heat-restrict...
From what was explained to me
From what was explained to me when I called and asked/complained about it last year, they'll NEVER completely go away, as other lines also get restrictions. I guess in extreme heat, any line might have them imposed...though not as frequently. I saw them listed on the Fitchburg recently...though they didn't seem to be as delayed as Worcester used to get. I do have to admit, that traveling from Ashland (and usually mid day thanks to my schedule), they're nowhere near as bad as they were when I started commuting in 2011....as the old adage goes, Better Safe than Sorry....
Other Railroads Have Many Solutions For Dealing With Hot Weather
( Network Rail - How we prevent tracks from getting too hot. )
But then they would freeze in
But then they would freeze in the winter because of not enough sun. Can't win!
Needham?
The Worcester Line I get, due to the freight and whatever they inherited from CSX, but I can't see how Needham would be any different from Stoughton, Franklin, or the Old Colony lines.
Needham line is single tracked
The Needham Line is single tracked from outside of Roslindale Square to West Roxbury, and then from outside Home Depot.to Needham Heights.
Yes
And those other lines also have single track sections. How does that affect the rails in heat?
Aren't the stops on needham
Aren't the stops on needham packed closer together than any of the other stops? Maybe has to do with stopping distance?
Latest press I can find:
Latest press I can find:
What the MBTA has to say:
Eaten links
http://www.telegram.com/article/20160324/NEWS/160329477
http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/T_Projects/T_Projects_List...
Worcester Line is just SNAFU
You know, Situation Normal, All F....
The rail destressing is done on the Framingham/Worcester line and there aren't heat restrictions there any more. Today's drags are due to the same issues that have dogged us for weeks: a tie replacement project (currently west of Framingham and hopefully wrapping up), signal/track work between Newtonville and Boston Landing, and a speed restriction over the Intervale Road bridge in Weston, all of which conspire to make it apparently impossible for Worcester Line trains to run on time. And there's the train running with only two conductors (fewer doors opening means longer dwell times at every station, which adds up).
But, y'know, reform before revenue! Working like a charm! Right?
Speedham
Good headline.