6:33 a.m.: Dead train on the Braintree line. Inbound, of course.
Mike, who took the above photo, asks:
Red Line failing during rush hour. On what planet is 8 mins ok? Full trains are full.
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Comments
That dude is full of it. I
By anon
Fri, 12/06/2013 - 8:55am
That dude is full of it. I rode a train this morning that passed through NQ just a few minutes before that and there were still free seats.
8 minutes Braintree 8 minutes Ashmont
By Waquiot
Fri, 12/06/2013 - 11:25am
That's 4 minute headways from JFK to Alewife.
I don't know how frequent service can be on the Red Line between those 2 spots, but if it were 5 and 5, that would be 2 minutes 30 seconds between trains, making us Orange and Blue Line riders jealous.
Now, if a rider at Porter Square is getting that board, the Red Line riders are screwed.
Red Line headways
By BostonUrbEx
Fri, 12/06/2013 - 12:32pm
The core of the Red Line (Alewife to Andrew) can only handle 4 minute headways (as it is "scheduled" to be). It used to be 2 minutes, where trains would be every 4 minutes on each branch. So 8 minutes is a pretty standard headway for each branch of the Red Line under the present day signal system.
EDIT: in fact, the MBTA advertises every NINE minutes, which means there is no reason to complain that 8 minutes is out of the ordinary (well, it is, but for the better): http://mbta.com/uploadedFiles/Documents/Schedules_...
It's actually every 8.5
By anon
Fri, 12/06/2013 - 1:34pm
It's actually every 8.5 minutes (they alternate between 8/9).
Interesting
By abostonparent
Fri, 12/06/2013 - 2:16pm
Did the MBTA increase the time between Rush Hour trains? I swear it used to be every 6 minutes about two years ago. (I ride the Red Line everyday and disdainfully admit that these boards control my life.)
In the PM peak southbound the
By anon
Fri, 12/06/2013 - 9:49pm
In the PM peak southbound the Braintree Line does very briefly run a 6-minute headway for about a 20 minute period. That's why at the 5 to 5:30 time period you will see a couple of Braintree trains back to back instead of the usual alternating Ashmont/Braintree pattern.
The 4 minute headways
By anon
Fri, 12/06/2013 - 8:14pm
have nothing to do with the current signal system, which hasn't changed in over 40 years.
And that's when the headways changed
By BostonUrbEx
Sat, 12/07/2013 - 12:22am
The signal system, headways, and train lengths all changed during the same time period.
Braintree vs. Ashmont timing is annoying BS
By Nancy
Fri, 12/06/2013 - 1:38pm
I really don't care that nine minutes between North Quincy trains + nine minutes between Ashmont trains = 4 1/2 minute trains after they meet at JFK/UMass. It doesn't make living in Quincy less suckalicious.
So why blame the T?
By BostonUrbEx
Fri, 12/06/2013 - 1:44pm
So why blame the MBTA for your choice of where to live?
Don't be silly!
By HenryAlan
Sat, 12/07/2013 - 4:22pm
At least you have a rapid transit line. 8-9 minute headways sound fantastic to those of us who need to first ride a bus before getting on a train.
The really dumb part
By SwirlyGrrl
Sat, 12/07/2013 - 5:17pm
What you end up with is trains running 2 minutes and then 7 minutes apart going North. Not trains 4-5 minutes apart. During evening rush hour, this means that the lead one impedes the trailing one if there are boarding hassles and then the backup propagates.
Anybody know why they run them in 2-minute headways and then a seven minute gap like that?
I doubt they are able to time
By Matthew
Sat, 12/07/2013 - 6:37pm
I doubt they are able to time the arrivals so well at Columbia junction so that they are evenly spaced.
The bunching effect takes place when crowding starts to build up. The longer it dwells at each station, the worse it gets. It's a positive feedback loop, which is why bunching is so damn persistent.
And 8/9 min headways on the southern branches is probably infrequent enough that significant crowds develop in between trains during peak.
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