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Orange Line train up and dies, it's just sitting on the ties
By adamg on Wed, 09/27/2017 - 11:54am
The MBTA reports a dead train somewhere near Tufts Medical Center means "severe" delays towards Oak Grove (which, of course, will eventually mean problems towards Forest Hills, especially since Forest Hills is down to just one track). That means every single T line had a dead train this morning. Is there a prize for that?
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Comments
Marty vs Tito
Why is the only candidate running for elected office in the city of Boston willing to discuss the MBTA is a clown?
If failing trains were an
If failing trains were an Olympic event, which lines would get the gold, silver, and bronze?
Red, Orange, Blue. IMO
Red, Orange, Blue. IMO
How is Green not on that list
How is Green not on that list?? No way it isn't setting world records for failure and taking home the Gold.
Oh, probably another good time to post:
http://bluemassgroup.com/2017/09/marty-walshs-coakley-moment/
How bad does it have to get to fit his definition of "crumbling?". Perhaps Gov. Baker can chime in?
You want crumbling?
Do to D.C. Go to San Francisco. Go to New York.
The T needs new cars (which are on order) and a bit more attention to infrastructure. The D.C. Metro is crumbling.
Hokey.
I know D.C. has issues. My dentist from N.Y. raves about their system so I'll side with her interpretation since I know her better than I know you. And I have no idea about SF.
The bigger point, Waq, is that I do not live in those areas nor do I have any intention of living in those areas. I rely on the Red Line as well as the commuter rail to get me to and from work each day. That is what matters to me. This is the third day that there have been major issues on many of the T lines (signals, cars). And the third day of angst for folks trying to take the Fairmont train into work from Readville 'cause they are having mechanical issues...again. And we have not even hit the winter months yet.
And with all due respect, you do not fix years of disregard with some new cars and "a bit more attention to infrastructure".
But you do fix things that way
For example, your commuter rail issues probably have a lot to do with engines. They don't have enough, and Keolis is working on getting more on line. Look at the reasons for most of the delays. The perpetually breaking down Red and Orange Line cars are being replaced. I have no clue how they are dealing with the Red Line's switching and signaling issues, which is the question that needs to be asked, but the claim is that they have increased the budget for things like that.
That said, we are not D.C. The system is essentially safe, which is my definition of not crumbling.
DC Metro essentially safe
The NTSB would disagree with you. Go to https://www.ntsb.gov/Search1/pages/Results.aspx?k=wmata
To compare that against the MBTA, go to https://www.ntsb.gov/Search1/pages/Results.aspx?k=mbta
Your suggested searches
Lead me to think WAMTA is less safe (160 reports to 31), but I'll come back in a while with more (the computer beats the iPad on this)
Let's see what the media says
It looks like the WMATA troubles are scary. Like body count scary. But here's what the Washingtonian and Washington Post have to say. I know that the T has bad delays, but other than dealing with feet of snow, I don't recall them ever just shutting down entire lines for mechanical issues.
But hey, since I can google and link, how about the BART in San Francisco.
Now I'm warmed up, so here's to New York City's "Summer of Hell" that some here haven't heard about.
So yeah, I like the T. But then again, I don't take the Red Line on a regular basis.
NY trains
Are (slightly) better although over crowding is a serious issue. The MBTA feels like a treat compared to the system here.
There are no good public
There are no good public transit systems in America.Thailand is a poor country yet Bangkok has nicer trains and stations than Boston. This is what happens when one of the two political parties in a country is anti public transportation because they are bought off by oil companies.
Which one is anti public transportation?
Since they've both run the country.
Texas and Utah have shiny new light rail systems. How did that happen?
How did that happen?
How did that happen?
The cities in question assembled the funding themselves for these transit systems despite the lack of state support.
Houston's METRORail, for example, had to spend 20 years fighting against Republican legislators at multiple levels of government before they could even get a shovel in the ground. And the initial line was funded with 100% local money. Subsequent expansions have received federal grants (despite Texas's Republican Congressional delegation's best efforts), but continues to fund both capital and operating budgets at the county level.
Dallas's DART is similar - had to fight many political battles to get off the ground, and is now supported through a regional sales tax, with no help from the state of Texas.
Same thing for Salt Lake City's TRAX - funded through a regional sales tax with capital expansion grants from the federal government.
The point is that these cities, which are largely democratic, in contrast to the rest of the state they are located in, take matters into their own hands and fund transit systems locally (and with the assistance of federal transit grants), rather than relying on a largely Republican state government that isn't interested in funding transit. Their transit agencies aren't entities of the state government like the MBTA is.
why today?
It is not raining, it is not snowing, it's not windy, and although it's hot, it's not so hot as to cause metal melting or other track problems.
It's a day that ends in "y"
That's usually enough.
Adam's Fault
Which T line wouldn't want to see the next rhyme and out do the other T lines rhymes. <\s>
around 8 this morning
It was messed up too, was told there was a disabled train earlier. Luckily I had brought an extra Dr. Seuss book for the ride.
Lesser known Dr. Seuss titles appropriate for reading on the T
And To Think That They Kicked Us Out At Park Street
I Had Trouble In Getting To Scollay Square
I Am Not Going to Get To Work Today
I take the Red Line everyday
I take the Red Line everyday and there are delays here and there. Trains tend to be over crowded. I have to take the Orange Line to school at night a couple ties a week. It is a much worse train ride from North Station to Sullivan. The train always smells terrible and the people are beyond ignorant. They won't take off their bags to allow other people to get on. We can blame the T to a point but just take a look at some of these people that have no concern for others.
Take the red line daily from Quincy Center to South Station
and to Kendall and somtimes Porter. It's often crowded, and rush hour when it's incredibly crowded, but it is mostly still fast. Use to take the Orange Line from FH, for years up until last year, and to be honest it functioned well and was fast most of the time. Use to also frequently use the Green Line (mostly C and D), and the biggest issue was they're very slow compared to heavy rail lines, and grossly overcrowded because they only use one and two cars, unlike six on the heavy rail lines. I much prefer heavy rail to light rail. Also used commuter rail from West Roxbury and Hyde Park and loved the Fairmont, but it gets very crowded during rush hours because people get on at Fairmont which is zone 1A, to avoid paying zone 1 fares at Readville and Hyde Park. A monthly pass more tahn doubles in price from zones 1A and 1.
One of th worse problems using especially the green and red lines is the gangs of college students, especially young women, who are often very loud and talk non stop like they were in their dorm or apartment. Many of them seem to me to lack consideration for others and their surroundings. I don't think HS students are nearly as bad.