Baker, T officials: Turn that frown upside down, Orange Line riders, because at 5 a.m. on Sept. 19, you're going to get faster, safer, more reliable service

See all the Yorkshires! And Durocs! And Berkshires! Swine everywhere!

I have a bridge over the Mystic to sell you. It's great for diving enthusiasts.

As I said in the other thread, I suspect it was more of an ultimatum - "you close it now, or we do."

Baker acknowledge more work needs to be done on the T, but credited himself and his administration for getting the T into a better position

Yeah, Charlie, the word "triumph" seems inadequate for the hard work you've done making our transit system the envy of other cities like, I guess, Waterbury and Utica

You can't use the monthly pass at zone 2 at Readville? I take the 32 bus to Forest Hills and the Orange Line every day. GRRRRRRR.

, but credited himself and his administration for getting the T into a better position, after decades of it being underfunded by previous governors.

I dunno i read part of that 80 some odd page statement from Ron Nickle to the FTA (see it here) and I've gathered that..

1. The T was in bad shape when he joined in 2011, but had support from Dr Scott, Davey, any pre-2014 administration, and they wanted to fix the issues.
2. Once baker took over and that Shortsleeve dude came in, he was completely ignored and when he tried to speak up, he was silenced.
3. Then he was fired for speaking up

So they all knew about this stuff and just silenced it.

I'm not done reading the entire report but the other thing I learned is that the T management has lied repeatedly to the public and politicians. I guess the 'strap' or whatever they used to override the safety on the red line train (a la 2015's run away red line train) was not.. as the T management put it.. 'something not often done'.. to 'yeah we do it all the time'

I am sure I'll read more of this, as I read. I believe Nickle, he was imported here from Utah and has creds to support everything he says, including working in safety on the FTA level!

So yeah Charlie is spewing crap because he's full of it. He was aware.. Shortsleeve et all were under his watch.

FWIW, the T press release says:

All Zone 1A, 1, and 2 fares can be paid simply by showing a CharlieCard or CharlieTickets on ALL Commuter Rail lines.

i.e. not just the Haverhill, Providence and Needham lines.

He said he's talking to the city of Boston on possible ways to speed shuttle buses up along Boston roads, but had no details, although he acknowledged that "pop-up bus lanes" are possibilities

They've been doing trial bus lanes for years now. Get someone out there with some cones. Heck, start doing it early to get drivers used to it before the bus traffic gets heavy! But whatever the plan, how do you not have one set up before you announce something this major?

What’s laughable is using the new orange line cars as props again. All while having no plan for kids to get to school, shuttle bus routes or dedicated bus lanes. But hey they are spending $37 MILLION on buses. Of course what routes those buses will drive is to be determined. SO the commuter rail is essentially free but you may still need to use a shuttle bus to get to your station? Yes great planning…

When they reopen in September, will weekday trains still be operating on a weekend schedule? It doesn’t sound like there’s anyway they can get enough dispatchers up and running that quickly. If that’s the case, it seems more than a little premature to take a victory lap.

MassDOT Highway Division should have to move to Forward Funding from road tolls.

No? Stupid idea?

I agree.

Why does it seem like this wasn't discussed with city officials from any of the effected communities? Why weren't they united with Baker at today's press conference to say they'd worked with the Commonwealth officials to put in place plans that would keep impact to a minimum for riders? Why does this seem like something Baker decided off-the-cuff and didn't discuss with anyone other than Poftak and Tesler?

Baker: "So we doing this?"
Poftak and Tesler: "Sure, fuck it, why not? It's not like it changes our lives."

It would be nice if they would increase the number of trains on the Needham line at least for the duration of this work. Hourly service during peak times is not enough when you can't fall back on the orange line after missing your train (or really even when the orange line is running, but I digress). Not holding my breath though.

I speak a white magik hex of good will and repair upon the MBTA. Go forth and do good deeds.

"FIX THE T! NOW!"

Baker & the MBTA: "OK, we're going to need a 30-day window to cram in as much work as possible with no Orange Line service along the entire line."

"NO! NOT LIKE THAT!"

I'd love to hear proposals from folks of how the T can do meaningful maintenance and capital improvement work without having significant disruptions of service.

Am I the only one who would not be surprised if the Orange line never comes back?

Just temporarily, they said.

It's rough, but it's best to do it now, before the winter and only partially during the school year. People will adapt.

But this will be like that and New Year's Eve, combined.

…. the T can hire enough people to do all this work all at once on all sections of the Orange Line?
Are the dispatchers pitching in? The T police? I suppose the ambassadors are all learning to lay rails.
Don’t tell me more Orange Lies!!