Some of Steve H's alternative Orange Line signs.
With the Orange Line shutting down for a month at 9 p.m. (and then allegedly returning Sept. 18 without our beloved rolling 1980s rec rooms), by now you know the drill: Work from home (good luck if you're, oh, a nurse or housekeeper), expect mayhem in the streets, extra long commutes even if you get on one of those shuttle buses, etc., etc.
City Councilor Kendra Lara (Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury, Mission Hill) has put together the best guide to the Orange Line shutdown that doesn't involve diagrams that look like adult versions of Chutes and Ladders.
Bikeyface has been busy brainstorming some non-traditional alternatives.
Steve H has been busy creating alternative sign boards for Orange Line stations.
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Comments
Meh to JP
By John Costello
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 10:24am
JP has the 39 Bus and from Heath Street north, the trolley.
There is also commuter rail for those darn Westie Whites, Rozzie Rats, and those in Cleary Square and Readville. Hell you can even get on at Brookline Village if you live close enough.
You have some modicum of easily acceptable service beyond the shuttle buses.
Malden has one commuter rail stop and that's it but somehow JP gets all the attention.
Tip O'Neil used to say about Brookline - 10% of the district, 90% of the mail. I think Wards 11 & 19 have taken the mantle of this truthful insult.
The Ashmont branch shut down in 1982 for nearly a year. They ran buses up and down Dot Ave between Ashmont and Andrew. Everything was fine.
Everything will be fine. Get over yourselves. Malden has it much worse than your transit pampered selves.
PS
By John Costello
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 10:40am
Be kind to the employees in all this. Be kind to them everyday in fact.
They are under a lot of pressure to get you to your very important to you and no one else destination.
The people from Yankee a few weeks ago when the C branch was under repair were great. Return the favor if you would.
Agree 100%
By ScottB
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 3:21pm
It takes barely a second to say "thank you" to a bus driver and based on the responses I have gotten back, most of them seem to appreciate the acknowledgement.
"Transit pampered"
By MrZip
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 10:48am
HA! I THOUGHT I was transit pampered on the Orange Line for the last 30 years, only the occasional mystery stream flowing down the floors of the rusting cars, syringe rolling gently back and forth with the starting and stopping, I kept myself in good mental shape by staying hyper-vigilant for spontaneous outbreaks of teen violence and random assaults by some poor deranged individual. Then I chanced to ride the Commuter Rail and saw first hand how the other half lives. Even worse, I rode transit in another City once, it was clean, safe and reliable with frequent headways. I thought hmm, why can't we get transit like this? At this point though I will settle the creaky rolling urinals that are the Orange line and will be dutifully thankful should they get me to me destination without serious harm.
/s
The 39 bus will be stuck in
By Kinopio
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 11:08am
The 39 bus will be stuck in traffic created by car drivers. The additional trains stopping at Forest Hills will be helpful though.
The Heath Street branch of
By redheadedjen
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 12:33pm
The Heath Street branch of the Green Line has not been running and the 39 bus is the "shuttle" for this too.
That's only through Sunday, though
By Ron Newman
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 3:58pm
Service to Heath Street is supposed to resume on Monday, August 22.
August 21 isn't a Monday this
By Rob
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 4:28pm
August 21 isn't a Monday this year. So, is Heath service resuming by Monday 8/21/2023?
Oops, fixed
By Ron Newman
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 6:27pm
And During The Ashmont Shutdown
By Low Techie
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 11:16am
Did you stand outside of Fields Corner each rush hour to scold the Dot Rats turned mollycoddles who dared comment about their work commutes being turned upside down?
you have a strange definition of "pampered"
By Vicki
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 11:34am
Are you really objecting to the City Council member who represents JP giving her constituents useful information?
If I am "pampered" because I made a point of living in walking distance of the T, then every driver who has a driveway, a garage, or on-street parking is also pampered. By that line of reasoning, everyone who looked for housing with an easy commute to work is also "pampered."
Yes, there ought to be more and better mass transit, to more locations. Talk to your state representatives about that. Write to Congress and ask them to increase transit funding. But even if all those people are receptive, building train tracks takes time as well as money. In he meantime, a reminder that the T doesn't go to Malden isn't going to help anyone get around Boston in the next few weeks.
Two Orange Line Stops in Malden
By Pete X
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 11:44am
Mr. Costello, why aren't you asking Malden's government to provide a similar useful service for people normally taking the T at Malden Center and Oak Grove?
One Commuter Rail Stop
By John Costello
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 11:46am
One Commuter Rail Stop.
One Commuter Rail Stop - See?
whoosh
By Pete X
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 11:50am
n/t
Commuter rail trains will stop at Oak Grove
By Hardy Har Har
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 11:58am
"On both sides, T officials are boosting service. During the morning rush, Poftak says there will be seven additional trains from Forest Hills to South Station and four additional trains from Oak Grove to North Station.
To note, Haverhill Line trains will actually stop at Oak Grove station (which the line usually bypasses), in addition to its usual stops at Malden Center and North Station."
https://www.wbur.org/news/2022/08/03/mbta-orange-l...
Stop
By Pete X
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 12:12pm
You're ruining Mr. Costello's wallow in his victim complex mud bath with actual facts.
Commuter rail will be stopping at Oak Grove
By necturus
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 11:57am
According to the message board at Anderson/Woburn this morning, all Haverhill Line trains will add a stop at Oak Grove.
That's a start; but ...
By jmeltzer
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 12:54pm
the main bus terminal for Malden is at Malden Center, not Oak Grove. Those who park in the Oak Grove lot will be able to get on a train, but bus commuters are still sentenced to shuttle land.
Time to put those Malden Center platforms back that were there when the commuter rail was being renovated at North Station and had to terminate at Malden.
And then there's the Wellington garage to Orange Line commuter traffic.
Commuter trains will stop at BOTH Oak Grove and Malden
By Ron Newman
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 1:47pm
The commuter trains already stop at Malden; they are adding another stop at Oak Grove which they normally do not serve.
You are right
By jmeltzer
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 8:20pm
and I am embarrassed. I was confusing Sullivan and Malden.
More transit everywhere
By Brookley
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 11:59am
This rant would perhaps make sense if people from JP were actually advocating for reduced transit service in Malden, which they are not. Everywhere should get more transit access, including Malden. You are of course also aware that aside from the very southern end of Ward 11, the entirety of ward 11 is on the other side of the OL relative to your alternatives that supposedly makes JP so pampered? A month closure is a big change, people are rightfully going to complain. You should understand the desire to complain since you seem to be a fan of complaining too, after all.
The Heath Street green line
By redheadedjen
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 12:43pm
The Heath Street green line has been shut down and the 39 is the "shuttle" for it.
That said
By Waquiot
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 2:10pm
By the first rush hour of all of this, the E line will be back up and running.
Orange Line Msg Board
By Anon
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 10:51am
Next Train to Forest Hills
43,200 Minutes
And there will be
By jmeltzer
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 11:13am
another train directly behind it.
But...
By lbb
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 11:51am
...both will be full.
A+ to Kendra Lara
By Waquiot
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 12:09pm
Or maybe her staff. In any event, that's a good guide for people in the district.
CR
By SouthSt
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 12:15pm
You know what's extra helpful for trying to plan how to deal with this once the semester starts for students and professors? The Commuter Rail website and app says you cannot access schedules past 8/27. Cool cool
That's funny
By Waquiot
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 2:14pm
I've been reading this thing constantly for the past week, even though it doesn't change. And here's the Providence/Stoughton schedule. Here's Haverhill to boot.
scheduler?
By SouthSt
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 2:30pm
I was trying to use the calendar to pick a date (8/29) on the schedule for Franklin and got this message: "August 29, 2022 is outside of our current schedule.
We can only provide trip data for the Summer schedule, valid until August 27, 2022.
View outbound trips for today."
Don't use it
By Waquiot
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 3:27pm
But for those who cannot locate it, here is the Franklin schedule.
UHub pool on date service restored?
By downtown-anon
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 1:49pm
The schedule says restored September 19th, but we know that the odds are against that.
The city of Boston won't even include the date on their shutdown page Although it does say "30 days".
My pool entry
By Chokmah
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 3:05pm
Restored Sept 19, a smoking heap by Sept 20
I'd take action on the 19th
By Waquiot
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 4:27pm
But I also wouldn't be surprised if they do a "soft reopening" on the 18th, which is what Lara's document says.
Of course, they might be aiming for the 18th knowing they'll need that extra day.
First...
By lbb
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 5:55pm
...we need to define "restored".
Which will be the next headline
By anon
Fri, 08/19/2022 - 2:33pm
Sharks attack on cape cod or land sharks attack shuttle bus.
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