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Isn't it cool how far underground the Porter Square Red Line stop is?

By adamg on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 9:05am
Both escalators blocked at Porter Square

A roving UHub photographer snapped the situation this morning at Porter Square, where both escalators - and one of the stairs - were blocked for some sort of repair work.

Neighborhoods: 
Cambridge
Topics: 
The T
Free tagging: 
Red Line
Porter Square


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Comments

By cybah on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 9:11am.

I swear the escalators at Porter are more 'out of service' than they are 'in service'

Cone cannot keep these things running. (Sorry mbta haters, this is a Cone issue really)

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By Bob Leponge on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 9:28am.

It’s an MBTA escalator in an MBTA station, maintenance of which the MBTA has contracted with, and supervises, a vendor of the MBTA’s choosing. It is absolutely an MBTA issue.

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By cybah on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 9:49am.

You do know who CONE is correct?

You are aware that there are like TWO escalator vendors in this area? One being CONE the other being Schindler. Its not like the MBTA has much choice in the matter. Not like they can say 'welp you aren't doing the work so we're cancelling the contract". They can't do that because there's no one else to do this.

Furthermore, much like Otis Elevator Company, the technicians who service escalators and elevators are a dying breed and there's a shortage of workers. It's been like this for decades.

This has nothing to do with the MBTA except it resides in their station. The whole contraption is managed by cone. And as someone who managed contracts every day at his day job, I can tell you you can only beg and cry so much. If the contractor doesn't have the ability to send people, it just does not happen. You can only do so much.

I swear Bob you just want to argue for the sake of arguing.

But carry on the MBTA Shit parade as always if makes you feel better.

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By Yes on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 10:09am.

Guys... its KONE....just saying... but the MBTA dose contract out all their elevator / escalator mait... so dese every building or agency in the United States though... still the MBTA's problem.. their staition their problem.

By anon on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 4:43pm.

I thought it was QÖNE

By mg on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 10:17am.

@Cybah - it would have been a big help if you'd said in your first post who CONE was. With that info, it's a helpful informative post. Without that, it's just confusing.

By bird on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 10:24am.

We've had some experiences with Schindler that I wouldn't wish on anybody.

If your bosses bought something from Company X that doesn't work right and X's people won't fix until October, you're going to have a wonderful time explaining that to your customers and/or trying to get Company Y to do anything about it.

By anon on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 11:18am.

The escalator at Bowdoin--a station that the T would like to forget exists--has been out of service for over five years. It has now essentially returned to the earth, covered with leaves and organic matter. You're telling me that CONE (sounds like something out of a James Bond movie) is that far behind? Sorry, I don't buy it. The MBTA has no intention whatsoever of fixing the escalator at Bowdoin.

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By ScottB on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 1:04pm.

The T has no intention of doing anything beyond the absolute bare minimum at Bowdoin because they would love to close the station if they could. I think that if it weren't so close to many of the state offices that it would have closed permanently decades ago. The most recent plans to extend the Blue Line to Charles also include closing Bowdoin.

By Bob Leponge on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 2:04pm.

This is really very simple. Part of the MBTA's job is provide working escalators. If there aren't working escalators in the stations, it's the MBTA's responsibility to do something about it. If the two local vendors both suck, then it's the MBTA's responsibility to do something about that, for example by developing its own capabilities in house. If there's a shortage of available techs, then it's the MBTA's responsibility to do something about that, for example by starting a training and apprenticeship program.

Why are you so eager to excuse the MBTA for failing to do its job?

By MM on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 11:12am.

Eh, that's complicated. Elevator + Escalator parts have been a major problem since the pandemic, pretty much globally and across manufacturers.

Generally these long-term outages have been due to parts shortages, not labor shortages.

Whether it's the MBTA maintaining it, this contractor, or some other one, no one can fix the thing without parts that are taking months or years to get.

Pretty sure Kone is also the original manufacturer of this particular escalator - to further illustrate that no one has better access to parts for it.

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I'm not saying I like this situation or think it's acceptable, but it's not something the MBTA has many levers to do better at, nor is there all that much of a way to say they could have avoided it.

By anon on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 12:23pm.

A 4-year global parts shortage doesn't make much sense. There are probably a million escalators in Asia and there's no way parts are not being manufactured for them.

By Bob Leponge on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 2:06pm.

I thought this comparison of USA vs the rest of the world on the cost and complexity of elevators, was interesting.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/08/opinion/elevator-construction-regulat...

By Ari O on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 9:29am.

If the elevators are working and the piss isn't too fresh, they're usually faster, anyway. Unless you want a workout.

By John Costello on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 9:11am.

This photo is from earlier this year.

Wait, I think it is from 2023, possibly 2022, maybe 2021. Then again, I think it might be from 2015, or was it 2012, but based on the pixel coloration, possibly 2008.

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By cybah on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 9:13am.

I think its an AI enhanced photo from 1988, shortly after the station opened.

By jmeltzer on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 9:31am.

What would be news would be a picture of all three escalators open and working.

By Michael on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 9:40am.

Is a photo of someone actually attempting to fix them

By Carl Zimba on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 9:23am.

The photo is correct. That is the situation at Porter this morning. Two escalators not operating, partitioned off as well as the right-hand stairs.

While we can blame either the MBTA or Cone, the crews working on these and the many other non-functioning escalators and elevators really should be working 24/7 until we get them back in service. The escalators at Porter have been out of service off and on for months, usually with no crew working on them.

By Ari O on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 9:30am.

I was there last Friday and Saturday and there was one escalator down.

By xyz on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 10:01am.

Those are, in fact, the longest escalators in Massachusetts. Or, I guess at the moment, the longest stairs

By necturus on Fri, 09/13/2024 - 12:04pm.

...from the lower level of the Porter station to the street level.

It's reminiscent of the Moscow Metro, which I got to ride almost 50 years ago. Some of the stations there are very deep, and served as bomb shelters during World War II.