A smoldering cable near Haymarket shut down the Orange Line this morning because the T shut off power to let workers safely repair the cable. A T spokesman says power was restored around noon.
Fortunately, God graced us with the Green Line, so people not in the mood for a leisurely jaunt on a nice September morning were able to get from here to there and back again.
A roving UHub photographer spotted this sparkling new bad boy outside A-1 downtown today. It's the new ride for some lucky patrol supervisor. Good news for those of us who don't like anything to change: They kept that unique stencil-ish font.
Meanwhile, Phil Coombes spotted this MBTA homage to Mad Max outside Haymarket station and wondered why it was outfitted like that. Somebody who Knows These Things said it lets the SUV push dead buses (and get up to ramming speed when nobody's looking, no doubt):
Orange Line service was halted around 8:45 this morning as police worked to remove a guy who for some reason decided to get on the tracks at Haymarket.
The heart of Downtown Crossing at 9:50 a.m. Photo by Gary Waldeck. Note plucky banana vendor in lower left.
NorthEndWaterfront.com reports the state has chosen two finalists for Parcel 9 - next to Haymarket, one focused on out-of-towners, the other on apartments, both with restaurants and food-market space.
Red Line riders wait for a train, because what other choice do they have?
Like Durgin-Park, Haymarket has softened over the years - most of the vendors no longer yell at customers daring to turn fruit over. Bob Skole reviews the changes and how the proposed public market nearby could make Haymarket even better.
Karen Cord Taylor considers competing proposals for Parcel 9, next to Haymarket, which include a museum about Boston, a bunch of apartments and a hotel.
NorthEndWaterfront.com rounds up the latest offerings, all of which would include space for Haymarket vendors and three of which the state previously rejected.
Yep, just when you thought nothing else could cause problems on the T. Channel 4 reports hazmat crews are in the busway with a truck, licensed to carry radioactive materials, with readings showing a possible leak.
UPDATE: Crews began clearing scene shortly after noon, when readings showed acceptable levels.
Mike Ball notes that the waitresses at Durgin-Park haven't been grumpy for a long time. And now, he reports, even most of the hawkers at Haymarket are no longer grimacing screamers:
Honestly, some of the predictable drama is gone, contemporary with the nasty old elevated Interstate that went with the Big Dig. I guess after over 40 years of that, I can’t say I need to relive it every week. The thrill is gone.
MBTA Transit Police report this guy snatched an iPhone away from an Orange Line rider easy-peasey on Oct. 23:
AlertNewEngland tweets officials have shut the station because of a powerful stench.
Shawnna Imani reports that after getting dumped out of one Orange Line train taken out of service at Ruggles, she finally got to Haymarket and was on her way up the escalator when it just stopped, throwing her and others down and giving her a set of fresh puncture wounds on her arm (only click if you want to see somebody's arm with bits of skin missing). She adds that a T employee apologized and gave her a six-month CharlieCard.
UPDATE: MBTA says no fires.
Boston Police are tweeting there are fires in the Chinatown AND State Street stations on the Orange Line. Local 718 tweets firefighters are trying to determine the source of smoke on the Orange Line at Downtown Crossing.
The T itself is only reporting a disabled inbound train at Haymarket.
Boston Museum couldn't raise enough money; developer could, the Herald reports.
A small trash fire on the Green Line tracks was extinguished by a Green Line driver late tonight, but there might be something else going on at Haymarket. Around 11 p.m., Boston_Fireman tweeted to expect delays on both Green and Orange lines. Green Line service in both directions was stopped, while power on the Orange Line between Haymarket and State Street was turned off. However, the T was given the OK to restore service on both lines around 11:40 p.m.
Some enterprising MBTA worker figured out he could use some stacks of Metros to sop up leaks on the Orange Line inbound platform at Haymarket. I took this photo today, but the leak wasn't due to today's downpours - the T has been using Metros for months now to sop up the same leak at the same location, probably because it's a lot cheaper than trying to fix the problem.
Michael Ratty provides the proof, with a photo from Haymarket station.
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