Has the T seemed a little zippier of late?
By adamg - 12/11/09 - 9:51 am
The MBTA reports "record low levels" of subway speed restrictions due to track problems - only eight minutes and 42 seconds last month, down from a high of 135 minutes in 2003. No word if all that time is lost again in delays caused by switching problems, though.
Comments
um, no
Redline travel both ways between downtown and Davis has been pretty slow lately, with obvious slowdowns coming out of Charles MGH towards Park, at either side of Harvard and often coming into Davis outbound.
Red Line restrictions
The Northbound restriction into Davis is horrid, especially when there's a good four or five starts-n-stops before the train's cleared to enter the platform. You can tell which passengers have been through this before. They're the ones who won't bother to get up when the first automated "Davis Square" arrival message is played. The true veterans don't even bother looking up from their stuff unti they see the train stopped at the platform. Anything less will psych you out every time.
If they're doing the same thing to the northbound tracks as they did to the southbound tracks a while ago (which imposed a speed restriction on southbound trains departing Davis) then it shouldn't last for too much longer. On the other hand, meh.
Four or five starts and stops
Four or five starts and stops heading into Davis northbound suggests something more effed up than a "restriction".
Problem fixed?
I just now took the Red Line from Harvard to Davis, and there were no unscheduled stops or slowdowns between Porter and Davis.
Zippier? I thought the opposite.
Actually, I was wondering if the opposite was the case. For the past few days, the D-line has seemed very stop-and-go and particularly so in the subway.
I wanted to avoid it, but I cannot help but say it: all I want for the rest of the Christmases of my life is a transit network like the one I recently rode for many miles in and around Paris. Even if I had to put up with 5 strike days distributed through the year (or at once), I would still take it over our network. I would also pay double what I pay for the T (eventhough RATP is not double the cost, even with the exchange rate - and yes, I understand that it is subsidized by the government and that France has higher taxes, etc.).
RATP is something to aspire to
it's the first subway I rode extensively while doing a month of study abroad in Paris, and it puts both the NYC Metro and the T to shame. If only we could do the same over here!
I disagree
The Orange Line yesterday was having serious problems between Back Bay and New England Med. Ctr. I was stuck for at least 10-15 minutes southbound due to a mechanical issue in the evening.
Will they ever fix the signal problem at NEMC?
You know the one that forces crews to accelerate for a split second, cut the power, then let the train coast out of the platform? The one that ensures the train will come to an automated hard stop if they don't?
It's been like this for much of 2009.
In general, Green Line riders
don't have to worry about track problems. They already suffer enough delays from:
Arbitrary holds at stations for "headway" or "schedule" adjustments.
Arbitrary application of 'absolute stop' block signals, sometimes several in a row.
Deliberate re-routing of trains for various reasons like:
Keeping "alphabet" order (B,C,D,E) on the outbound side, even if it means an E train can't berth at Park Street because the B train is blocking it from entering
Getting train back to originating station to meet theoretical schedule is more important than serving passengers.
Operators request dispatcher provide them with a relief operator or a rerouting of their train to enable them to pick up child at day care (yes - this DOES happen).
Looping empty trains directly in front of loaded trains.
Restricting berthing on station platforms to a single train at a time, even though most platform lengths can safely accommodate two trains.
And of course, none of these factors will ever be considered in a T survey of delays.
Zippier?
Why, yes, it has! I've definitely been taking a Zipcar instead of the T lately!
Zipping along Beacon
C-line during rush hours has been awesome for months. I can only think of 2 or 3 real delays - probably fewer than unanticipated traffic jams I'd encounter driving the same route over that period of time.
So yes, speedy, and <3'ing the C.
Zoomzoom
On orange line, which is zooming along. Red line from Fields Corner to DTX hauled ass too.