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Commuter rail

By adamg - 5/28/12 - 6:08 pm

Steve Martin outside the Paul Revere House.

Matt Karolian spotted Steve Martin jamming outside the Paul Revere House in the North End this afternoon. Video!

Andrew Ricardo, meanwhile, spotted an Avenger in South Station - we can only assume Iron Man was not around to give him a ride up from Providence:

Captain America

By adamg - 5/15/12 - 10:51 am

The Globe reports an outbound Franklin Line train hit a trespasser around 12:30 a.m. in Norwood, several hours after an inbound Acela train struck and killed a trespasser in Sharon.

By adamg - 5/14/12 - 5:00 pm

MBTA Transit Police report a "trespasser" on the tracks was struck and killed by a Boston-bound Amtrak train between Mansfield and Sharon late this afternoon, and that both commuter-rail and Amtrak service is now halted as police investigate. Buses are on the way to pick up passengers, MBCR says.

Zach Lanier tweets:

Currently on Amtrak #2160, sitting between Providence and Rte128. Our train hit someone crossing the tracks; fatality.

Rob Goodwin, also on the train, tweets:

I feel horrible for the Amtrak crew. I don't know how I would cope in their shoes. Having a tough enough time coping with it in mine.

Why you don't want to be on the tracks in Mansfield or Sharon:

By adamg - 5/9/12 - 7:37 pm

MBTA Transit Police report a train on the Fairmount Line hit somebody this evening in South Bay by Massachusetts Avenue. The person died; train service was halted for about an hour as police investigated.

By adamg - 4/25/12 - 8:21 am

Shortly before 8 a.m., the MBTA sent out an alert that an outbound Haverhill Line train was delayed 10 to 15 minutes due to "train congestion."

By adamg - 4/24/12 - 11:50 am

Amelia Sutton recounts a recent four-hour train ride on commuter rail from Providence to Boston. For those unfamiliar with that route, no, it's not supposed to take four hours:

Perhaps I should have seen a blacked-out train with no AC or electricity to be a bad omen when boarding in Providence. But no. The conductors assured us that the engine was functional thanks to "reserve batteries." We would be fine!

By adamg - 4/21/12 - 8:25 am

The MBTA announced today that by this fall, riders should be able to use their smartphones as replacements for their current paper passes.

The T's signed a contract with a British e-ticketing company for a system that will let iPhone, Android and Blackberry users hold up their phones to conductors rather than passes.

The new system means the end of the promise to let riders use CharlieCards on commuter rail. However, riders will be able to link CharlieCards to their smartphone accounts, eliminating the need for paper tickets at connecting subway or bus lines.

By adamg - 4/18/12 - 1:48 pm

Takes a look at the new bridge installed over the weekend across the Fairmount Line, instead of piecemeal over the eons, like, oh, that bridge on American Legion Highway over Morton Street.

By adamg - 4/9/12 - 7:22 am

The Globe reports the T is halting the sale of 12-ride punch tickets good for six months because too many people were managing to get extra rides out of them. They'll be replaced with 10-ride tickets good for just a month.

By adamg - 3/19/12 - 9:46 am

UPDATE: Franklin High School officials say the actual pugilists on the train were Franklin High alumni, not students, the Milford Daily News reports.

By adamg - 3/12/12 - 7:20 am

H.943 is the brainchild of state Rep. Tom Sannicandro of Ashland:

To ensure fair treatment of commuter rail passenger, the authority shall not have the power to collect fares on commuter rail trains that depart 20 or more minutes after their originally scheduled departure time, or from the passenger of any car of a commuter rail train that fails to provide reasonable temperature regulation.

By adamg - 3/10/12 - 9:23 pm

Brian D'Amico and Dan Adams report a guy was hit by a train around 8:30 p.m. on the Needham Line tracks between Home Depot and the West Roxbury Education Complex.

By adamg - 3/5/12 - 5:55 pm

This afternoon, it's homebound commuter-rail riders at South Station sharing a very special experience thanks to switch issues. TH sighs:

When I die and go to hell, I'll just end up back on the MBTA and every day will be Monday.

By adamg - 2/16/12 - 10:12 am

Fager (l) and Neto.Fager (l) and Neto.MBTA Transit Police report arresting a Fall River woman yesterday on charges she and a pal stole catalytic converters from cars parked at commuter lots in Sharon and Attleboro - less than a month after she and her husband were arrested for allegedly stealing catalytic converters from cars parked at South Shore commuter-rail stops.

In fact, Tina Fager was due back in Plymouth District Court today for a hearing on the January charges.

By adamg - 2/14/12 - 8:03 am

Meg Fowler Tripp tweets that around 8 a.m. a man was screaming loudly at the Roslindale Village commuter-rail stop:

I AM VERY VERY ANGRY THAT WHITNEY HOUSTON IS DEAD.

By adamg - 1/31/12 - 6:43 pm

Update, 7:25 p.m.: One track was cleared and limited train service through Ruggles resumed.

Commuter-rail and Amtrak service through Ruggles is stopped as transit and fire officials investigate a fatal train-vs-person collision on the inbound side this evening. The T is describing it as a "trespasser strike."

Dan Esdale reports his outbound train to Franklin stopped, then headed back to South Station.

By adamg - 1/25/12 - 2:45 pm

KaneKaneA conductor on the Old Colony Line confronted a man he says stole another rider's wallet - and got him to turn over the woman's wallet and money.

Steven Kane, 34, of Bridgewater, was arrested on a charge of larceny from a person around 5 p.m. yesterday at the Lakeville/Middleboro commuter-rail stop, the MBTA reports. According to the T, a 53-year-old woman awoke from a nap as the train pulled into the station and noticed her purse was open and her wallet gone. A woman sitting behind her pointed to Kane:

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