Orange Line

A special railfan train in 1986, when the new Orange Line was nearing completion.

Boston Biker reports on the planned facilities at Braintree, Ashmont, Davis Square, Oak Grove and Malden Center - and that they will use a different and better rack design than the existing cages, based on input from actual bicyclists.

Alison Thompson reports part of a conversation she overheard on the Orange Line this morning:

"I used to live in the woods. I got attacked by a turkey."

"Me too, but not in the woods."

"What was his name?"

Melissa J. Gibson spotted Repent Now Man on the Orange Line.

Copyright Melissa J. Gibson. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

A homeless man was arrested in the pedestrian tunnel between the Orange and Blue lines at State Street last night after a chase that began on an Orange Line train, MBTA Transit Police report.

According to a police report, Francisco Hernandez Diaz, of no particular address, took off his black leather belt on an inbound Orange Line train at State Street and began swinging it over his head and screaming, around 8:30 p.m., Monday.

As passengers swarmed out of the train to get away from him, a T inspector boarded the car. Hernandez took a swing at her with his belt, then stopped and undid his pants to expose himself to her. At that point, she fled as well, just as a police officer arrived on the platform, the report continues.

State Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez reports Boston and Transit Police will install the cameras because of 12 assaults in the area around the station this summer.

MBTA Transit Police report they are looking for a black male, a Hispanic male and a white female on charges they attacked a man because of his sexual orientation on a State Street Orange Line platform around 10 p.m. on July 10:

The victim was on the northbound platform when an unidentified male # 2 shoved him onto a train as the doors opened because of the victim's sexual orientation. The unidentified male # 2 as well as the individual depicted as # 1 directed several homophobic slurs at the victim after shoving him. The suspects depicted above along with an unidentified female companion, boarded an Orange Line train at State Street Station with the victim and continued to harass him about his sexual orientation. The suspects then fled the train at Haymarket Station.

If caught, they'll be charged with assault and battery and civil-rights violations.

Jessi Savino and Beth report from Jackson Square, where they just got off an inbound Orange Line train being taken out of service because of its newly cracked window.

Sure, the tracks can kink all they want, but at least riders don't have to worry about plunging to the ground (well, except maybe in that stretch under the Big Dig ramps). This photo, from the BPL's Leslie Jones collection, shows the result of a derailment in 1921. The T took down the elevated in 1987.

An Orange Line problem Ray Davies would love. Photo by MBTA.

A "heat kink" in the tracks near Malden (above) is wreaking all sorts of havoc on the Orange Line this afternoon, forcing Oak Grove-bound riders onto buses at Wellington - which is also causing problems on the bus lines from which buses have been diverted to shuttle subway riders.

Red Line riders heading to Alewife are faring no better due to a dead train at Harvard.

From somewhere in the bowels of the Orange Line, OwenWilsonsNose at first tweeted:

Usually I'd be pissed, but B's won the cup last night, can't complain!

But that was before he actually tried getting on one of those shuttle buses:

Neve rmind, line for the bus is atrocious. I hate you, MBTA.

The T says it's beefing up service on Saturday for the Bruins victory parade, which kicks off at 11 a.m. at the Garden.

All four subway lines will run at "near rush hour" schedules during the day. The T says it will also have extra orange-vested workers stationed throughout the system to help riders unfamiliar with how to use CharlieCards or get to the parade route.

The T said commuter rail will run on its normal Saturday schedule, but that it hopes to announce some additional service tomorrow.

Because of the expected crush of fans at the Garden, the T is urging people who want to be right there to use other stations, such as Haymarket and Government Center, or even Park Street and Downtown Crossing, and then walk over.

Cynthia tweeted around 7:30 a.m.:

Young boy fell on tracks at Stonybrook. Seems okay. Paramedics getting him out now. Orange delayed both directions. ...

Uh oh dad's arrived. Let's argue with mom in front of everyone about how it happened.

Bianca Strezelczyk snaps a photo of a woman taking up three seats on the Orange Line during the morning rush:

I get you're tired but c'mon!

Moments later, she adds:

Now she's fighting about having her feet up! Shocked that someone asked her to move. A woman's calling a T supervisor. Got her!

And in one of those moments that brings to mind the word "karma," she says that when the woman stormed off the train at Downtown Crossing, she left her CharlieCard behind on the seat (Strezelczyk says she heard that from the woman who complained; she says she's not that mean to just let that happen).

Ed question: Does three-seat Orange Line girl know three-seat Red Line guy?

MBTA Transit Police report arresting a man who allegedly kept inappropriately touching a woman between Mass. Ave. and Wellington one afternoon in May.

Mohammed Mwamuye, 32, was arrested yesterday in Lynn's Central Square on a charge of indecent assault and battery. According to a police report, the woman, 21, got on the train around 3:50 p.m. on May 17:

Shortly after boarding the train, a black male, unknown to her, began to ask her questions and make small talk. After engagin her in conversation, he attempted, more than once, to put his arm around her. While putting his arm around her, he touched her breast several times.

Innocent, etc.

Orange rust. Photo by MBTA.

The Globe reports the MBTA is looking to find $100 million to keep the decrepit old cars running for another ten years - by which time the T will have to find $1 billion or so to replace them. The rust buckets, which are failing at an increasing rate, make up all Orange Line trains and a third of Red Line trains.

• Read the entire presentation on Orange and Red problems (11M PDF file)

That must be what that is, because surely the T isn't so short of cars on the Orange Line it would send one out with a cracked window held together with tape, would it? Dave Rodrigues took this photo this morning.

MBTA Transit Police charge Michael Hutt of Medford lured a female T worker out of the customer-service booth at the Wellington Orange Line stop on the pretext of needing help adding value to his CharlieCard last night, then rubbed her back and grabbed her breast.

Hutt, 58, was charged with indecent assault and battery and assault and battery on a public employee following the 7 p.m. incident.

According to a police report, when the worker came out of the booth, Hutt handed her a CharlieCard and $2. As she walked over to the CharlieCard machines, police say, he began rubbing her back. She told him to stop that, added the $2 to his card, then handed him his card:

When the suspect walked through the gates, he stopped, reversed himself and physically grabbed the victim by the right breast, before continuing past the entry gates.

Last Thursday, another man was charged with open and gross lewdness after he allegedly exposed himself to two women at the station busway.

Innocent, etc.

Obamamobile in the South End. Photo by Julie Ciollo.

Fundraiser at the Cyclorama meant delays of up to 20 minutes on some lines out of South Station and on the Orange Line as the presidential motorcade passed near or over. The E line was cancelled altogether past Prudential for awhile this evening.

Photo copyright Julie Ciollo. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

Beth reports that as her Orange Line train approached New England Tufts Medical Center around 10:40 last night, the operator announced:

Next stop: Hogwarts. Don't forget your wands.

Earlier:
This train now running express to Mordor.

A 14-year-old student who was punched, robbed and warned not to snitch by two classmates at the Ruggles stop on the Orange Line around 2 p.m. yesterday thought he'd managed to escape them by making his way to the Cambridgeside Galleria.

But, he told police, the two - and an older guy - were waiting for him when he left the mall around 5:40 p.m. and they jumped him again, stole his cell phone and threatened to "drop him" in class if he told anyone what had happened.

MBTA Transit Police report they are looking for a guy who responded to a woman's request to put out his cigar at the State Street Orange Line stop by blowing smoke at her and then spitting in her face.

Police say the incident happened around 3 p.m. on April 8. After spitting at her, police say, "the suspect then calmly walked out of the station through the City Hall exit."

He's described as 45-50, with a short haircut. If found, he'll be charged with assault and battery.

William Dipilato explains:

The Orange Line is the wood-paneled station wagon of the MBTA.

Amy L. Clark recounts an incident on an Orange Line train heading inbound towards Back Bay.

UPDATE: All clearWhat the MBTA is calling a "police action" at Downtown Crossing might be a guy taking a stroll on the train tracks, AlertNewEngland reports.

Channel 4 reports on an incident Wednesday night.