Red Line

There are a quarter of a million stories on the Red Line. Tom Bruno reports from the Red Line this afternoon:

Drunk guy in a track suit just poured himself a drink and took off his shirt to change between Central and Kendall. Only on the MBTA! Looked like something vile mixed with a bottle of Starbucks Frappucino! Worst part was that you could smell it half-way across the car!

New fare schedule on a fare machine. Photo by MBTA.

The T began slapping new fare schedules on fare machines at South Station today, in advance of July 1's increases.

Rush Hour Race pitted the three transportation modes in a battle to the death, um, fastest commute this morning between Davis Square and Kendall Square. LivableStreets reports bike won, followed nine minutes later by the T. The car sputtered in last.

Steve Annear reports that, yes, the bicyclist stopped for all red lights.

See the entire route map.

Dani B. reports one of the maps on Red Line car 01632 looks "a little different" from all the rest.

The Department of Homeland Security says the moves will ensure the tests, planned for this summer at Harvard, Porter and Davis on the Red Line, pose no risk to riders with immune problems, according to a DHS report - unlike fellow riders or snakes.

The release of B. subtilis spores will mimic a possible bioterror attack and test the efficiency of scanners to provide early warnings of possible biologic attacks - in as little as 20 minutes after the release of bacteria.

Channel 4 reports Homeland Security wants to test how well biological-warfare detectors in the T work by releasing actual bacteria in Red Line stops in Somerville and Cambridge.

The government assures us the Bacillus subtilis is perfectly harmless. Well, perfectly harmless for healthy people, at any rate. There's a public hearing for government officials to pretend to listen to your concerns on May 16 at 5:30 p.m. at the Central Square Y.

In addition to the track work north of Harvard, a train broke down at Park Street just in time for the evening rush hour. Riders are not amused, except for the ones sitting next to adorable French-speaking little kids.

Joe Pesaturo at the T reports:

Over the last two nights, workers have been replacing some rail in the southbound section between Porter and Harvard. It will be finished tonight, but in the meantime, a speed restriction of 10 mph is in place on this section (normal speed limit is 25 mph).

The work that led to shuttle buses on weekends was related to the supports on which the tracks sit.

The Salem News recounts how MBTA Transit Police Sgt. Steven O'Hara managed to talk down a guy who was about to jump off the T's Quincy Center parking garage on April 5.

The police report on yesterday's Red Line attack said the guy was wanted for another, earlier incident.

The first photo above comes from a March 27 report about a junk waver on the Red Line between Braintree and Broadway. Sure looks like the same guy.

H/t to the anon commenter who has a much better memory for Red Line pervishness than I.

MBTA Transit Police report arresting a man they say ejaculated on a fellow Red Line rider shortly before 11 a.m. yesterday.

Police say the incident happened on an inbound train pulling into Davis and involved a woman sitting next to a set of doors reading a Metro and a man standing next to her:

It's buses all the way down from Kendall to Broadway on April 28 and 29. Well, except at Downtown Crossing, where the buses won't be stopping (riders should get off at Park and either walk or take the Orange Line). The service disruption is so the T can install new elevators at Park Street.

You see something like this.

Firefighters responded to a fire on the tracks between Downtown Crossing and Park Street reported around 9 a.m.

Power, of course, had to be shut off to let firefighters onto the tracks, causing delays for riders. The T rolled out shuttle buses for the trip between JFK and Harvard.

The Boston Fire Department reports some trash near some switching equipment caught fire.

PETA has asked the T for permission to hang snakes from subway grab bars as a way to convince people not to buy snakeskin purses or something, but says it'll hang snakes even if the T says no. Ball's in your court, MBTA: Will you charge PETA $650 per snake?

UPDATE: The MBTA's Joe Pesaturo says:

This morning, we referred PETA to the T's advertising contractor, Titan 360, to get rates for their ad campaign. But the MBTA has notified PETA that one proposed element of their campaign will not be approved. In the interest of customers' safety and comfort, the MBTA does not permit advertisers to hang objects from the ceilings and handrails of subway cars.

Amanda Wild forwarded this video from this morning's Red Line nonsense, adds:

Conductor reported train was having trouble making it up the hill to Porter; after several delays our car was unloaded to platform where an MBTA official was telling passengers it would be at least 20-25 minutes before the next train. Several passengers were offering to help push.

Latest stats from the T show continued growth in ridership - February's numbers are up 8.1% over last February's. The T credits overall employment growth in the region, higher gas prices, better real-time bus and subway arrival info and increased service reliability - which might be news to people who got stuck on the Red Line this morning due to yet another dead train, this time at Harvard. LC reports:

Stuck w/ no air for 45 minutes. 3 people in my car passed out. There was a pregnant woman who fainted. We had to pick her up from the floor. Thank god there was a doctor in our car.

MBTA Transit Police report they're looking for a guy in a rugby shirt who decided a woman on a Red Line train would be really fascinated by his physiognomy.

Police report what happened around 6:30 p.m. on an inbound train between Braintree and Broadway:

On two separate occasions during the trip, the subject stood in front of the victim while continuing to inappropriately touch himself. The victim’s friend was able to take a photo of the suspect with her cell phone. An unidentified male passenger, who observed the actions of the suspect, intervened and assisted in notifying police.

He's described as between 20 and 30, with short brown hair and a goatee. In addition to his orange-and-green shirt, he was wearing khaki shorts and dark Nike sneakers and carried a large suitcase.

If he looks familiar, contact Officer James Kerns at 617-222-1015 or the Transit Police Intelligence Unit at 617-222-1170.

Boston to a T snapped this fare machine at Park Street today. In a word: Wha?

Dot rat Adam Myerson likes the Red Line so much, he had it permanently affixed to his leg. He reports it took four sessions at Fat Ram's Pumpkin Tattoo in JP to get the whole thing - both train and the Fields Corner stop - on track.

More photos.

ArchBoston alerts us to the centennial of the opening of the "Cambridge Subway" from Harvard Square to Park Street.

Some Red Line history.

On the morning of the opening, the Globe reported the subway cost $11.75 million, and added:

MBTA Transit Police report arresting an Abington man on charges he shattered a window on a Red Line train in a brawl that started on the train and spilled out onto the platform.

Justin Nee, 28, was arrested on a charge of malicious destruction of property over $250 following the 9 p.m. incident, according to a Transit Police report.

According to the report, witnesses picked out Nee:

Train taken out of service at Wollaston after some knuckleheads got into a fight and smashed out a window.

Channel 4 tracks down and interviews the woman with fists of fury at Park Street.

And was promptly delayed so emergency workers could retrieve somebody who fell onto the tracks at Davis. No contact with the third rail, at least, Mike Moura tweets.