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!
Steve Annear at BostInno posts a photo of chained Ride riders across Beacon Street today, protesting fare increases scheduled to go into effect on July 1. Alternatives for Community and Environment has more photos.
State Police have asked the city DPW to send somebody over with a bolt cutter.
The Herald reports MBTA Transit Police today launch an iPhone app that will let T riders instantly report pervs and suspicious packages.
The new app is already available for download in the Apple App Store as MBTA See Say and will be available today on the Transit Police Web site.
In addition to text reports, users will be able to click a button to connect to a police dispatcher, at least in areas along their route where they have cell service.
An Android version is planned for later release, the T says.
Robinite reports the two vehicles collided pretty much on top of the Green Line at Comm. Ave. and Allston Street around 9:30 p.m. That shut the inbound tracks; arriving emergency vehicles shut the outbound tracks as well.
Ed. question: Is that intersection cursed, or what?
Don't just sit/stand there vacantly staring at the clinical depression study ads anymore. Play MBTA Bingo!
That link will take you to an alpha version of the game. If you don't like the choices, hit reload for a new card. Needs some formatting work. This would be perfect for a mobile app, which, alas, is way beyond my abilities, but I should be able to at least get checkboxes on the items, so you can click when you see/hear/smell one of the items (or you could go old school and just print out a card before you go).
Make your T ride slightly more fun with MBTA Bingo. Click the Print button below and take a copy with you. Then just check off items as you see/hear/smell them. And when you win? Yell "BINGO!" as loud as you can - see if you can startle the guy at the other end of the car whose music you can feel in your bones.
Hit Reload to get a different board.
All hail Cheryl Stober for this brilliant idea. Have ideas for additional items? Post 'em in a comment below.
So this guy from East Boston strikes up a conversation with another guy sitting on a bench in the busway at Andrew station this afternoon. He's feeling mellow, gets a joint out of his right jacket pocket, lights up and offers his newfound friend a toke.
Unfortunately for the man, the guy was an undercover Transit Police officer, assigned to anti-drug duty at the South Boston station, police report.
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.
Seems that when a big convention is in town, the MBTA runs special Silver Line service to the airport straight from the convention center, rather than making people carry their bags on that long walk to the nearest Silver Line stop and crowding onto a bus there.
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.
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:
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.
Last year, Jack DeManche put together an unusual resume.
Via Almondette.
MBTA Transit Police report that even after two shots of pepper spray yesterday afternoon, a Chelsea man collared for trying to steal an Orange Line rider's phones managed to flee an officer - who managed to catch up with him and finally subdue him on a commuter-rail platform with his baton.
Police say an officer on routine patrol inside Back Bay station noticed two men holding down a third just inside the fare gates to the Orange Line around 6:40 p.m. According to a police report, one told the officer the man had tried to steal his phone down on the platform but that he and another Orange Line rider grabbed the guy, later identified as Jonathan Pagan, 20, and marched him upstairs in search of police.
Police say that after hearing their stories, the officer told Pagan he was under arrest. According to his report:
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.
Jessica Orndorff tweets:
Just saw an MBTA bus in Andrew with "!*%?&$" on its display.
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