The T

MBTA Transit Police report arresting a woman they say stole a Silver Line inspector's bag, threw it into Fort Point Channel and then announced to officers that she couldn't help herself because she's a kleptomaniac.

Nyllabrii Raikou, 20, was arrested shortly after 10 p.m. yesterday on the Summer Street bridge - where they found her being pursued by the inspector. Police say the inspector arrived at the inspector's booth at the Silver Line platform at South Station to find Raikou inside:

Upon noticing the victim Raikou exited and began to walk away. The victim immediately went inside the booth and noticed his personal bag was missing containing his cell phone and other items as well as a MBTA radio battery.

Upon noticing the victim still following her and seeing the flashing blue lights of a Transit Police cruiser less then a block away Raikou tossed the victim's bag with all its contents into the Fort Point Chanel. Officers made several attempts to recover the bag however the currents were moving too swiftly.

Innocent, etc.

Cactus on the Stair reports on how one Sob Story Guy's night ended with him on the train harassed by a panhandler.

Utile reports on an interesting proposal by a couple of Yale architecture students: Drain Fort Point Channel south of Summer Street and put the tracks underground there - under a brand-new South Station:

The benefit is a fully subterranean train station, allowing for the redevelopment of both the existing and new track areas for urban development that can knit the Leather District directly to the loft buildings in the Fort Point District.

Just as importantly, the new South Station headhouse will provide views north across Fort Point Channel and Boston Harbor to visitors first arriving in Boston. Only the train station in Venice provides a comparatively dramatic view. Commuters and visitors would find water taxis and ferries directly across Summer Street. Importantly, the new tracks and station could be built while the existing station is fully operational. With only a flip of a switch, trains could be directed into the new station, freeing up the old facility for demolition - except for the historic headhouse, which would be saved as part of a redevelopment plan.

Sounds cool, although, of course, there are some pesky details that would need some attention, beyond the whole idea of building a dam at Summer Street: Gillette uses vast amounts of water from Fort Point Channel at World Shaving Headquarters (although presumably that's why God gave us pipes) and part of the Ted Williams Tunnel goes right under the channel.

Bonus fun fact: There used to be a looped train tunnel under South Station, but it was only used once and later part of it became a bowling alley.

In 2013, the Red Line is now 3 for 3 for morning delays, this time due to signal problems at North Quincy.

The Green Line also had problems, outbound on the B branch, due to a dead train.

Matt Karolian looked at a wall display at the Arlington stop on the Green Line. And then he looked closer.

They've been workin' on the railroad at Central. Photo by MBTA.

UPDATE: The T reports service resumed around 2:10 p.m., with, of course, residual delays.

Ruddy S. reports a broken rail. The T says it's now busing between Kendall and Harvard.

Dani B., who took the photo below, tweets:

One lousy bus waiting for us at Kendall #shocker

Red turns yellow at Kendall.

UPDATE: A second Red Line train died at Alewife; another Green Line trolley gave up the ghost, bollxing up outbound C and E service. Commuter rail? You don't want to know.

In this young year, the Red Line is now 2 for 2 in morning-commute delays due to dead trains, this time at JFK/UMass, but today has the extra bonus of delays due to "weather-related issues."

Meghan C. reports it took her 75 minutes to get from Braintree to MGH.

The Green Line was also having problems, due to a recalcitrant train at Kenmore. There was also a dead train on the Blue Line.

It was a different story on the Orange Line. At 7:24, Joe Growhoski tweeted:

Orange line nice warm and smooth ..... So far

The MBTA today released this photo of brand-new two-level coaches being tested on the Lowell Line, between Anderson and North Billerica. The four coaches, part of a larger order that's now two years late, should go into service this winter.

The coaches will let the T expand capacity by eliminating the current single-level coaches, but will not help with the sort of locomotive and switching problems that caused up to 60-minute delays on some lines into South Station this morning. The T has a separate order with a different company for new locomotives.

Dead train at Broadway and those residual delays just killed the last part of the morning commute. Erika Gordon reports on how she and some fellow commuters put their left foot in, they put their left foot out, they put their left foot in and they shook it all about:

And now we're playing musical trains. "Everyone get off of the train, there's a problem." "Alright, everyone back on, we fixed it."

At Davis, Adam Schmucker tweets:

Announcement at Davis "delays due to disabled train at Broadway." Performer on platform is singing "On Broadway."

The T did its part to encourage bike riding in 2012.

On a big system like the T (several hundred thousand riders on a weekday), you'd expect a certain amount of weirdness. You'd be right. Some examples from 2012:

Crash aftermath. Note cluster of meter maids on right. Photo by Susan Zalkind.

A lot of angry people take the T, including a T driver in Kenmore Square, who angrily responded to a BTD supervisor who wanted her to move her bus by flooring the accelerator, hitting the supervisor and several parked cars.

More anger on the T:

Woman claimed her GPS made her drive on the C line. Photo by MBTA.

The Green Line has always stood apart from the other three T lines - and only partly because it's the only trolley line. Which other line would suffer service delays due to turtle? Here are some highlights from the Green Line, 2012 edition:

Red Line service was halted when a shirtless guy jumped on the inbound Red Line tracks at Andrew and went for a jog down the tracks underneath South Boston. He was never found.

A man wound up under a Red Line train at North Quincy.

A woman failed to stop walking at Broadway station until she fell onto the tracks:

John Stephen Dwyer put together two videos imagining what it would be like if Iron Man attacked the CSA booth at Forest Hills station (top) and if a giant wrecking ball plunged into the station lobby:

MBTA and Boston police are investigating whether a woman struck by some sort of pellet around 1:45 p.m. today on Washington Street near Arboretum Road was shot by the same people who shot at an inbound 35 bus in the same area last night.

MBTA Transit Police report the driver of the bus last night "observed two individuals standing in a driveway who appeared to be holding a firearm," as the bus passed Archdale Road on its way to Forest Hills.

Police say two of the buses windows were "intact but completely fractured" after apparently being shot at with "an air powered BB gun."

The T is busing Riverside riders between Reservoir and Riverside because of a tree that fell on the tracks.

Sarah M. tweets:

Little kid asks dad why toy train at South Station isn't moving, "because it's just like real life."

MBTA Transit Police report arresting William Gwiazda, 33, on charges he went up to an undercover cop at the South Station bus terminal around 7:30 p.m. yesterday, started chatting him up, then offered to sell him some methadone:

What do you make of this, Johnny? Trains on the Orange, Green and Blue lines slowed due to a power problem the T has yet to identify. Officials report power had come back at several locations by 1:45 p.m., however. The Blue Line was reported back up and running about five minutes after that.

And both wind up under arrest, MBTA Transit Police report.

Police say officers arrived at Back Bay station around 9:30 p.m. yesterday to find two men brawling. After officers separated them, police say, each accused the other of starting the fight. Neither, however, wanted to press charges agains the other, police say, adding:

Officers on scene were able to determine [John] Carpenter had an outstanding default warrant in existence for his arrest for the following charges: Assault and Battery on a Police Officer, Disorderly Conduct, Resisting Arrest and Trespassing issued from Boston Municipal Court. [Steven] Odom, a level 3 sex offender failed to register as such in the City of Boston in violation of MGL CH.6 S178. Both Carpenter and Odom were taken into custody and transported to Transit Police HQ for the arrest booking process. Both men will appear in Boston Municipal Court sometime today.

According to state records, Odom, a Dorchester resident, was convicted of indecent assault and battery in 2006.

Innocent, etc.

As it now does at the end of every year, the MBTA is warning it will have to cut service and raise fares without action by the legislature to give it more money for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

This time, however, the T says it will hold off on specific proposals until March, to give the legislature time to work on another attempt at changing how public transportation and roads are funded in the state - the governor is expected to submit a proposal early next month.

In recent years, the T warns of impending slashing/fare hiking around New Year's, followed by the legislature throwing some money at the problem in early summer.

MBTA Transit Police are looking for five teens for attacking a disabled 16-year-old outside the CharlieCard store at Downtown Crossing around 4:20 p.m. today. If caught, they'll be facing charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon - a shod foot.

The victim declined medical attention and was escorted to his Orange Line train. According to police, he got off an Ashmont train and was heading to the Orange Line when he was set upon.

All five suspects are black, between 16 and 19. Four are male; one female. The main attacker was described as 5'5" and about 140 lbs, wearing a gray Hollister California sweatshirt; the female as wearing a purple parka and green pants. Police searched the area for the group without success.

The MBTA reports ridership increased again in November, by 1.3% over the previous year's figures. Average weekday ridership was 1.3 million, the T says.

The most noticeable increase was in the subway, where Red, Orange, and Blue Line weekday ridership climbed by 5.6% in November, contrasting significantly with the pre-fare increase projection of a subway ridership drop of 5.3%. Commuter Rail average weekday ridership increased by 2.4%. Average weekday ridership on buses and the Green Line decreased slightly, by 1.6% and 1.5%, respectively. The decrease was less than the projected drop of 5.5% and 5.3% for the year, respectively.

Casey Shockley shows off his rendition of the Red Line at the Andrew-JFK/UMass tunnel, done a year ago at Karma Tattoo in Somerville. He explains he used to live in the Polish Triangle in Dorchester. See it larger.

He joins Dot rat Adam Myerson, who has the Ashmont line on his leg (more) and Josh DeCosta, who has the Orange Line at Sullivan Square on his arm.

Kaitlin Maud, meanwhile, has the entire MBTA map on her arm - both subway and commuter rail (in the photo, north is at the bottom, Green Line on the right):

Well, under it, actually. Wonder if he knows Red Line Tattoo Guy.