MBTA increasing capacity on the Blue, Green and Red lines
The T announced today it's adding more cars to the three lines during rush hours - and making some service enhancements to some bus lines - starting this week.
The news comes as the T also announces continued record ridership: The T carried 34.7 million passengers in July, compared to 31.4 million the previous July.
The biggest jump will occur on the Blue Line - which saw a 25% jump in ridership - where six-car trains will begin regular rush-hour service the week of Sept. 15 (although they will not initially replace all of the four-car trains).
Some additional cars on the Green Line will mean at least 2.7% more passengers will be able to cram into trolleys at rush hour, while the Red Line is gaining three additional trains during the morning and afternoon commutes.
Bus changes:
Route 9 (South Boston – Downtown) will operate with an additional vehicle and increased frequency during the morning rush hour.
Route 32 (Wolcott Square – Forest Hills) between 3 and 4 p.m. will be operated with 60-foot vehicles rather than 40-foot vehicles due to crowding.
Route 57 (Watertown – Kenmore Square) will operate additional short trips between Oak Square and Kenmore Square (rather than Watertown Yard and Kenmore Square), allowing the same number of vehicles, reducing long gaps in service. The number of rush hour trips will increase by 6%, although the total number of vehicles will remain the same.
Route 88 (Clarendon Hill – Lechmere) will operate short trips between Clarendon Hill and Davis Square during the morning rush.
Route 116/117 service (Wonderland – Maverick) will gain a new bus.
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the silver line lining
...while the Red Line is gaining three additional trains during the morning and afternoon commutes.
Yes, but Spatch's Law of MBTA Commutes stipulates that those trains will always be trains going in the opposite direction, one right after the other, while you wait for a train going your way.
(And when those three trains do turn around and hit your station in the way you're going, someone else will want to go the other way and see them there and get just as cranky.)
Im extremely impressed,
Im extremely impressed, these are suggestions given by the report that came out this week.
My only questions: Will the 57 be clearly labeled as a short turn. Its an interesting idea, as the A-line did the same with a loop at oak square.
Where did the extra 60 foot buses being used on route 32 come from....SL3? And why hasnt the MBTA ordered more of them.
Probably
I've seen 57 buses on Brighton Ave that say OAK SQUARE on the front and side marquees instead of WATERTOWN YARD.
they have bendy busses elsewhere than JP?
I thought only the silver line and #39 got them.
Dammit, give us back our bendy busses! They may make a deafening roar, whistle, and scream...but we need them! At least until hell freezes over and we get some nice trackless trolleys...
True Colors
So why isn't the Orange line getting new cars? It's sardine city from 7:30 am to 9:15 am?
Maybe that isn't an increase in riders, but it is still so crowded that entry to trains at Sullivan is often impossible.
Maybe they don't have any more Orange Line cars to add?
that's my guess, anyway
ten guesses why
I remember waiting on the platform for someone at Central a few weeks ago. I thought something was wrong when the system announced, seconds after a Alewife train came in, that another Alewife train was arriving.
Sure enough- in pulls an Alewife-bound train. I counted FOUR TRAINS IN A ROW, less than half a minute between them. They all had a fair amount of people on them, but none were packed. Holy shit! FOUR TRAINS! Nevermind that the Red Line trains have more room inside, and (I think) more cars per train?
Meanwhile, on the Orange Line, trains arrive anywhere between every 5 and 15 minutes during rush-hour...and weekends? Heh, fugheddaboutit. You're looking at a +20 minute wait most of the time, which is as long as it takes to ride the train form Forest Hills to Downtown Crossing!
When I commuted out of North Station, trains would arrive headed to Oak Grove, and they would be packed to the gills (and for some reason, regularly wait for several minutes with the doors open.) Thankfully, I was usually going the other direction...
Probably recovering from earlier delays
Even Red Line trains aren't supposed to run that frequently. The line was probably recovering from an earlier delay if you saw that many trains in such a short time. I wonder why they didn't express one or two of them to Harvard.
20 minutes?
Granted, I'm not the most frequent Orange Line rider, but I can't recall ever waiting 20 minutes for a train to pull out of Forest Hills on the weekend.
The orange line is next in
The orange line is next in line to get new cars. Remember, these things take awhile.
apples or oranges?
Some rainy-day thinking about my new commute here ... I usually either bike in, bike to Davis, or folding bike to commuter rail.
Sounds like there will be times when I can either:
Take a 95 bus to Sullivan
or
Take a 94 bus to Davis.
Davis = more trains, and chance at a seat, but a notoriously delayed bus and longer time on train.
Sullivan = longer bus ride (if bus is on time and not cancelled) and possibly long waits on a not very sheltered platform for packed trains. But orange line trains make fewer stops before Downtown Crossing than red line ones.
Adding more cars to the different MBTA Lines--an idea whose time
is long overdue, imo. It's crazy how the MBTA cars get so crowded at rush-hour, with people packed in like sardines. If a fire ever broke out in such an overcrowded MBTA car....forget it!!
Hopefully, adding more MBTA cars will allieviate that situation a bit.