Fitchburg Line
LNG tankers, gasoline trucks and, soon, ethanol trains
By adamg - 8/31/11 - 9:42 amCommonWealth reports on plans to begin shipping 3.9 million gallons a week of ethanol into Revere, on trains that will lumber down the Fitchburg commuter-rail line into Charlestown, where they will switch to the Newburyport/Rockport line up to a "blending terminal" to be mixed into the gasoline that is now shipped along the Rose Kennedy Greenway in 18-wheelers.
[Revere Fire] Chief Doherty chuckled when asked if he was comfortable with ethanol trains coming into the community. "I have more fear of tank trucks coming in than I do with the rail," he said, noting the train tracks generally are farther from homes and neighborhoods.
Commuter-rail train strikes, kills somebody at Porter Square
By adamg - 4/12/11 - 5:27 amSometime after 9 p.m., Monday, AlertNewEngland reports. Passengers on one outbound train were put on a bus at Porter for a ride to Belmont while authorities investigated and cleaned up the scene.
The T should play up its new sleeper-car service
By adamg - 3/4/11 - 6:45 amMadfilkentist chronicles his three-hour, 45-minute ride from Porter to Fitchburg last night - a trip that normally takes an hour and 20 minutes:
The next stop was Waltham. Before we reached it, the train was stopped for an unusually long time. Finally we were told there were mechanical problems that were being looked at. The lights went out for about ten minutes as all power was cut so the mechanic could look under the train. They came back on again, but there was still no motion. Finally we were told that the next train would hook up to ours and push us.
The double-sized train proceeded at a slow pace. At South Acton, we were all herded off the train. It went back in the direction of Boston and presumably pulled onto a side track somewhere, and around 8:25 a third train, which had been following behind us, took us all on.
Sssh: Some quiet news from the MBTA
By adamg - 12/31/10 - 11:20 amNOTE: Post corrected to show the location of the car will be the one closest to the locomotive, which is only the first car in outbound trains.
The MBTA begins experimental rush-hour quiet-car service on the Franklin and Fitchburg lines on Monday. For the next three months, the car closest to the locomotive will be where be where cell phones go to die:
Customers using it will be asked to refrain from cell phone use; keep pagers, cell phones, laptop and PDA sounds off or to vibrate; and speak in whispers. Riders seated in a quiet car who need to use the phone will be asked to move to another car for the duration of their call. Conductors will make normal announcements during the trip. Conductors will be authorized to lift quiet car restrictions during any periods of service disruption or heavy passenger volume.
His first train ride
By adamg - 11/8/10 - 12:56 pmRobert Burgess reports on an impromptu adventure with son Will this morning: A train ride from South Acton to Lincoln and back again:
There are plenty of chores and errands to run, but we want our little sponge to just soak up the experiences of life. Sure, we're sacrificing my full-time salary to help keep the house running, but that needs to be balanced with Will's needs. The train ride was a great rainy Monday success, so I think we'll try it again sometime and maybe go farther. Maybe, as Will would say, we'll go to infinity and beyond.
Man sitting on train tracks hit by train in Fitchburg
By adamg - 9/8/10 - 9:18 amWhich is why the 406 inbound train was canceled this morning. MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo reports (via e-mail):
Shortly before 6:00 a.m., a 52-year old man was sitting in the railroad right-of-way when he was struck by a train with no passengers on it. He was transported to UMass Medical Center with serious head injuries. Transit Police continue to investigate.
Teen struck, killed by commuter-rail train in Belmont
By adamg - 11/5/09 - 2:24 pmChannel 5 reports the 18-year-old was hit on the Fitchburg Line near Belmont High School.
Fine literature on the commute
By adamg - 10/13/09 - 10:46 amAmidst all the Dan Brown and Ken Follett books, Scott Stearns noticed a commuter with a different kind of book:
... Today I noticed a man, perhaps an academic of some sort, reading Marcel Proust's "Remembrance of Things Past". Literature is not dead in the world, quite yet.
Nichole Bee tweets:
Nothing beats reading "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies" on the T...and the guy next to you turns out to be reading the exact same thing
When life gives you commuter rail, make lemonade
By adamg - 10/1/09 - 1:28 pmMadfilkentist reports that due to some "suspect" track in the Concord area, his evening commute this week has been 30 minutes longer. On the plus side, he adds:
The good news is that in early October the Fitchburg line offers passengers a very scenic view, especially in the area of the Concord River and Walden Pond. ...
This is why we need the ability to shoot laser beams out our eyes
By adamg - 8/28/09 - 7:46 amDan Miller takes the 5:45 a.m. train out of Fitchburg. As you might expect, it's normally a pretty sleepy affair. Except today, thanks to a clueless woman loudly babbling away on her cell phone:
... As we arrive at North Station, commuters looked forward to some peace on the Green or Orange Lines, or perhaps a brisk walk to their office. ...
