Silver Line

MBTA starts useful service and the Herald won't stand for that

adamg — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:07:04 +0000

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.

Are you outraged? The Herald is, to the point of displacing its long-running Indian Joke of the Day series from the front page, which today features end-of-world fonts to accuse the T of stealing "all" its buses to service fat-cat conventioneers. Who, the Herald grudgingly admits, pay their fares just like rest of us - but only after the paper's crack investigative unit did some undercover surveillance:

On Friday, a Herald reporter and photographer observed people at the convention center paying regular fares to board the nonstop airport-bound Silver Line buses. The drivers did not take normal Silver Line routes or make any Silver Line stops before dropping passengers at Logan Airport. A driver said the buses provide conventioneers with rides to the airport. A bus tailed by the Herald did not follow the Silver Line’s dedicated bus route, instead driving directly to the Ted Williams Tunnel.

The horror!

Ed. derail question: Why is the convention center stop so far away from the convention center?

Alleged spitting puncher arrested on Silver Line bus

adamg — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:44:40 +0000

4/25/12 - 10:00 pm

MBTA Transit Police report arresting a homeless man on charges he punched and spit in the face of a Silver Line driver who asked him to pay his fare.

Sean Stuart, 43, was arrested shortly after 10 a.m. at Washington Street and Massachusetts Avenue - after being pulled off the driver by several Boston Police officers, Transit Police say.

According to an MBTA Transit Police report:

Free Silver Line service from Logan to South Station could start in June

adamg — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:56:27 +0000

WBZ reports Massport is expected to make a final decision on April 26 on a three-month pilot project.

T to discipline Silver Line driver for cursing out motorist who ran red light at tunnel entrance

adamg — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 19:59:14 +0000

The Metro reports on the incident, which happened at the scene of two collisions in the past three months caused by motorists running the lights.

If Angry Red Line Chick needs a new boyfriend, there's this driver on the Silver Line ...

adamg — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 02:00:07 +0000

The Metro posts a video of an Angry Silver Line Driver.

Earlier:
Angry Red Line Chick.

What is it about the red lights at the Silver Line tunnel that makes them so invisible to drivers?

adamg — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 21:13:25 +0000

For the second time in three months, a driver ran a red light at D Street in South Boston and plowed into a Silver Line bus about to descend to World Trad Center, the MBTA reports. The driver, Adam Galarza of New Bedford, was cited for failing to stop at a red light and an expired inspection sticker after the 1:40 p.m. collision, the T says, adding nobody on the bus was injured.

Compare to December's crash at the same location.

Silver Line stats show Southie surge

adamg — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:38:13 +0000

These stats just in from the T for the South Boston end of the Silver Line for January through August:

Total annual year-to-date ridership up 7.0% from 3,148,612 in 2010 to 3,368,580 in 2011.
Average weekday ridership up 5.7% from 15,015 in 2010 to 15,877 in 2011.
Average Saturday ridership up 67.3% from 5,550 in 2010 to 9,285 in 2011.
Average Sunday ridership up 8.0% from 8,422 in 2010 to 9,098 in 2011.

What's wrong with the Silver Line?

adamg — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:10:39 +0000

A lot, a Suffolk professor writes.

Police looking for man who smacked Silver Line driver in the face with a pipe or flashlight

adamg — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:22:45 +0000

9/18/11 - 3:00 pm

The MBTA reports the driver of a Silver Line bus was taken to Tufts Medical Center with non-life-threatening "lacerations to the upper lip and eye area" after the attack around 3 p.m. at Washington and Kneeland streets The search for the suspect, who fled the scene, continues.

Seriously missing Boston

adamg — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 02:55:08 +0000

Rob V. checks in from the Other Coast:

I'm sitting in a terminal at LAX and wishing I was waiting for the Silver Line.

I hate the Silver Line.

I love my family in LA, but I hate this city so much that I wish I was on the Silver Line right now...

Like you, the T didn't want to get out of bed this morning

adamg — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:33:00 +0000

Dead Green Line train at Newton Highlands. Photo by Jenny Mackintosh.

Update, 8:10 a.m.: There's a dead train at Wollaston on the Red Line now.

Dead trains mean lengthy delays on the Green, Blue and Orange lines this morning; well, except the T is urging Orange Line riders to just forget it exists and seek alternate routes. Delays on the Silver Line to Design Center, too, due to a dead bus. Jennifer Musso tweeted from Oak Grove on the Orange Line:

Hundreds of people waiting for shuttle buses at OkGrv sub0 weather! Station worker says he's not answering "any more questions"

Commuter rail? How 'bout those 30-40 minute delays on the Worcester line? Erin Bowles checked in:

At Framingham, there was a woman on platform nearly in tears. Hoping she'll be OK, but there's no way she doesn't have frostbite.

Not that North Station lines were immune from problems. Matt Hrono tweeted:

T alerts failed. Haverhill 208 cancelled, people waiting in record cold for 45 mins, no alert. What gives? Safety issue much?

Silver Line to get better shelters; seatless Red Line cars get strappier

adamg — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 11:07:32 +0000

Big Red: Now 79% more strappy

A $3.4-million stimulus project will mean new glass walls at 14 Silver Line stops along Washington Street in Roxbury and the South End, all the better to retain the heat from the new overhead heaters, not to mention the amount of wind-whipped rain and snow hitting waiting riders.

Part of the money will also go to repair the asphalt in bus lanes and crosswalks along the route, the T says.

Meanwhile, the T says that as a result of a recent online survey, it's added more straps for riders to hang onto as they enjoy the extra non-seat roominess of Big Red cars: Each of the cars now has 50 straps, up from 28 before.

Monday morning on the T

adamg — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:00:31 +0000

Signal troubles on the Green Line downtown, dead train at Eliot, roadway problems on the 5 Silver Line, dead train somewhere on the Red Line between JFK/UMass and Park Street, but at least the Orange and Blue lines are running OK.

Laura Vogel reports:

New record: door (North End) to door (Kendall Sq) travel time is 51 mins due to Red Line "delays." To be fair, it IS 2.6 miles.

'Service is moving with delays' on the Red Line

adamg — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:13:46 +0000

Curse you, malfunctioning signals!

Dan Dunn reports a nearly hour-long ride from Davis to Kendall.

Hoppzor wonders why these signal problems so often occur when it rains:

every time it rains there are mbta signal problems at harvard or alewife. pretty sure these stations are underground.

Also, I probably only find the following funny because I'm sitting nice and dry inside: The T reports it has to divert some Silver Line service in South Boston because of a ship docking at the Black Falcon Pier and advises: "Passengers are encouraged to walk out to Dry Dock Ave. for bus service." Dry Dock Ave.? This morning? More like Wet Dock Ave., amirite?

Dudley to South Station Silver Line service starts Tuesday

adamg — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:29:58 +0000

The MBTA says new Silver Line 4 service will get riders from Dudley Station to South Station in 30 minutes, with the first, ceremonial, run scheduled for 1 p.m. on Tuesday.

Buses are scheduled for every 10 minutes during rush hour and 15 minutes the rest of the day. T officials say federal stimulus money was used to get the service started.

The existing Dudley-to-Downtown-Crossing service is now SL5. SL3, which served part of the South Boston waterfront, was discontinued.