Needham Line

Amcrak

adamg — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:56:34 -0500

Figures. Those disintegrating, cracked Northeast Corridor ties will affect some MBTA commuters out of South Station. The Globe reports the rail lines between Back Bay and Readville will be shut June 14 through 17 to allow for replacement of the ties there. That means buses for commuters on the Attleboro/Providence, Franklin, Needham and Stoughton lines (dear Globe: What about the Fairmount Line?).

Commute-a-holic, meanwhile, points us to this fun story about the Winchester commuter-rail stop:

Signs warning pedestrians away from the in-bound entrance to the commuter rail station along Waterfield Road in Winchester are still in place, more than two weeks after hundreds of pounds of concrete fell from the ceiling. ...

Early bird catches the train

adamg — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:58:24 -0500

Catberta reports the 8 a.m. inbound train at Roslindale Village today was actually two minutes early.

And you thought Amtrak didn't have anything to do with commuter rail around here anymore

adamg — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 11:20:43 -0500

Turns out Amtrak still handles the dispatching for trains out of South Station - and the track between Boston and Providence - so a possible strike by Amtrak workers next month could make commuting a bit more interesting from the south and west:

... A strike would nearly shut down South Station, forcing thousands of commuters on to subways, buses or into their own personal vehicles. ...

And, of course, given the general fragility of our road system, could we expect a cascading effect to make the drive to and from the south and west even more fun?