The sign at Green Street says it all.
Kristin MacDougall got off the last train into Forest Hills tonight and reports that the departure board immediately lit up with "No train service" and then The Voice announced over the PA: "This station is closed."
Perhaps appropriately, that last train was one of the 1980s rolling rec rooms with the wood paneling rather than one of the shiny new bing-bing-bing-bing jobs: Read more.
People trying to register for Bluebikes accounts right now are can't, because the app is dead, something about servers or something. Bluebikes reports it's aware of the problem (not surprising given that @RideBlueBikes on Twitter is being barraged with complaints) and is telling would-be riders:
We appreciate you reaching out to report this issue. Our engineers have already been notified and are working on a fix as we speak. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
Although the T will be paying Yankee Line of South Boston up to $37 million for a month's worth of coach buses to replace the Orange Line and some Green Line service, the company doesn't have enough of its own bright-yellow buses to meet the demand, so has been shipping in a variety of buses from across the East Coast, including this bus from North Carolina, sitting outside Wellington before a test run this afternoon.
In 1987, the MBTA shut the elevated Orange Line south of Back Bay so it could eventually switch over to the semi-submerged line we know today. The T brought in 100 buses and the mayor of Boston held a press conference to urge patience - and to avoid driving downtown. Walt Sanders at WBZ reports.
Some of Steve H's alternative Orange Line signs.
With the Orange Line shutting down for a month at 9 p.m. (and then allegedly returning Sept. 18 without our beloved rolling 1980s rec rooms), by now you know the drill: Work from home (good luck if you're, oh, a nurse or housekeeper), expect mayhem in the streets, extra long commutes even if you get on one of those shuttle buses, etc., etc. Read more.
New, temporary but as yet unmarked bike lane on Columbus Avenue. Photo by Evan.
Boston officials today announced some changes to roads along the route of the soon-to-stop-running Orange Line to help ease the passage of the big replacement buses until the trains allegedly start running again in a month. Read more.
After initially announcing two weeks of rolling closures of the Southwest Corridor bike path that was supposed to be an alternative to the shuttered Orange Line, DCR now says it only needs to do repair work for three days, starting on Thursday, Aug. 18. Read more.
Update: Work shortened to just three days, starting Thursday.
In the run up to Friday's month-long Orange Line shutdown, one of the alternatives touted by officials, at least for people south of downtown, was riding a bike up and down the Southwest Corridor. Read more.
With the clock ticking on the end of the Orange Line, the news that many people trying to get into or out of Chinatown will have to hoof it to the nearest alternative is not sitting well with Mayor Wu, City Councilor Ed Flynn and three state legislators, who today asked the T to extend its bus-shuttle service to at least the Chinatown or Tufts Medical Center stops, in particular for seniors, the disabled and students. Read more.
Updated: "Normal" service has resumed, the T says.
The MBTA is reporting that a "power problem" at Wellington is causing delays bad enough that trains might just have to sit at stations, helpless.
While 'neath the streets of Boston, Anna Seda on cello, Jacob Deck on Celtic harp and Ben Rechel on bass play their updated version of the classic Boston song: Read more.
State and Boston officials today detailed their latest efforts to provide alternatives for Orange Line riders and Green Line riders north of Boston for the month-long shutdown that starts Friday night - and to caution that eliminating train service that normally handles 100,000 people on weekdays will affect everybody else in the region as well. Read more.
Transit Police report they are looking for Steven Wade Coffey, 27, for raping a woman at the Tufts Medical Center Orange Line stop on Aug. 4. Read more.
Shuttle buses, more commuter-rail service and the 39 bus! All that and more.
Transit Police have released a couple of photos of a man they say committed a sexual attack at the Tufts Medical Center Orange Line station around 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 4.
If he looks familiar, contact detectives at 617-222-1050 or send an anonymous text tip to 873873.
All aboard! At least, until 9 p.m. on Aug. 19.
Boston Street Chief Jascha Franklin-Hodge reports this morning that the city is still trying to figure out exactly how to deal with the impending Orange Line shutdown and the arrival of giant-sized charter buses that are supposed to relieve some of the stress of setting 100,000 daily Orange Line riders loose on the streets, but that things are in the works, including: Read more.
Gov. Baker and MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak announced today that Orange Line service will end at 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 19 and will return at 5 a.m. on Sept. 19 with the elimination of slow zones, better signal systems, an almost entirely new fleet of cars and "deep cleaned" stations. Read more.
The MBTA board this morning approved spending up to $37 million to hire Yankee Line buses to replace the Orange Line for a month starting on Aug. 19 - and for some smaller-scale Green Line diversions. Read more.
WCVB reports the T tomorrow will announced a 30-day shutdown of the Orange Line to address a backlog of maintenance. The T board of directors votes on the bus contract at 10:15 a.m.
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
