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Needham Line isn't fine
By adamg on Mon, 10/22/2018 - 8:47am
Kerry O'Brien is on a Needham Line train with no heat, no light and no open seats. On the bright side, it is moving.
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Comments
MBTA thought ahead to make
MBTA thought ahead to make sure these problems were manageable.
Problem solved. We should raise fares to pay the MBTA more for this resourceful thinking.
The Needham line is never
The Needham line is never fine. The one before yours was messed up too. Maybe it has a case of the Mondays.
And the 3:50 to Reading this afternoon
had six cars, but only three of them were occupied (and only three needed to be). Time to go back to using DMUs so it's easy to adjust train length to reflect the demand at different times of day, like the B&M and the New Haven did years ago.
Great Idea... but...
DMUs (diesel multi-units) or as they were once known ad "rail diesel cars (RDC) would be a good idea, but the fact is that someone still has to add and subtract from a train set at the marshaling yards. This takes time, effort, and the cost of employees to do that which specialize in coupling and uncoupling train cars. It's a union thing. This is why they are trying to standardize the length of the trains and then just open cars as needed.
The other issue is that there are few manufacturers of DMU trains in the USA. The last USA-based one we t out of business a few years ago, so it falls to foreign-based companies to manufacture, and ramp up a facility here, much like CRRC is doing for the new subway cars.
Colorado Railcar's design allowed for one power car and 2 blind coaches so a trainset could be configured in sets of 2 or 3 unit multiples.
DMU units have to be cycled out for inspection and maintenance as both a coach and locomotive so you need extras (spares) to cover the need because the schedules for the two differ, meaning that they have to be cycled out (by law) more frequently.
Lasltly, DMUs have a fuel consumption issue.
And before we go to the whole "hybrid" discussion... the technology is still in its infancy.
DMUs should be designed to
DMUs should be designed to couple as easily as subway cars. Some countries have trains that even couple and uncouple while moving.
Modern DMUs are far more efficient than a giant locomotive. Also way more reliable than what we have. (Look up the T commuter rail's mean distance between failures if you ever want to get angry.)
The lower operating costs of DMUs makes it possible to run more service, and reactivate branch lines that could not support traditional trains.
There's a reason every country with a healthy rail system is using them.
European DMUs are being used by a few small American systems. Mostly separated from mainline railroads due to FRA regulations, but they're starting to get more permissive, and several agencies are getting waivers.
Needham Line is screwed more than not
Not surprising. Needham trains are the only ones that consistently get the old blue seat cars during rush hour.
Every day we are told "We are understaffed on this train"
Even the Readville line gets a couple of trains on the weekend. I get that you schedule to demand, but maybe give us a couple?
There shouldn't be staff on
There shouldn't be staff on the train. There should be the engineer and that's it. Fare collection should be proof-of-payment, and the doors should be trainlined.