Hey, there! Log in / Register

And just why is

the MBTA closing Arlington Station all day on Patriot's Day Marathon Monday? Service alert from the T:

Branches Affected: B, C, D, E
Apr 21: Arlington and Copley Stations will be closed all day due to the Boston Marathon.

Start of day Mon 4/21/14 until end of day Mon 4/21/14

Affected routes:
Green Line B branch
Green Line C branch
Green Line D branch
Green Line E branch

Last Updated: 4/9/2014 4:25:25 PM

Topics: 


Ad:


Like the job UHub is doing? Consider a contribution. Thanks!

Comments

A lot of the things that used to happen at Copley Square for the runners and their associated folk are now happening closer to the Common. Therefore, a lot of the crowding that lead to the closure of Copley could now be at Arlington.

I'm not with the BAA or running the Marathon (though I am running the 5K, which is now starting/ending at the Common), so all this is theory.

up
Voting closed 0

Of course by closing a second station, you are now just exacerbating the crowding at the stations that are remaining open, namely Hynes and Boylston.

up
Voting closed 0

Both of which are non ADA compliant and not modernized with better safety equipment like Arlington has been.

up
Voting closed 0

you have to go to Park Street to change to the E line, if you need to go in and out because the marathon's blocking your regularly scheduled commute.

And sheesh, Gov't Center's closed too!

up
Voting closed 0

Else I could demystify more of the alerts for Roadman.

Closing Copley would bring crowds to Arlington and the western stops, no? Therefore, closing Arlington moves the crowds further away. Of course, by the time you are at Boylston, you may as well cross the Common to Park Street.

Those in the know, of course, will take the Orange Line.

up
Voting closed 0

fewer stations - such a great plan.

up
Voting closed 0

The finish area ends at Arlington St. just like years past, so Arlington station is still a public area. However, it gets pretty crowded because the runners come out there, so my guess would be that they want to limit the number of people crowding around there so that it is not a soft target and/or will have a police perimeter around the area and they do not want to post anyone inside Arlington station.

up
Voting closed 0

In past years the 66 bus route has been cut in two, running only from Dudley to Brookline Village and from Harvard Square to Union Square, from about 8 AM to some time between 5 and 6 PM. I was able to get to work before the route was interrupted, although getting home has always been a trial. This year the interruption will be all day, from start to end of service.

If Patriots' Day were a more widespread holiday this might not be a big deal, but there are thousands of people in the city (myself included) who don't get the day off, and I'm kind of screwed on my commute now.

up
Voting closed 0

According to the MBTA website:

Which stations are closed during the Boston Marathon?
To accommodate large crowds in the Downtown Boston area, Copley and Arlington Stations are closed during the day. Additionally, South Street, Kent Street, and St. Mary's Street Stations on the above-ground branches of the Green Line are closed between 10 a.m. and approximately 6 p.m. on Marathon Monday.

up
Voting closed 0

That's like saying, "To accommodate heavy vehicular traffic, the Mass Pike and Storrow Drive will be closed." Or how about, "To accommodate fans, Miley Cyrus has cancelled two of her three shows at the Garden." Or let's try, "To accommodate Red Sox fans, the bleachers will be closed this weekend."

up
Voting closed 0

Back Bay and Mass Ave are some way away and don't service Green Line, but they exist ... are they closed, too?

up
Voting closed 0

No, the Orange Line stations are open. Arlington is a pain for EMS and other rescue personnel to get into on days like this, and with the recent changes to the order of the finish line (medals, food, etc..) it looks like the goal is to keep people moving. There are plenty of stations around that will still be open (Back Bay, Chinatown, Park St, etc), just a slightly longer walk away. Inconvenient? Maybe. Good idea (erring on the side of caution)? Probably.

Besides, if it's as nice out as they say...who wants to be stuck underground? I'd rather walk....

up
Voting closed 0

BAA says it's because EMS access is difficult in Arlington.

up
Voting closed 0

Another guess, but, the old Arlington station exit(on Berkeley St?) is still used as an emergency exit. They might not want it used for unauthorized entry or want people wandering right below ground.

up
Voting closed 0

Don't they know that the stock market is open and every financial company in the area has a regular work day?

up
Voting closed 0

And retail, and all of the restaurants that are doing land-office business that day, and the hospitals, and all kinds of businesses other than state and city offices and the schools and universities. In my 40 years of working in Boston, I've had Patriot's Day off for only one 6-year job.

up
Voting closed 0

A very close friend works for a large financial company (at least one aspect of its business) in Copley and they are, and always have been, given the day off (to the extent anyone actually gets a day off these days with mobile availability) specifically to accommodate the marathon.

As for financial folks not having Patriot's Day off because the markets are open, well, I'm not feeling bad for them since the markets are closed tomorrow for Good Friday and most of the rest of us will be at work and scrambling to find childcare options as many schools are closed.

up
Voting closed 0

sucks for the local runners. when I used to run the marathon, it was painful just to get to the Arlington station to get on the T. Getting all the way to Park seems like hell. (If you've never run a marathon, once you stop after running 26.2 miles, your body is not always wiling to get going again)

up
Voting closed 0

the short shrift all the way around. For one thing, when's the last time anybody covered the first three unimportant non-elite runners crossing the finish line, let alone following them for the entire length of the race course.

Once upon a time, the Marathon was considered one race for all participants. It would have been a nice show of City unity and a fitting tribute to last year's bombing victims if the Boston Arrogance Athletic Association had decided to reinstate that practice, at least for this year.

up
Voting closed 0

Yes! I remember when the marathon was basically a local event, as far as the runners were not "professionals". Then money got involved and now we have "elite" runners. I don't cheer on the elite runners, I much prefer the Hoyt's and the everyday "joes" that run this without any fanfare or expectations, only to finish.

up
Voting closed 0

Boy, those were fun times. Comm Ave used to be littered with beer cans from Kenmore Square into Back Bay with all kinds of characters jumping into the race. More recently, runners dressed as Elvis or in gorilla suits were a riot. This year's race is has already taken on a serious tone: trash receptacles are already locked or removed.

up
Voting closed 0