Hey, there! Log in / Register

Red Line still not fine, there's another dead train on the line

Pretty much as soon as the T got that dead train out of the way at Davis, another train died at Alewife, so the delays are still severe.

Topics: 
Free tagging: 


Ad:


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

Comments

Time for some T introspection. Cut all expansion. Improve all existing service

up
Voting closed 0

It should have prevented all of these problems. Today isn't even that cold.

up
Voting closed 0

Because the T's problems are much greater than "winter". These are year-round issues.

up
Voting closed 0

3 years in. Same garbage system. She can no longer say "The state needs to do this or that" She is the state. When Pollack says the MBTA:MassDOT failed to do something in 2018, it means Pollack failed to do something. Its time for Baker to have some deep introspection.

up
Voting closed 0

Buy some new trains, because these trains are breaking down a lot.

I hope they read these comments and look into buying new Red Line cars.

Come on, MassDOT. The Red Line needs some new trains. Put out the contract tender soon, because it takes a while to build these things.

up
Voting closed 0

The new trains won't fix signal issues, or track fires, or several other issues. It's a start, but I don't understand why new trains seems to be their only plan.

up
Voting closed 0

But what is the chief source of Gaffin rhyme worthy T delays on a regular basis? Trains build before 1986 86ing on us. Same thing with his consecutive Red Line stories here. New trains plus the theoretical investment in system maintenance should handle this.

But yes, signal and switch problems should not be happening as much as they do.

up
Voting closed 0

The existing tunnels are falling apart. Dukakis expanded without considering maintenance. End of story. Move on.

up
Voting closed 0

It's B-A-K-E-R, as in the guy who came up with the Big Dig funding scheme that saddled the MBTA with all those debts it couldn't really pay for. HTH.

up
Voting closed 0

Yes. Baker and his fellow highway bros are to blame for the terrible funding systems. However, Dukakis signed off. Dukakis had N-S Link dreams running through his head. He didn't review the potential loopholes.

up
Voting closed 0

And if you read the post Adam wrote, I would say that Cellucci, Swift, Romney, and first term Patrick should most of the blame for us having Nixon era railcars breaking down on the Red Line and Carter era Orange Line cars breaking down on the Orange Line. I mean, do you drive a car built in 1979 to work every day? If you do, I bet you’re late a lot.

up
Voting closed 0

Its reality

up
Voting closed 0

DTX had a partial collapse a few days ago.

up
Voting closed 0

I don’t recall Adam mentioning the Red or Orange lines being shut down due to a tunnel collapse, and the Orange Line has been running well this week. Maybe it was a different Downtown Crossing in a different city.

up
Voting closed 0

If so, UHUB would just be a long list of T failure every day all day. Several T fails are not picked up by the press. And anyone who transfers at DTX has seen the tunnel collapses; er I mean; "station improvements". Just like minor and severe delay word-smithing. The station and tunnel collapses are getting the PR treatment

up
Voting closed 0

A tunnel collapse would cause service to be stopped for hours, if not days. Kind of a big deal.

up
Voting closed 0

They're all responsible. Not just Dukakis

up
Voting closed 0

Luis "no experience required" Ramirez isn't responsible for anything. If something is broken, it must be Barbara Scott's fault.
Teflon Charlie is still polling great numbers.

up
Voting closed 0

Looking back it's quite enraging that Baker so publicly tanked Beverly Scott's leadership after service problems that nowadays would look like a normal week on the MBTA. Might have been worth it to at least wait a little while to see how the MBTA does under an actual transit expert with a track record leading major public transportation systems. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

up
Voting closed 0

Pollack would blame Scott for everything. Now Pollack can only blame Pollack

up
Voting closed 0

They break down all seasons.

But I believe that Elmer would probably mention that before leaving office, Governor Patrick ordered new trains to replace the ones that entered service during the Nixon administration. They start coming online in 2020(?)

Blame "Winter Resiliency" when the switches and track get messed up during the cold weather. Of course, blame mismanagement when the switches and signals get messed up during good weather.

Also, it's been below freezing.

up
Voting closed 0

no. just no.

we are here because of Dukakis debt.

up
Voting closed 0

It's something that was developed while the Duke was teaching at Northeastern. Here's a little tome to help you understand more.

Perhaps we should call it Cellucci debt?

up
Voting closed 0

Based on that it sounds like the real problem was the state saddling the MBTA with debt incurred as part of the state implementation plans that were forced on the state as transit mitigation for the vehicular portion of the Big Dig.

Basically the state wanted to improve vehicular traffic, payed for that portion of their work, but then decided that the MBTA should be forced to deal with paying for the federally required transit portion while balancing it's own budget, and then gave it an inadequate revenue source to do so. So the MBTA started operating on its own starting with poor funding and 3.8 billion in debt. Brilliant I'd say.

up
Voting closed 0

all the new trains, switches, and tracks in the world can't fix the fundamental infra issues. The T expanded too quickly. And without enough money to maintain the existing tunnels.

up
Voting closed 0

maybe they will read Facebook or Twitter and find out.

up
Voting closed 0

The oldest parts of the system - centered on the park street/downtown crossing red line/ green line nexus - are failing particularly around electrical issues. The center can no longer sustain the older expansions let alone any new ones. New cars and going deeper into Somerville will not solve this fundamental problem only make it worse.

up
Voting closed 0

The GLX needs to be "postponed to 2040"

up
Voting closed 0