David notices Boston transportation services tend to be built in fives and then the powers that be eliminate one of them: There used to be five Green Line branches, five Silver Line routes and five terminals at Logan.
What's going on here? Do the planners have spooky Mickey Mouse hands? Does Boston overbuild then scale back? Shrinkage?
Stanley Staco reports it happened around 9:10 p.m. at Washington and East Newton streets.
UPDATE, Friday morning: The MBTA reports the driver was spit on, not pummeled, that one man was caught and that he will be summonsed into court.
Massport and the MBTA are teaming up on a three-month pilot project to provide free Silver Line rides from Logan to South Station.
Seems that when a big convention is in town, the MBTA runs special Silver Line service to the airport straight from the convention center, rather than making people carry their bags on that long walk to the nearest Silver Line stop and crowding onto a bus there.
MBTA Transit Police report arresting a homeless man on charges he punched and spit in the face of a Silver Line driver who asked him to pay his fare.
Sean Stuart, 43, was arrested shortly after 10 a.m. at Washington Street and Massachusetts Avenue - after being pulled off the driver by several Boston Police officers, Transit Police say.
According to an MBTA Transit Police report:
WBZ reports Massport is expected to make a final decision on April 26 on a three-month pilot project.
The Metro reports on the incident, which happened at the scene of two collisions in the past three months caused by motorists running the lights.
The Metro posts a video of an Angry Silver Line Driver.
Earlier:
Angry Red Line Chick.
These stats just in from the T for the South Boston end of the Silver Line for January through August:
The MBTA reports the driver of a Silver Line bus was taken to Tufts Medical Center with non-life-threatening "lacerations to the upper lip and eye area" after the attack around 3 p.m. at Washington and Kneeland streets The search for the suspect, who fled the scene, continues.
Rob V. checks in from the Other Coast:
I'm sitting in a terminal at LAX and wishing I was waiting for the Silver Line.
I hate the Silver Line.
I love my family in LA, but I hate this city so much that I wish I was on the Silver Line right now...
Dead Green Line train at Newton Highlands. Photo by Jenny Mackintosh.
Update, 8:10 a.m.: There's a dead train at Wollaston on the Red Line now.
Dead trains mean lengthy delays on the Green, Blue and Orange lines this morning; well, except the T is urging Orange Line riders to just forget it exists and seek alternate routes. Delays on the Silver Line to Design Center, too, due to a dead bus. Jennifer Musso tweeted from Oak Grove on the Orange Line:
Hundreds of people waiting for shuttle buses at OkGrv sub0 weather! Station worker says he's not answering "any more questions"
Commuter rail? How 'bout those 30-40 minute delays on the Worcester line? Erin Bowles checked in:
At Framingham, there was a woman on platform nearly in tears. Hoping she'll be OK, but there's no way she doesn't have frostbite.
Not that North Station lines were immune from problems. Matt Hrono tweeted:
T alerts failed. Haverhill 208 cancelled, people waiting in record cold for 45 mins, no alert. What gives? Safety issue much?
Signal troubles on the Green Line downtown, dead train at Eliot, roadway problems on the 5 Silver Line, dead train somewhere on the Red Line between JFK/UMass and Park Street, but at least the Orange and Blue lines are running OK.
Laura Vogel reports:
New record: door (North End) to door (Kendall Sq) travel time is 51 mins due to Red Line "delays." To be fair, it IS 2.6 miles.
Curse you, malfunctioning signals!
Dan Dunn reports a nearly hour-long ride from Davis to Kendall.
Hoppzor wonders why these signal problems so often occur when it rains:
every time it rains there are mbta signal problems at harvard or alewife. pretty sure these stations are underground.
Also, I probably only find the following funny because I'm sitting nice and dry inside: The T reports it has to divert some Silver Line service in South Boston because of a ship docking at the Black Falcon Pier and advises: "Passengers are encouraged to walk out to Dry Dock Ave. for bus service." Dry Dock Ave.? This morning? More like Wet Dock Ave., amirite?
The MBTA says new Silver Line 4 service will get riders from Dudley Station to South Station in 30 minutes, with the first, ceremonial, run scheduled for 1 p.m. on Tuesday.
Buses are scheduled for every 10 minutes during rush hour and 15 minutes the rest of the day. T officials say federal stimulus money was used to get the service started.
The existing Dudley-to-Downtown-Crossing service is now SL5. SL3, which served part of the South Boston waterfront, was discontinued.
Kalunlee posts a photo of three Silver Line buses in the wild, all bunched together in a convoy; adds:
This is a typical occurrence-30+ min waiting & then 3 buses blow by.
Ed. note: It's hard to break them of this natural habit, which protects them in the wild from roaming packs of busiraptors.
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