The MBTA announced this morning it's lifted most of the speed restrictions on the Mattapan Line, but adds it still has "block restrictions where necessary," so not quite 100% back to being the Mattapan High-ish Speed Line.
Fans of more leisurely trolley rides can still hop on the Green Line, which remains a "global" slow zone as inspectors continue to look for both new track problems and old ones that the T isn't sure if they were actually fixed.
Update: MBTA says it wasn't concrete, but about a pound of felt.
Two largeish concrete chunks observed this morning.
The MBTA reports it will be keeping the old trolleys snug in their yard during the nor'easter. Also being kept off their routes: ferry boats. Read more.
In 1875, Richard Doyle anticipated the T in "Triumphal March of the Elf-King."
The T sounded the alarm tonight: Nearly a third of the tracks on the Red, Orange and Blue Lines remain subject to snailish speed restrictions, which are in place along all the tracks on the Green and Mattapan lines. Read more.
This morning, the MBTA reported delays of up to 20 minutes, atop the more usual delays, on the Red Line's Ashmont branch due to a "track problem" at Ashmont. You may recall that the decision to turn the entire T system into a slow zone last week was due to track problems state inspectors found on that branch.
Rapid transit back in the day. See it larger.
The MBTA began slowing down all its subway trains around 5:30 p.m. yesterday after state inspectors filed reports that they found track problems on one Red Line stretch this week and the T couldn't assure them that repairs had actually been made because of problems with paperwork and decided it needed to check all its tracks. Read more.
The T is currently running buses instead of trains between Maverick and Airport because of a downed wire.
The MBTA announced tonight that trains on all four subway lines will no longer go any faster than 25 m.p.h. - and that in some spots their drivers are being told to go no more than 10 m.p.h., following an inspection of the Red Line between Ashmont and Savin Hill by investigators from the state Department of Public Utilities, which has suddenly remembered it has the power to investigate T operations. Read more.
The MBTA reports that over the weekend it inspected ceiling tiles between Central and Andrew this weekend to make sure none are about to fall on riders' heads. Meanwhile, the removed ceiling-tile count at Harvard, where a rustily connected, water-filled tile nearly did conk one rider, is now up around 100, the T says.
GBH takes a look at ridership figures from the 23, 28 and 29 lines, which are now free under a two-year Boston pilot that started in March - several months after the city first started paying the T for fares on the 28.
PT watched as somebody drove an old Honda Fit right down the inbound E Line tracks last night.
Panel falls in a cloud of dust in front of woman, who then looks up, in T surveillance video.
The MBTA has begun removing ceiling panels at the Harvard Red Line station after one of the 20-to-25-pound panels fell ten feet to the platform, narrowly missing a rider - and plans inspections of all its ceiling panels at all its stations to reduce the need for riders to worry about getting hit in the head with one, interim MBTA General Manager Jeff Gonneville said today. Read more.
Surveillance photos via TPD.
A Red Line train at Ashmont had to be taken out of service at rush hour yesterday after some guy on the platform attempted to show his anger at somebody inside the train by slamming his shoulder and elbow into a window hard enough to crack it, Transit Police report. Read more.
The family of Robinson Lalin, dragged to his death by a Red Line train leaving Broadway station last April, today sued the MBTA, alleging recklessness and wanton misconduct. Read more.
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