Lights Out!

It appears that the MBTA forgot to pay the electric bill! For at least part of the morning commute, the lights were out at Arlington and Copley (I also heard rumors of Hynes and Boylston going dark as well). A series of underground fires in Downtown Boston forced the power to be shut off for a few hours. Inspectors, CSA's, and other MBTA personnel stood guard with flashlights. Waiting passengers were told to board whatever train came into the station and change at another stop.

Here are some photos I snapped:

Copley Station

Arlington Station

Arlington Station

*Note: Photographs taken with normal settings. It actually was that dark!

Home Movies: The Boeing-Vertol LRV Trip

Going Around The Loop At Government Center

Coming Out The Other Side

Tunnel Between Government Center and Park Street

Sorry that they are a bit short and have no sound.

I have purchased a new camera, so stay tuned for some better quality videos!

Happy Birthday!

Today the MBTA turns 44! In honor of this momentous event, I have put together a timeline of some of the major events in the MBTA's history. For a more detailed history of the MBTA, check out Jonathan Belcher's Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district 1964-2008


August 3, 1964 - The MBTA succeeds the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). Unlike the MTA, which only served 14 cities and towns, the new MBTA has an expanded service area of 78 cities and towns. However, many would not receive direct MBTA service for several years.

August 26, 1965 - The MBTA gives the rapid transit lines their colors:

The Cambridge-Dorchester Tunnel Line becomes the Red Line after the school color (crimson) of Harvard University. At the time, the Red Line only operated between Harvard and Ashmont.

Photograph Courtesy of The Joe Testagrose Collection

However, the cars being used at the time (the 1400's Series) had been purchased with state money, and as a token of thanks, were painted in the state colors. Clearly this could lead to some confusion...

Photograph Courtesy of The Joe Testagrose Collection

The Main Line Elevated becomes the Orange Line. Washington Street in the South End and Roxbury, over which the el ran for most of its route, was once called Orange Street.

Photograph Courtesy of The Joe Testagrose Collection

The several streetcar lines that fed into the Central Subway and Park Street were called the Green Line, as many of them ran parallel to some portion of Boston's Emerald Necklace park system. However, many of the PCC streetcars would remain in their MTA orange paint schemes for years, with a few even being retired in that color.

Photograph Courtesy of The Joe Testagrose Collection

And finally, the East Boston Tunnel Line became the Blue Line, as it ran under Boston Harbor and along the ocean.

Photograph Courtesy of The Joe Testagrose Collect
Note: The trains in this photo (dated 1972) first entered service in 1924
when the East Boston Tunnel was converted from streetcar to subway operation.
The original 1924 fleet would remain in service until 1979/1980 when they were
replaced by the current 0600-Series Hawker -Siddley fleet. With the exception of
the Mattapan PCC's, no other MBTA vehicle would surpass their 56 year service life.

1966 - The MBTA begins to renumber its bus routes. By 1969, the current numbering system would be in place. Some examples were:

Route 31A became Route 24 (Mattapan - Wakefield Avenue)

Route 47 became Route 01 (Dudley - Harvard)

Route 77 became Route 69 (Harvard - Lechmere)


1966 - The MBTA purchases its first buses. All of the buses in the MBTA fleet up to that time had been inherited from the MTA (with a few leftover from BERy days!). These buses, 1966/1967 GMC "New Looks" or "Fishbowls" as they were sometimes called, would remain in service for decades. In fact, in the early 1990's there were still a few in service.


March 30, 1968 - The MBTA absorbs the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway. The merger resulted in the MBTA taking over and operating bus routes on the South Shore (now the 200-series routes), North Shore (now the 400-series routes), Route 616 (now known as Route 34E), Melrose area routes (now the 130-series routes), as well as buses in Lowell (until 1975), Lawrence (only for several months), and Brockton (until 1969).

June 21, 1969 - The MBTA discontinues service on the "A" branch of the Green Line to Watertown via Allston, Brighton, and Newton Corner. Service was only "temporarily suspended" due to a streetcar shortage, however it has never resumed. Route 57 replaced streetcar service along the line.

September 1, 1971 - The South Shore Extension of the Red Line opens. Service is extended to Quincy Center via North Quincy Station and Wollaston Station. Ashmont and Quincy trains would diverge at Andrew Station. It would not be until 1988, when an additional platform was built, that South Shore trains would serve JFK/UMass Station.

July 5, 1972 - The MBTA absorbs the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway. New routes added into the MBTA system included bus routes in Newton, Waltham, Needham, Arlington, Lexington, Belmont, Bedford, and for a brief time Framingham, Wayland, and Wellesley. Several routes were discontinued over years (i.e. the Framingham/Wayland/Wellesley routes), however many of the former M & B routes remain as today's Routes 52, 59, 62, 67, 70A, 76, and 553-558.

April 4, 1975 - Service on the Charlestown Elevated is discontinued. The Charlestown El is replaced with increased Route 92 service, and the Orange Line is relocated to the Haymarket North Extension. Stations closed on the Charlestown El were: Everett, Sullivan Square (old station), Thompson Square, City Square, and North Station (old El stop).

Photographs Courtesy of The Joe Testagrose Collection

December 27, 1976 - The MBTA takes over the commuter rail system. Formerly, the Boston & Maine Railroad and Penn Central provided commuter rail service in the Greater Boston area. Purple had been chosen to represent the commuter rail system in 1974.

December 30, 1976 - First first LRV's (or Light Rail Vehicles) enter service on the Green Line. Built by Boeing-Vertol (yes, the airplane company), they were the first brand new cars purchased for the Green Line since the Picture Window PCC's in 1951.

March 22, 1980 - Red Line service is extended to Braintree Station. Quincy Adams Station would open in 1983 due to construction delays.

December 1980 - The MBTA closed for one day due to lack of funds. As part of the fallout from this event, many services (largely bus) are cutback or discontinued completely wholesale.

January 31, 1981 - The original Harvard Station (remnants still visible today) was closed in preparation for the Northwest Extension to Alewife. Several temporary stations (Harvard/Holyoke, Harvard/Brattle) would serve the area until the new station was completed.

1983 Through 1985 - The Northwest Extension of the Red Line opened. First the new Harvard Station in 1983, Porter and Davis in 1984, and finally Alewife in 1985.

1985 - The RTS makes its debut in Boston. The first MBTA bus to use electronic destination signs (instead of hand-cranked rollsigns), they would eventually become the only type of bus in the MBTA's fleet until 1999, when the first New Flyer C40's (initially bought for the Silver Line) entered service.

December 28, 1985 - The E Arborway Branch of the Green Line is temporarily suspended and replaced by Route 39 service. No Green Line service operated between Copley and Arborway. In preparation for the introduction of the LRV's, the Northeastern Incline was rebuilt to allow for the increase weight. The E Line was the last branch of the Green Line to still use PCC streetcars, some dating as far back as 1941. In 1986 service resumed on this branch only to Brigham Circle. Service was initially provided with Boeing LRV's, but by 1987 all service now used Type 7's. Service would return only as far as Heath Street on November 4, 1989. To this day, Jamaica Plain remains without Green Line service. Trolley poles, sections of track, and even a full Green Line stop at Forest Hills are all that remain. Bustitution had claimed its last victim in Boston.

May 4, 1987 - The Washington Street Elevated is closed and subsequently demolished after 86 years of service. The Orange Line was rerouted to the Southwest Corridor (originally planned to be a highway extension). Elevated stations closed were: Dover, Northampton, Dudley, Egleston, Green Street (old station), and the original (constructed 1909) Forest Hills Station. The historic Dudley Station is then converted into a bus terminal, with several original pieces of architecture incorporated into it. As was the case with the Charlestown El, service was replaced with increased bus service on Route 49. For 15 years, Route 49 service linked Dudley Station with Downtown Boston (Route 42 was extended from Egleston to Forest Hills and provided service from there to Dudley Station). However, Route 49 could not compare to the El's 8 minute trip from Dudley to Downtown Boston. The only stations remaining from the original Orange Line are Haymarket, State, Downtown Crossing, and Chinatown.*

Photograph Courtesy of The Joe Testagrose Collection

*Even these stations are not really the "original stops". The Washington Street Tunnel opened in 1908. For the first seven years of service (1901-1908) Main Line Elevated trains operated through the Tremont Street Subway. So the actual original stops are Government Center, Park Street, and Boylston. Streetcar service had been reconfigured during this time to allow for subway train operation.

Fall 1995 - The Crosstown Buses make their debut. Unlike other bus routes, they make limited stops (making the trip between major points faster). Also, for a little extra fare, passengers could transfer to the subway system.

1999 - The first Type 8 Green Line cars arrive in Boston. Plagued with a variety of problems including poor brakes, misaligned wheels, and wobbling axles (not to mention several derailments), the full fleet does not enter service until 2007/2008. In fact, the entire order was not carried out as the MBTA was unsatisfied with the manufacturer (Breda of Italy) and only accepted 85 (later 95) of the 100 cars.

1999 - The state's "Forward Funding" program expands the MBTA's revenue base and service area (now 175 cities and towns). In the additional communities, the MBTA is not responsible for providing local service.

2002 - The Silver Line Washington Street opens up, much to the dismay and ridicule of riders who were expected light rail rapid transit instead of "bus rapid transit".

2003 - The first CNG buses, purchased by the MBTA amid mounting community pressure to do away with the diesel fume spewing RTS, enter service. They were also some of the first low floor buses in the T's fleet. They are only assigned to Cabot and Arborway Garages (which host routes that primarily serve Boston). This soon leads the T to purchase cleaner buses, many with Emissions Control Technology (ECD), for its fleet. The era of the RTS was drawing to a close. By 2005, almost all RTS buses built before 1989 (8400's thru 8900's) had been retired. All remaining 1994/1995 RTS buses had particulate filters added to reduce emissions. Now, even these buses are slowly being phased out.

1989 RTS Bus.

A NABI CNG Bus

2004 - The Silver Line Waterfront opens. Service initially operates with Neoplan trackless trolleys on a South Station - Silver Line Way shuttle. Soon service expands to three distinct services; SL1 to Logan Airport, SL2 to Boston Marine Industrial Park, and the SL3 to City Point (slated to be discontinued due to low ridership). Unlike the Silver Line Washington Street, Waterfront service features a tunnel, partially grade separated right of way, three underground stations, and straight electric propulsion for part of its route (using dual-mode articulated buses built by Neoplan). Not bad for $601,000,000.

December 2006 - Charlie comes to Boston. The MBTA replaces its decades old system of tokens and turnstiles with the CharlieCard and Automated Fare Collection (AFC). The change over comes just before the 2007 MBTA fare increases. Rather than paying for each trip in cash, the CharlieCard (and to a lesser extent the CharlieTicket) allow riders to store multiple fares and even passes on an electronic smart card. New faregates at subway stations also help to crackdown on fare evaders (though the "backpack trick" and other ways to cheat the system soon are developed).

The new AFC and CharlieCard system did away with tokens as well as paper transfers like these.
I had always had the odd fortune of coming across books of bus transfers, sometimes in the most unlikely places.
I have found books of transfers in the middle of the street, in a park, on a subway seat, even just laying on the ground!
Nothing like a day of free bus rides!

The MBTA has had its ups and downs over the past 44 years, but overall has made a great deal of progress in that time. After all, Boston is a city of many transit firsts. But what does the future hold? Currently, the MBTA is on unsteady financial ground with a debt (interest included) of about $8,000,000,000. This has sadly been a trend for Boston's past transit systems. The Boston Elevated Railway was bought and taken over the the Metropolitan Transit Authority in 1947 as the BERy was falling "deep into the red". But the MTA would only last 17 years before it too succumbed to its financial woes and was replaced by the MBTA. At times, the MBTA has flirted with financial ruin, only to come away with a few wounds. There is still hope for the T, however. Plans (dating back some 63 years) for the Green Line extension to Medford are coming closer to fruition. New technologies such as GPS, CAD/AVL, and AVI are helping the T to improve its services. So who knows where the T will be in fifty years. Will the system grow into a shining example of transit at its best? Or will it fall to its troubles, perhaps rising again out of the ashes like the phoenix?

I guess time will tell...

The F***ing Type 8s

Photograph Courtesy of The Boston Globe

Well, 3879 derailed near Chestnut Hill Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue in Brighton the other day (May 14). It was the operator's last trip for the night (c. 1:30AM) and about 30 people were on board at the time of the accident. The trolley jumped the track and hit a pole, causing the overhead wires to come down and set the car on fire. Thankfully, no one was injured, however substitute bus service ran for most of Wednesday between Washington Street and Boston College on the B Branch. Wednesday morning was spent cleaning up the wreckage and getting the line back online for service. 3879 is currently sitting at Lake Street (the yard facility at BC) awaiting its fate. The damage it sustained is pretty devastating. Some rumors are flying around that it may be the first Type 8 to be retired. Theories abound as to what caused the accident. Another slip up by an unreliable piece of equipment? Operator speeding? College kid saboteur (what some think, but not me personally)? The MBTA says it will investigate the matter. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

To be honest, I wasn't surprised this happened. Not at all.

I have always had a distrust for these cars. They have caused trouble for the T right from the start. Now all my faith in them is completely gone. I'm going strictly Type 7 from now on. Harsh, but totally warranted.

The Type 8 has had a less than impressive track record (sorry for the pun) in its seven-ish years of service for the MBTA. After about a year of vehicle testing, the first Type 8 entered service in 1999. The problems started soon afterwards. The brakes were no good and operators had a hard time stopping the trains. Legend has it that one car rolled uncontrollably down a hill and the operator had to use the emergency brake to stop it. The MBTA actually paid $3.25 million a piece for these things? And I thought Greenbush was a waste of money. There had been about dozen derailments before the MBTA decided to take action against the builder, Breda, in 2004.
After the legal dust settled, the MBTA and Breda decided that the T would take 85 of the 100 cars ordered and accept 15 "shells" to be used for spare parts. In 2007, the MBTA agreed to take ten more bringing the total to 95 cars.

The sad thing is that most riders have no idea about the Type 8's shady past. Many of them just get on and ride something that ought to be under the watchful eye of the National Transportation Safety Board. Well, they say "ignorance is bliss". If they did know, what would that do? Would there be a public outcry? Would we all just not care that much and go on with our lives? Who knows, who knows.

Service Has Resumed With Residual Delays...

Wow, my last post was on February 21!? Jeez! Sorry for being offline for such a long time, I've been pretty busy lately. Anyway, I'll start off with some news updates.

Six 1700 series cars have been set aside at Cabot Shops (the Red Line yard) for repairs and may be the first of the 1700's to go into overhaul. The overhaul program, slated to begin later this year or early in 2009, includes cam and brake work, upgrades to the power systems, and possibly digital destination signs and automated stop announcements (like on the 1800's).

On the Orange Line, work continues on repainting and overhaul work for the 1200's. The refurbished cars are easy to spot with their bright and glossy orange, white, and gray paint jobs.

Speaking of keeping up appearances, there are now six cars in the new Green Line paint scheme: 3656, 3664, 3667, 3678, 3689, and 3694. Their bold hunter green and white color is a marked departure from the subdued teal and gray seen on the rest of the Green Line fleet.

Another train of the new Blue Line cars (700's) has entered service bringing the total to eight cars in revenue service. 86 cars are still left to be delivered. Now, commuters have a 1 out of 7 chance of getting on of the new trains during rush hour.

The next order of 155 New Flyer D40 buses, #0755-0909, are planned to be delivered to Cabot (55), Lynn (50), and Quincy (50). Once more shall diesel buses have a noticeable presence at Cabot (remember the of "Summer of the RTS" when the Riverside Shuttle was going on? RTS buses on 01's, 28's, 44's, and 45's!). 55 NABI buses from Arborway are set to enter a midlife overhaul program. Cabot will then give Arborway 55 of its NABI's and take 55 of the New Flyer D40s.

Sorry, nothing big going on with the Silver Lines lately.

As for the bus system, all pullouts from Cabot Garage on Routes 22, 23, and 28 are to be only camera buses beginning this rating (Spring 08). Several buses from Charlestown/Bennett (0610, 0612-0616, and 0620) have been transfered to Cabot to meet the peak requirements. More NABI buses are planned to be retrofitted with security cameras sometime down the road. Currently on buses 2201-2204 such systems are installed.

Odd bus sightings included an unusually (at least for me) large number of Lynn RTS buses at Haymarket (almost always Neoplan AN440's), New Flyer's in East Boston for the Blue Line shuttle, and a New Flyer on the 66 (normally not assigned to that route).

Coming up a little later: A look at service on the Route 111, top 25 things I hate and top 25 things I like about the MBTA, and some photos.

Stay tuned,

The Long Rider