Route 751 (The "SL4")

Because we all know that the real SL4 would have been the "stillborn" Silver Line Waterfront branch from South Station to Andrew Station via D Street, I shall hereafter refer to the new SL4 service as either the Silver Line Connector or by its route number, Route 751 .

And speaking of the 751...

For the first time since the days of the Atlantic Avenue Elevated riders once again have a one-seat ride from Dudley Station to South Station. The bus stop is even located near where the old elevated station used to be. While it may take a little longer than it used to, at least there aren't any pesky hairpin turns to worry about. (Rounding the curve from Harrison Avenue to Beach Street, one often felt you would fall right off the elevated structure.) I was able to make it out to the ribbon cutting ceremony on the 13th. Special guests included Mayor Menino, Secretary Aloisi, and several state legislators. See below for some photos I snapped.

While most Silver Line riders are still getting used to the new service, it appears to have been received well. Trunk headways along Washington Street have seen a slight improvement, albeit with bunching during the rush hours, and the four extra buses along the corridor during the peak are surely welcomed. With the buzz still in the air, many riders are asking where does it go, how often does it operate, and what's the transfer policy for passengers going to/from the Connector and Waterfront services. All of your questions can be answered by talking to a Silver Line operator and/or picking up the new Silver Line schedule card (featuring all services).

But what about ridership? Namely, how much will develop? Most longtime Route 749 riders are content (so to speak) with their Dudley Square-Temple Place service. Will any of them be siphoned onto the 751? Some of my personal observations show midday ridership to be rather light, with only 3-10 people boarding at South Station with me during these hours. Perhaps in time a ridership base will grow. If off-peak ridership continues to be light, Southampton will hopefully switch over to the forty-footers during these times.

Well, the 751 certainly beats that $2,000,000,000+ tunnel that would have wormed its way through Chinatown. All that's left to do is lay the track, put up the catenary, and convert it all to light rail!

Back From Vacation!

Hello, Chaps!

I am back from my summer holiday and am now getting back into the swing of things.

The MBTA has now released its 2008 Service Plan, which analyzes bus, subway, (and for the first time ever!) ferry service. Using existing resources, the Plan seeks to improve service and cut out waste. Sounds like a good idea to me! I have had a copy for at least two months prior to it being released to the public, but like a good novel, I didn't want to spoil the plot for you all. If you would like to download a copy for your reading pleasure, head here:

http://mbta.com/uploadedFiles/About_the_T/T_Projects/T_Projects_List/ServicePlan08.pdf

And be sure to attend some of the public workshops for the Service Plan in your area!

If you happen to be on the Blue Line next week, say around 5PM, you might see one of three six-car Blue Line trains that will be rolling out this coming Monday (September 15th). To accommodate increased capacity, the T has added these trains during the so called "peak of the peak", then the strain is particularly great. For anyone who was hoping to see a six-car consist of Hawker-Siddeley's, sorry, only the 700's will be trainlined this way. Don't worry, the six car trains will still serve Bowdoin Station, but you might have to change cars. It is impossible to extend the platform there without destroying the station and that section of tunnel. Now why didn't Ed Dana plan ahead for this?

About twenty buses equipped with Automated Passenger Counters (APC's) have been transferred from Charlestown/Bennett Garage to Cabot. These buses are equipped with sensors near the front and rear doors that count how many people board and alight. This data can be broken down by route, trip, and even bus stop. This is certainly a great piece of technology for the T, as now they are able to obtain more timely and accurate ridership counts. The buses (0735, 0737-0740, 0742-0745, and 0747-0753) are New Flyer D40's just like the buses they swapped with Charlestown. These buses, like the others, also feature security cameras. It seems that because of this, they are only being pulled out on the Route 23 (there is a bit of a backstory here, I'll explain later). However, I have seen them on other Cabot routes: 0752 and 0753 on the 16, 0745 on the 09, etc. Hopefully, when I ask for some ridership summary reports (yes, I plan to read some of them), I'll get a little variety. Maybe some 04's or possibly some data from the Route 9701? I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Stay tuned for more,

The Lone Rider