Route 111.6

Route 111.6 Haymarket Station - Washington Avenue @ Revere Beach Parkway

This route variation only operates inbound trips to Haymarket during the morning rush hour. Outbound trips are rarely (if ever) operated. To keep two buses from bunching near Woodlawn, the official had this bus turn back at Revere Beach Parkway.

Failure, Thy Name Is Route 111

Snow & Ice: 100 Points
Route 111: -50 Points

After the series of storms that hit the region this past weekend, I would expect surface transit to be a little slow. Maybe even some moderate delays (10-15 minutes). But the 111 seems to have had some trouble bouncing back.

It all began Monday morning. The AM Peak had just ended and I had a few errands to do. During the AM Base, there are about five buses on the line. Whenever I catch the 111 at this time, I can count on having ample seating to choose from. Today was a little different...

0732 arrived at my stop, packed to the gills. I managed to squeeze on and find a spot near the driver. He informed me that some buses had been pulled off the line and/or broke down. He was really feeling the crunch. En route to Boston, we were drop-off only. Well, we tried to be at least. At Fourth Street, the driver announced that he had room for only one more person.

Naturally, seven people attempted to board.

We made it into Haymarket at last. The TransitMaster was running so late that it reset itself. They tend to do that, it seems, when they are running over 35 minutes late.

0732 was forced to deadhead back to Woodlawn. The driver wanted to make sure that there was at least one bus in Chelsea.

The PM Peak, frankly, was not much better:

The Lynn operators had to exit the station carefully,
lest they strike someone waiting for the 111 in the busway.

The berth at Haymarket was overflowing with people. Perhaps 50-75 cold souls waited for the 111. The bus on the right was a 111, but was pulling back to Charlestown Garage. Several more followed suit, much to the dismay of the waiting passengers. Fed up, they "surrounded" a bus (0686 I believe) about to pullback, with hopes of forcing the driver to do another trip. Two more buses were roped in as well.

The Angry Masses. Oh the humanity!

The bus in the above photograph held off on opening its doors. A second bus pulled in behind it and felt the brunt of the crowd. That driver had to kick several people off, just so passengers were not pressed against the windshield. I boarded 0686 (Central made the operator do some overtime), which was not too crowded (about twenty passengers). When I reached my stop, the TransitMaster proudly proclaimed that the bus was 22 minutes behind schedule. A mere 22 minutes!

I believe I will be taking the Commuter Rail into town from now on. Those locomotives seem able to power through just about anything.

Lost RTS

UPDATE 11/25: It appears that this RTS along with many others from Albany Street now reside at Charlestown/Bennett Garage. Albany Street is now all Neoplan AN440's.

I spotted this gem this morning at Haymarket Station today:

Any idea why an Albany Garage bus would be doing trips on the 111?

Let's Go For A Ride On The 111

I ride the Route 111 pretty often. Overall, the route isn't that bad. That is, of course, if you are not riding during rush hour...

A typical morning commute might go like this:

You board a few stops before Bellingham Square heading towards Boston. As you get on, you see another bus coming down the street. "I thought the 111 ran every five minutes?" you ask yourself. Oh well. If you manage to get a seat make sure it's a good one. You're gonna be in for a real show.

You ride a few stops until you approach Bellingham Square. Show time!

Bellingham Square - We arrive at Chelsea's main transit hub, usually with company, and a swarm of people approach the bus. Rather than take the 114, 116, 117, or even the 112 to the Blue Line, commuters opt for the "quick" Route 111 to get them into the city. Despite the pleas of the driver...

"Please, I'm running late! There's another bus right behind me!"

"I've got to go. I can't take any more people, catch the next one."

...A large group of people still try to get on anyway. Luckily the inspector stationed there will often let people board via the rear door to reduce dwell times (time spent at each stop). The doors close and we're on our way.

Fourth Street - If there is still a bit of room, we'll stop to pick up. If not, some people get left behind I guess. Oh well, most of the buses often run in pairs so they don't have to wait long for the next one.

Chestnut Street - If you are lucky, someone is following you close enough so you don't have to stop here. There are often 10-15 people waiting at this stop and for those unfortunate drivers who must pick up, it's not a pleasant experience. The slow parade to the farebox begins. "Sorry, the machine didn't read your card. Tap it again. No, slower, like this. Try again. You don't have enough value on your CharlieCard, you need to add more. Hey! Can you all move to the back of the bus to make room." Then things may get heated...

One driver on the Route 111 strictly enforces the "no standees in front of the yellow line" rule.
Each time someone stands even just an inch over the line, he'll snap "Move behind the yellow line! I'm not going to move this bus until everyone is behind the line. I've got all morning to sit here."

He has sparked his fair share of arguments with riders.

Fifth Street - The last stop before the bridge. We often skip this stop. Not enough room. Just catch the next one. It's not that important a stop. Haha, look at them chase after the bus. Like we're going to stop for them.

Once on the Tobin Bridge, things move rather smoothly. The dense throng of standees sways along to the motion of the bus almost in unison as we fly across the Tobin. We then zip through the tollbooths and down into the City Square Tunnel. Within ten minutes were are pulling into Haymarket Station...along with two other buses.

Then there is the commute home...