MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) discussion

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AmtrakMaineiac said:
Well the alternative would be to cancel the contract and start over, meaning the Red Line fleet which, except for the newer 1800 Bombardier cars, is well beyond its service life and is being held together with duct tape and chewing gum, would have to soldier on for many more years while a new supplier was signed and new cars produced.
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I think it is a BRIBE to CRRC to get them to complete the contract they signed up for. at the Board meeting, CRRC reps spoke in Chinese with an interpreter. one of the things at was mentioned was that they have problems with some of their subcontractors and wanted the MBTA to help them with this
 
MARC Rider said:
"Decarbonized" service? They just can't say they're going to run electric trains? And it's not "decarbonized" if the electricity comes from burning coal or natural gas.
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I suppose burning fossil fuels in a power plant is more efficient than in the prime mover of a locomotive. But it is mostly the trendy way to present it as @Caesar La Rock noted above.

To me the other advantages of electrification matter more - better acceleration, no Diesel fumes.
 
Just had a successful jaunt on the T yesterday from the airport to the North End and back (work trip with extra time) - no snafu's like last time and went to new stations. However, the Green Line trains are really looking ratty, tired and, compared the rest of the world, majorly dated. That said, the system was cleaner and felt safer than some other major city systems (ahem, looking at YOU cta....)..
 
Metra Electric Rider said:
However, the Green Line trains are really looking ratty, tired and, compared the rest of the world, majorly dated.
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If you think the Green Line trains are ratty and tired, check out the Red Line, it makes the Green Line look great by comparison.

They seem to be making good progress on eliminating the slow zones, I believe the Blue Line is now slow zone free.
 
BlackDiamond said:
If you think the Green Line trains are ratty and tired, check out the Red Line, it makes the Green Line look great by comparison.

They seem to be making good progress on eliminating the slow zones, I believe the Blue Line is now slow zone free.
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Yes, I the Blue Line slow zones were all eliminated last month, and Red Line slow zones in the downtown core area were just recently resolved. People are saying, "Wow, the subways are actually moving like subways should." :)
 
BlackDiamond said:
I suppose burning fossil fuels in a power plant is more efficient than in the prime mover of a locomotive. But it is mostly the trendy way to present it as @Caesar La Rock noted above.

To me the other advantages of electrification matter more - better acceleration, no Diesel fumes.
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You don't need to run electric Locomotives for "decarbonization", FEC is running LPG in diesel freight trains.
 
MODERATOR'S NOTE: Please let us switch back to discussing MBTA specific matters and refrain from veering off into discussing general decarbonization issues in this thread. Any further post with general discussion of decarbonization in this thread will be removed. Thank you.
 
Fenway said:
Finally after 8 years



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That is great news. When we were in London in 2022 I found it very convenient on the Underground to be able to pay with a "tappable" credit card, I never needed to get Oyster Cards (Their Charlie Card equivalent). BTW that was my first trip where I never withdrew any GBP, they seem to be close to a cashless society over there. Even for the collection at church they had a card reader.
 
BlackDiamond said:
That is great news. When we were in London in 2022 I found it very convenient on the Underground to be able to pay with a "tappable" credit card, I never needed to get Oyster Cards (Their Charlie Card equivalent). BTW that was my first trip where I never withdrew any GBP, they seem to be close to a cashless society over there. Even for the collection at church they had a card reader.
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Last time I was in the UK (2 years ago) everything was card - even Portugal was pretty much cashless (except for small craft stores - only time I needed cash). Europe is way ahead of us - assuming you consider that ahead - in that regard. I think it's also because of the heavy use of debit cards rather the credit cards there.
 
BlackDiamond said:
That is great news. When we were in London in 2022 I found it very convenient on the Underground to be able to pay with a "tappable" credit card, I never needed to get Oyster Cards (Their Charlie Card equivalent). BTW that was my first trip where I never withdrew any GBP, they seem to be close to a cashless society over there. Even for the collection at church they had a card reader.
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The MBTA winds up paying Cubic more than what New York City paid to convert.

This can be traced back to the MBTA giving low bidder Scheidt & Bachmann the original contract 20 years ago.
 
The T has many problems, but I don't recall any specifically heat related. To the best of my knowledge all the rail vehicles are air conditioned. I don't recall any open windows since the PCC car days. Okay, perhaps the Mattapan trolley (still classic PCC) might get a bit warm but it is still worth the effort.

If you are really a hard-core transit nut, you should order a copy of

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0262048078

I know the author, who runs an amazing map shop in Cambridge. The book can only be described as excessive. I don't recommend carrying it around on foot!
 
Brian Battuello said:
The T has many problems, but I don't recall any specifically heat related. To the best of my knowledge all the rail vehicles are air conditioned. I don't recall any open windows since the PCC car days. Okay, perhaps the Mattapan trolley (still classic PCC) might get a bit warm but it is still worth the effort.

If you are really a hard-core transit nut, you should order a copy of

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0262048078

I know the author, who runs an amazing map shop in Cambridge. The book can only be described as excessive. I don't recommend carrying it around on foot!
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Searched for it on my library's eBook services. It's not there.

But I found this on Overdrive/Libby, which looks interesting:

The Race Underground​

Boston, New York, and the Incredible Rivalry That Built America's First Subway
by Doug Most

And Hoopla Digital has several books of historical photos of the T. Hoopla carries the "Images of America" series, which includes books of historical photos of many railroads and many city's transit lines. They read better on a web browser on a computer, where the photos can be zoomed in; the photos are pretty small when viewed on a phone.
 
Brian Battuello said:
Okay, perhaps the Mattapan trolley (still classic PCC) might get a bit warm but it is still worth the effort.
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Mattapan PCC cars were all modified to add air conditioning so there should be no problems there (assuming it is working). That is what the ungainly hump added to the roof is for.

P.S. I didn't know about the Boston Transit book I'll have to get that.
 

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