Green Line Route Question

Hi all,

Quick question about the green line...

Does each train follow the same route all day, every day? Like if a 7/8 train is doing an E line Leachmere-Heath St run, will it just follow this route all day or will the driver have some variation in their schedule and go a different route every time they turn around?

Thank you!

I think they remain their route. There's an E line driver I see every Sunday I'm on the T

No, they vary. For example, if a car on the E is due for inspection, etc., they might send it out on the D. Or if there are really heavy volumes on the B line they might send it that way instead. The dispatcher will mix things up to match demand, servicing requirements etc.

They do usually try to get trains back to the same yard they originated from at the end of a shift though, so the operator isn't stuck at the other end of the system.

It's more that crews are assigned to specific runs, rather than the cars themselves (though as far as I know crews rarely, if ever, swap cars mid-shift). Under normal circumstances, a crew will operate on the same route for their entire shift, with the notable exception of a few "run as directed" trips (which get assigned routes on the fly for their westbound trips depending on service demands) and a few trips (typically at the start or end of service) which also function to shift equipment between the various yards and the E line.

Besides the RADs, I don't think they reassign trains from one line to another upon reaching their inbound destination unless their scheduled route is blocked altogether. Doing so would reduce service on one line and lead to an unneeded boost in inbound service on the other, besides leading the scheduling irregularities for the operators.

I was sort of confused by the question, it was unclear whether he was asking about drivers or trains themselves. Trains can vary, drivers are assigned (I believe)