Q: Why does the T continue to operate full length trains during the Pandemic?

With ridership cratering were any of the MBTA commuter rail trains close to warranting 6-8 cars over the past 4-6 weeks? If not, why didn't MBTA sideline half the cars saving wear/tear/fuel to run 3-4 car trains? I'm guessing T trains will be severely under-patronized for a few more months as people who work in Boston continue to work from home. And driving on the Mass highways is a piece of cake these days so why take commuter rail even if you need to go into town?

Full length trains allow social distancing better than short trains?

Way back the MBTA was normally 4-car trains, length of platforms, during the weekday service at some point in the late evening they would go to 2-car trains and Sundays was 2-car all day. Note: The opening sequence to the movie "Fuzz" you will see a 2-car train of Main Line #11 cars. I think on or about January 18, 1982 they stopped that practice, coinciding with the repeal of the "Blue Laws" allowing stores to be open on Sunday. Another reason was the headaches of making (2-to-4) and breaking (4-to-2) sets. Since the cars are Married Pairs you could not have an odd number of cars.

Making and breaking trains takes seconds. Relatively recently (within my adulthood) many red line trains would drop to 4 cars mid day and have a deuce added back for the afternoon rush. I watched once as a 6 car train came into Braintree, yard motorman got in the third car, broke off the rear four, and walked up to the first car and went into Caddigan yard with the deuce, all while the road crew changed ends.

On the Commuter Rail end, the ridership is so low most trains pose no challenge to social distancing with use of a single car. Part of the issue on the north side is with 2 layover facilities closed, there's no where to store all that equipment so it's been broken up and added to other trains. I think this is the perfect time, however, to sideline a decent portion of the fleet and put maintenance forces into high gear to get caught up.