T plans to wire tunnels for cell service

Another boston.com article:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articl ... rror_risk/

Check out the link above for the entire story.

Verizon Wireless has wired the entire 103-mile Washington Metro system already.

Only the underground portions, which is considerably less than the entire 103 mile system. Above ground, they can use traditional cell towers. Grand Central's tunnel is wired too I believe. I found my cell to work, not well, but still, in some of the tunnels on the T. In addition, as with Washington, the above ground portions needn't be wired and in that way. Knowing the T they will likely spend the money anyway to wire thigns like the Longfellow Bridge, or the outer tenticles of the the Green line, or the Blue Line.
Further, a cellular bomb, if u will, since they could work in open air, could be used on an elevated portion anywhere, such as in Chicago, New York, Washington, or scant portions of Boston.

About time this plan resurfaced. Gee, wasn't this same plan proposed over two and a half years ago and nothing happened with it?

Cell phones do not work in the underground sections of the NYC Subway. (I have tried it) They do work the elevated lines, however.

Most of the time, my cell phone won't work when I'm on NYCTA, but I have been able to make phone calls before...notably on the L in Manhattan, and around Times Square...

Jeff

efin98, i remember hearing that on the news like a year and half ago, at least it is getting done

MBTA F40PH-2C 1050 wrote:efin98, i remember hearing that on the news like a year and half ago, at least it is getting done

I will top you, I vaguely remember the idea being kicked around when I first joined back in January of 2002(wow, has it been that long? I have no life! )

Like other schemes then, it died a quick death... Remember the proposal to sell naming rights to South Station, Downtown Crossing, Park Street, and Sullivan Square for $2million a year?

There was an article in the Times last month (or early this month, I've forgotten which) about how the NYCTA is thinking about selling naming rights to stations. Everyone but the authority seemed pretty against it.

trigonalmayhem wrote:There was an article in the Times last month (or early this month, I've forgotten which) about how the NYCTA is thinking about selling naming rights to stations. Everyone but the authority seemed pretty against it.

Notice how quickly that idea died out, much like the one for Boston two years ago.

You guys seem to be forgetting why the T plan died last time around, and it wasn't due to incompetence the way that BadTransit and others will likely lead you to believe. It was simply because the cell companies showed zero interest (with the possible exception of Voicestream/T-mobile who wired a few platforms and then launched a disingenuous advertising campaign). They saw wiring the Big Dig as a Bigger priority.

Also, if I'm not mistaken this will actually make money for the T as they will charge fees to cell companies to use the transmitters/recievers/whatever the hell you would call it.

So they just need a different business model for the project, then?

> wiring the Big Dig as a bigger priority

except, hasn't that wiring also failed to occur as scheduled?

The Madrid commuter rail bombing, in which the detonations were coordinated and triggered by remotely by cellphone would have been considerably worse had it happened underground.

I certainly lost my enthusiasm for cellphone coverage in tunnels after that.

Actually I think the article stated that the Madrid bombing used the cellphone timer/alarm feature rather than any kind of remote detonation based on calling the phones.