strange goings on/construction on the T right now

[trigonalmayhem]

so yesterday at gov't center they had the normal outbound blue line platform closed off with caution tape, and there were like three or four T employees telling people that the inbound track was going to be for outbound trains too. Instead of running the trains around the bowdoin loop and coming back to the other side of the platform they just reversed the direction of the train and took it back out from the inbound platform.

Anyone have any idea why? In a perfect world it would be to begin work on the new gov't center station, but I seriously doubt that's the case.


Additionally, at Park Street they closed the normal entrance to the green line westbound trains and you had to go down the other side and cut through the red line to get to them (which was a huge mess with everyone trying to cram onto the red line in the way). I'm thinking they were just doing repairs on the stairs or escalator or both?

but did they really have to close the entire entrance off for that?

[Ron Newman]

A sign outside Park Street Station said that the main (westbound) entrance was closed until Monday morning in order to paint the stairway.

At the other entrance, the gate was open and a T employee was encouraging people to flash passes and drop tokens into a bucket instead of using the turnstiles.

[fm535]

There are plenty of unexplainable things that the T does.

I am trying to figure out why the inbound trains from Braintree slow down to an almost imperceptible crawl right as the first car is under the Stop & Shop headquarters approaching Quincy Ctr. As the trains clears that section, it speeds back up until it enters Quincy Ctr. The outbound trains don't follow suit, and this has been going on for about a month. --The inbounds are also slowing down as they run up toward JFK, but this occurs irregularly, when they are almost beside the old Savin Hill stop on the Ashmont side. (I notice the Ashmont trains all slow down around that section in either direction!) I think someone posted a long time ago about the same action occurring as the outbounds exit Wollaston, heading to Quincy, proceeding very slowly, until they pass the residences, and then hitting full throttle.

--A token-booth operator said something kinda funny the other day - He gave me back too much change for my purchase. I started walking away when i realized it, and I turned and handed him back the $5. He said thank you for being so honest, that it would come out of his pocket at the end of the day. He then said, "I know that is illegal, and against the law, but the T makes up it's on laws as they go! It is unbelieveable!"

[trigonalmayhem]

The only reason I could think of for those slowdowns is noise pollution restrictions maybe?

It seems like if the tracks were bad, they'd have fixed them by now.

I know in Chicago there's a part of the Red Line that goes by a cemetary and they have to slow down while they pass it (they also have little walls to dampen the sound too, I believe).

Also, maybe the irregularity of it has something to do with certain hours or something?

I'm just guessing, though.

[Robert Paniagua]

I am trying to figure out why the inbound trains from Braintree slow down to an almost imperceptible crawl right as the first car is under the Stop & Shop headquarters approaching Quincy Ctr. As the trains clears that section, it speeds back up until it enters Quincy Ctr.

Actually fm535, the real reason that there's a 10 mile-an-hour limit in that area is because of the tie replacement that's going on the northbound track. The southbound track though is fine I ride that route everyday to get to work in Boston and I'm already familiar with that. Additionally, that's been happening for like two months or something.

As for other slowdowns, ther are none that I have to experience from Braintree inward or outward, other that the aforementioned Savin Hil stop, but I think that trains should key-by at JFKUMASS if they are southbound, or at Fields Corner if going north, to defeat the 10 mile-an-hour limit and do their usual 39.9, since they don't do construction work during the daytime hours.

[Cotuit]

--A token-booth operator said something kinda funny the other day - He gave me back too much change for my purchase. I started walking away when i realized it, and I turned and handed him back the $5. He said thank you for being so honest, that it would come out of his pocket at the end of the day. He then said, "I know that is illegal, and against the law, but the T makes up it's on laws as they go! It is unbelieveable!"

I don't know the exact letter of the law, but there is a certain formula that includes rate of pay, hours worked, and dollar amount short that a cashier can be held accountable for. I think it works out to no more than an hour's pay. I'm sure the transit workers union would not stand for the T breaking any labour laws such as this.