Waiting for Traffic Light-Cycles - Don't tell me headway

On my morning commute on the green line (you know, the one where you can walk faster along side it), the driver is often told to wait for 1-2 or 12 traffic light cycles at a stop on the route. Is this to maintain headway? Seems pretty stupid to do this during morning rush. There's plenty of people waiting down the line already....

Who authorizes this? And considering there is no way to track where actual trolleys are at any given time, how does this get decided?


------------
Participant, MBTA Forum
I wanna be an T Inspector! Who do I need to have political connections to?

Most headway adjustments would be made by the ubiquitous inspectors staioned in their Suburbans on the surface lines. At rush hour, there used to always be one at Harvard Ave. on the B Line, among other places.

They can also be held up for trouble with one of the trains ahead of the one you are on, I've had that happen to me multiple times while on the Green Line.

Yes, it's often for headway adjustments or to compensate for problems. The cars are tracked by radio on the surface as well as the 917 inspector for that line.

Compensate for what problems? That casues the problems.

This morning my train was 10 minutes late, and another was on its tail because the driver "had to goto the bathroom" before he could leave the end of the line.

Just go! The longer they wait, the more crowded it gets on platforms, and loading takes longer... further delaying trains. Then everything backs up. Trains dont get to the end of hte line fast enough. Then there arent enough to turn around and go the other way. The same problem happens again, and amplifies.

------
Participant, MBTA Forum
I would never make a train late to use the bathroom. That can wait.

You don't think this happens on other lines as well? Things happen, they have been happening for the last 150 years and will happen for as long as humans run the operations. It's a fact of life. Don't like it? You can walk or drive.