New Red and Orange Line Cars

CRRC is really getting so ridiculous with this stuff. It's totally such a sad state of affairs that they can't seem to get this program together. No wonder that SEPTA has pulled out of the deal that they had with them!!!!!! :)
 
www.wcvb.com

MBTA 'not giving up' on getting Red Line train shells through customs

"We know how important they are," MBTA General Manager Phil Eng said.
www.wcvb.com www.wcvb.com
MBTA officials are pressing federal authorities to release new Red Line train shells that remain held amid a customs review, agency leaders said during Thursday’s board meeting.
Transportation Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phil Eng told board members the agency has been in “robust discussions” with U.S. Customs and Border Protection about the delayed deliveries, which involve documentation requests tied to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
"We are going through some discussions with regards to their requests for documentation on components that did not come from the areas that the Uyghur Act is tied to," Eng said during the meeting.
Eng said he joined a recent call with Customs and Border Protection and planned to participate in another discussion later Thursday, adding that the agency has not yet secured the release of the shells. "We’ve not been able to get that current delivery released yet," he said.
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www.wamc.org

CRRC MA: Furloughed workers recalled as federal rail car hold ends

A major, rail car manufacturer in Springfield, Massachusetts says a federal holdup that paused production and led to furloughs has ended.
www.wamc.org www.wamc.org
A major rail car manufacturer in Springfield, Mass., says a federal holdup that paused production and led to furloughs has ended.
CRRC MA, a Chinese-owned company operating in East Springfield, announced Wednesday that U.S. authorities have released car shells that had previously been "held at port."
Shell imports had been frozen for the past year, paused as U.S. Customs officials attempted to verify whether the train parts were products of slave labor, potentially violating the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
Due to the nearly yearlong pause, CRRC MA previously announced as many as 140 workers would be furloughed as production slowed.
The company now says business operations will "gradually resume" at the facility, with "a goal to recall affected employees from furlough" to continue work on MBTA and Los Angeles METRO cars.
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Per Reddit an additional Red Line pair (1960/1961) was spotted in testing this week, so there was 1 confirmed delivery this month after none in February. Unclear if this empties Springfield until the Customs-released shells start arriving, or if they have a couple more yet to come.

For scorekeeping, we're now 14 cars/7 married-pairs behind on the worst-case delivery pace for the CRRC recovery schedule of only 2 married-pairs per month.
 
All of these shells are Red Line, right, and the Orange is essentially done (minus warranty repairs/etc)? Rather curious now that the new signaling system is in, if they can hit the projected new head ways on the Orange once the fleet is fully stocked. Also wonder if they have tracked things like dwell time reduction across the Orange to see if they improvements in the new cars have lived up to expectations - as that weighed more on the Red Line headway numbers.
 
bakgwailo said:
All of these shells are Red Line, right, and the Orange is essentially done (minus warranty repairs/etc)? Rather curious now that the new signaling system is in, if they can hit the projected new head ways on the Orange once the fleet is fully stocked. Also wonder if they have tracked things like dwell time reduction across the Orange to see if they improvements in the new cars have lived up to expectations - as that weighed more on the Red Line headway numbers.
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Orange Line signal upgrades are still in progress. Completion is scheduled for end of 2026. We are almost there, but not quite.

Orange Line Program | Projects | MBTA

Official website of the MBTA -- schedules, maps, and fare information for Greater Boston's public transportation system, including subway, commuter rail, bus routes, and boat lines.
www.mbta.com www.mbta.com
 
JeffDowntown said:
Orange Line signal upgrades are still in progress. Completion is scheduled for end of 2026. We are almost there, but not quite.

Orange Line Program | Projects | MBTA

Official website of the MBTA -- schedules, maps, and fare information for Greater Boston's public transportation system, including subway, commuter rail, bus routes, and boat lines.
www.mbta.com www.mbta.com
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The new system is online though, and you can tell because there hasn't been a reported signal failure on the OL in like 2 weeks.
 
Dumb question: Why were the 1500s scrapped as pairs? Was it just lack of foresight that a car shortage was possible?
 
737900er said:
Dumb question: Why were the 1500s scrapped as pairs? Was it just lack of foresight that a car shortage was possible?
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NETransit has this note: "01500s and 01700s were built as self-contained units, but in practice are now configured and operated as pairs. 01500s were built with double-ended cabs, but rebuilt to single-ended."

They seem to be kept together as married pairs typically.

Beyond that - What would be the benefit of not scrapping them as pairs? Seems like you'd have at most...one more car in terms of granularity in when you scrap them?
 
bakgwailo said:
Yeah, I thought that was part of the last big shutdown to wrap it up.
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I think the last shutdown completed the trackside installation work. But I suspect (since the T is claiming work is not done) there is still back-office, Command Center, and testing work in process.
 
www.bostonglobe.com

The new Red Line seats are drawing complaints from riders. Here’s why. - The Boston Globe

Some commuters say the reinforced thermoplastic is too slick and flat, with the angle of the seat back too severe.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com
The seats were just one of the many changes made in the latest versions of the Red Line cars, which are assembled in Springfield by CRRC MA, a subsidiary of a Chinese company.
Seats on older trains are made from a patterned fabric material, on individually segmented chairs. They have their downsides, absorbing fallen substances — be that spilled morning coffees or mashed-in wads of gum. When it rains, sometimes the moisture and humidity makes them stink.
In the eyes of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the new, reinforced thermoplastic seating was an upgrade in virtually every way. Cloth needed to constantly be replaced as vandalism, degradation, or noxious spills took their toll, while plastic is a cinch to clean and can take a beating.
Plastic seats have been added over the past few years to the Red and Orange Lines. While the rollout of new trains has been delayed for many reasons, most recently holdups in the import of parts from China, the plan is to replace the psychedelic-colored fabric everywhere.
Change is possible. After listening to feedback from riders who saw prototypes of the newest Green Line trains, the T decided to make the seats wider and deeper. It’s not clear if there’s a similar appetite for change on the Red Line, as seat ergonomics were evidently not on people’s minds when a mockup was unveiled in 2018.
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