Fairmount Line Upgrade

Re: Fairmont Line Upgrade

If MBTA had the money, would they ever look into electrifying the Fairmount Line, seeing as how they're already planning to purchase unique rolling stock for that line?

Or does the whole "trainsets must be usable on any line at any time" line of thinking still apply?
 
Re: Fairmont Line Upgrade

manrush said:
If MBTA had the money, would they ever look into electrifying the Fairmount Line, seeing as how they're already planning to purchase unique rolling stock for that line?

Or does the whole "trainsets must be usable on any line at any time" line of thinking still apply?
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Hm? No unique trains will be provided. Standard MBCR trainsets.
 
Re: Fairmont Line Upgrade

jass said:
Hm? No unique trains will be provided. Standard MBCR trainsets.
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Oh, okay. That makes more sense.

Hopefully, the Fairmount line may one day become a candidate for electrification (it's not like having only 1 electrified line ever stopped MARC from running electric trains on that line).
 
Re: Fairmont Line Upgrade

It's really a shame the MBCR isn't electrified, although I guess it's the fault of its predecessors (NY, NH, and H?) in the early 20th century, who for some reason were busy electrifying lines in metro NY and Philly but not Boston.

Instead we get those awful, loud, SUV-like diesel behemoths.
 
Re: Fairmont Line Upgrade

My pie in the sky goal is for most of the lines to be electrified as far as 128, with frequent EMU service within the 128 zone, leaving the behemoths for longer haul commutes. Rapid Transit level service should be the goal for most of the lines through the more urban service corridors.
 
Re: Fairmont Line Upgrade

They should just make the Fairmont a branch of the red line. That way it would actually be useful to people.
 
Re: Fairmont Line Upgrade

gooseberry said:
They should just make the Fairmont a branch of the red line. That way it would actually be useful to people.
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What?! You want something the state does to make SENSE? Have you not been reading this forum?
 
Re: Fairmont Line Upgrade

That line serves as a backup incase anything happens to the southwest corridor section. Ideally they should have set space aside so that a subway line could be added at a future date on either side of the commuter line.
 
Re: Fairmont Line Upgrade

Is there no way to make multiuse tracks? Just insert a third rail and let different types of trains run on them? Even if the gauges are different, couldn't the T order trainsets for this line that would work on standard rail widths?
 
Re: Fairmont Line Upgrade

czsz said:
Is there no way to make multiuse tracks? Just insert a third rail and let different types of trains run on them? Even if the gauges are different, couldn't the T order trainsets for this line that would work on standard rail widths?
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Technically possible?

Sure.

Legally possible? No.

When 120 people die every day in car accidents, nobody cares. But when 20 are killed over a 30 year period on rail, it is ESSENTIAL the ENORMOUS sums of money be spent on safety, and that means lower speeds, more restrictions etc, you know, generally steps that crippled rail.
 
Re: Fairmont Line Upgrade

120 people die every day in car accidents
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Transit companies should stop wasting their time talking about waits in traffic and start mentioning THIS. A Vietnam War's worth of dead every year from auto accidents. Imagine an ad campaign based on the fact that driving is as potentially deadly as a war people fled the country to avoid being sent to.
 
Re: Fairmont Line Upgrade

czsz said:
Transit companies should stop wasting their time talking about waits in traffic and start mentioning THIS. A Vietnam War's worth of dead every year from auto accidents. Imagine an ad campaign based on the fact that driving is as potentially deadly as a war people fled the country to avoid being sent to.
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That would be an interesting ad.

25 seconds of gruesome highway death footage. "Every day in Massachusetts, x people are killed while driving. Thats y a week, z a month and v a year"

5 seconds for the message "Not a single passenger death since 19__. MBTA. Hop on"
 
Re: Fairmont Line Upgrade

Transit companies should stop wasting their time talking about waits in traffic and start mentioning THIS
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Especially since driving is faster a lot of the time even with traffic.
 
Re: Fairmont Line Upgrade

I wonder how the death rates for cars compare to those from smoking today.

Which does the government spend more time and effort regulating?

Imagine the next time you see an SUV ad, the car company is forced to spend half the timeslot regurgitating a script about rollovers and head-on collisions...

Or better yet, SUVs in the dealership's lot slapped with the label "Transportation Secretary's Warning: Driving kills".

smoking-kills.jpg
 
Re: Fairmont Line Upgrade

I wonder why drivers licences are so easy to get. Make the driving test really hard and put the driving age up to 18. I think watching those old splater crash films should be mandatory also.
 
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Re: Fairmont Line Upgrade

gooseberry said:
I wonder why drivers licences are so easy to get. Make the driving test really hard and putting the driving age up to 18. I think watching those old splater crash films should be mandatory also.
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I'm not sure if it was just my driving school or if it is indeed required, but we had to watch some pretty gruesome footage and photos of car accidents with people decapitated and wrapped around guardrails and all that fun stuff.

The driving test was simply ridiculously easy, though. State Trooper had me take 3 right turns, make a 3-point turn which ended up having to be 5 due to the snowbanks, and then I was told I passed and to switch with the kid in the back. All the while she ate a breakfast sandwich from McDonalds.
 
Re: Fairmont Line Upgrade

We live in a state where people who are functionally illiterate or even worse don't speak or understand any English can get licenses because it's become some sort of 'Civil Right' to drive. Habitual drunk drivers whom kill people are multiple occasions STILL get to keep or get their licenses back after a period of time. It took how many YEARS to ban text messaging while driving? This state doesn't give a damn about vehicular safety beyond a photo op and campaign spot.
 
Re: Fairmont Line Upgrade

Lurker said:
We live in a state where people who are functionally illiterate or even worse don't speak or understand any English can get licenses because it's become some sort of 'Civil Right' to drive. Habitual drunk drivers whom kill people are multiple occasions STILL get to keep or get their licenses back after a period of time. It took how many YEARS to ban text messaging while driving? This state doesn't give a damn about vehicular safety beyond a photo op and campaign spot.
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Ain't just Mass, this is an American problem. I mean, I totally get that in some places you just need, and will always need, a car. But cities shouldn't be one of those places. I also think that there needs to be mandatory drivers tests to renew your licence with increasing frequency as you get older.
 
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