Green Line Extension to Medford & Union Sq

[HelloBostonHi]

I'm confused with chrisbat's original post (seems to be buried a few pages back and I can't find it). I've been to all three cities and ridden on all three's public transits. From my experience, the MTA and CTA has been much more reliable in getting me where I need to go in a timely fashion than the MBTA. SF's Muni and BART is the only one of the three mentioned that I felt is definitely worse than the MBTA. What's wrong with the MTA and CTA?

I'm not sure when you last rode CTA but post pandemic they've had a pretty awful ghost bus/ghost train problem because they're completely understaffed and haven't adjusted their schedules to match like the MBTA has. Some of the lines are barely running 50% of their scheduled trips which means highly inconsistent and long headways. There's many news articles and transit blogs investigating the issue, basically they're even more understaffed than the T but didn't adjust down schedules to match.

 

[Codman89]

I'm not sure when you last rode CTA but post pandemic they've had a pretty awful ghost bus/ghost train problem because they're completely understaffed and haven't adjusted their schedules to match like the MBTA has. Some of the lines are barely running 50% of their scheduled trips which means highly inconsistent and long headways. There's many news articles and transit blogs investigating the issue, basically they're even more understaffed than the T but didn't adjust down schedules to match.

Someone even built a website to track the issue (at least for the rail lines): https://brandonmcfadden.com/cta-reliability

The CTA did pull back on their schedules a bit in August - see slide 8 on the website. But clearly not enough to match reality.

 

[KentXie]

I'm not sure when you last rode CTA but post pandemic they've had a pretty awful ghost bus/ghost train problem because they're completely understaffed and haven't adjusted their schedules to match like the MBTA has. Some of the lines are barely running 50% of their scheduled trips which means highly inconsistent and long headways. There's many news articles and transit blogs investigating the issue, basically they're even more understaffed than the T but didn't adjust down schedules to match.

Thank you, I have not ridden the CTA since the pandemic. That's good to know!

 

[chrisbrat]

I'm confused with chrisbat's original post (seems to be buried a few pages back and I can't find it). I've been to all three cities and ridden on all three's public transits. From my experience, the MTA and CTA has been much more reliable in getting me where I need to go in a timely fashion than the MBTA. SF's Muni and BART is the only one of the three mentioned that I felt is definitely worse than the MBTA. What's wrong with the MTA and CTA?

Others have already chimed in re: CTA and you agree about San Fran -- I'm pretty surprised you haven't heard the frequent, never-ending gripes about the MTA. I've got a bunch of friends who rely on the MTA to get to/from work and to a man (or woman) they *all* complain that it's so bad these past few years that it's barely recognizable to their experiences from the late '90s and early aughts. This, this, this, this, this all serve as recent (or recent-ish) examples or examinations.

 

[Delvin4519]

The Boston Globe has finally reported on the MBTA's dead silence

Halfway into November, still no firm opening date for Green Line’s Medford extension - The Boston Globe

Once completed, the new line is planned to accommodate more than 50,000 riders daily.

www.bostonglobe.com

Earlier, MBTA was kind enough to provide an "update" over the weekend.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1591486088144883712

The spokesperson now says, "update by end of week", I'll be ready for their announcement they'll only make at 4:59:59 p.m. on Friday, November 18th, that they're opening it at "4:30 pm November 30th", maybe a possible chance that it's "delayed til Governor Baker's second to last day".

 

[kjdonovan]

Soap box alert: This is why we need reasonably respected, serious news media outlets like the Globe. When a citizen asks the question the answer is "You'll know when you know." When the Globe asks the same question, on the same day, the answer is "By the end of the week." And most certainly the reason for the difference in answer is because the Globe asked the question--forcing the MBTA to actually provide a substantial update. It is a complete lack of respect for the general population coupled with a fear of scrutiny by the Fifth Estate. You can't change the first--it's human nature for leaders to ignore individuals--but you can support and defend the second.

 

[qaddodi]

Let’s see if they will announce anything tonight. I just passed by Tufts Medford and there were two trains sitting there.

 

[HenryAlan]

One bit of anecdotal evidence that testing/training is running at a full schedule: my son, who lives on the B-Line, told me yesterday that he's observing a lot more Type-9s running. This seems consistent with the idea that current activities are requiring the full expanded car fleet. So we have a lot of good reasons to think we are nearing some sort of opening. Really going to enjoy riding to Tufts and sending a pic to a good friend who went there.

 

[Ruairi]

One bit of anecdotal evidence that testing/training is running at a full schedule: my son, who lives on the B-Line, told me yesterday that he's observing a lot more Type-9s running. This seems consistent with the idea that current activities are requiring the full expanded car fleet. So we have a lot of good reasons to think we are nearing some sort of opening. Really going to enjoy riding to Tufts and sending a pic to a good friend who went there.

Yea, been testing at full schedule for two weeks now. No drop off at all and trains moving briskly!

 

[qaddodi]

Is there any information regarding the timing of those trains? (or if someone was crazy enough to time them?) In terms of how many min takes from station to the next on the Medford branch?

 

[Delvin4519]

Is there any information regarding the timing of those trains? (or if someone was crazy enough to time them?) In terms of how many min takes from station to the next on the Medford branch?

I have taken a look at the MBTA GTFS's subway and light rail train schedules. Based on what I've seen with GTFS scheduled single early morning runs from the B/C/D branches to Lechmere, Medford is approximately 16-19 minutes from Lechmere. I came to this estimate based on the outbound departure from Lechmere, and the inbound arrival to Lechmere, which are the only available timepoints to estimate from. I can't estimate the times for the intermediate stations between Medford and Lechmere, but there are 4 stations in between, or 16-19 minutes to go 5 stops from Medford to Lechmere. Note that the 16-19 minute estimate is based on the MBTA GTFS data estimate, so it assumes trains running at full speed without any slow zones.

 

[Delvin4519]

Let’s see if they will announce anything tonight. I just passed by Tufts Medford and there were two trains sitting there.

I just forgot and remembered that there is an MBTA Board of Directors meeting Thursday 11/17, so we should get an update by Thursday afternoon I would think.

 

[The EGE]

Per the GLX Technical Provisions:

(c) Travel time, inclusive of on-Station dwell time, not including turn-back operation at each end-ofline Station to turn LRVs from outbound to inbound direction of service shall be:
(i) Not greater than 4.75 minutes from Union Square Station to Lechmere Station;
(ii) Not greater than 14.0 minutes from College Station to Science Park;
(iii) Not greater than 14.0 from Science Park Station to College Avenue Station; and
(iv) Not greater than 4.75 minutes between Lechmere Station and Union Square Station.

I would take this with a substantial grain of salt, given that it also specifies 50 mph over the Lechmere Viaduct, which the MBTA has already said won't happen.

 

[Brattle Loop]

I would take this with a substantial grain of salt, given that it also specifies 50 mph over the Lechmere Viaduct, which the MBTA has already said won't happen.

That's something else that needs an explanation. Did they just change the contract and design specifications without telling anyone? What other technical requirements for this project did they just decide to jettison without bothering to mention?

 

[TomOfBoston]

Remember! The MBTA said revenue service to Tufts would start by the end of November. They never specified a year!

 

[RandomWalk]

The last phase of testing will allow paying customers onto the platforms, but all trains will bypass all stations. That should take about 6 months to properly condition the system.

 

[bigpicture7]

The last phase of testing will allow paying customers onto the platforms, but all trains will bypass all stations. That should take about 6 months to properly condition the system.

Yes, totally. One other key detail: these bypassing trains WILL NOT be signed as "TEST TRAIN," rather, they will be signed as "MEDFORD/TUFTS" etc so as to also test the proper functionality of the signs. Paying customers will need to use their MBTA-calibrated intuition to infer that those trains will not in fact carry them where they want to go.

 

[nbcoram]

The Boston Globe has finally reported on the MBTA's dead silence

Halfway into November, still no firm opening date for Green Line’s Medford extension - The Boston Globe

Once completed, the new line is planned to accommodate more than 50,000 riders daily.

www.bostonglobe.com

Earlier, MBTA was kind enough to provide an "update" over the weekend.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1591486088144883712

The spokesperson now says, "update by end of week", I'll be ready for their announcement they'll only make at 4:59:59 p.m. on Friday, November 18th, that they're opening it at "4:30 pm November 30th", maybe a possible chance that it's "delayed til Governor Baker's second to last day".

There's a Board of Directors meeting that just started. I wonder if we get an announcement on the date today, but it would be on-brand for them to announce it at the last possible moment. Watch it be "the first train leaves Medford at 11:59:59 pm on November 30" and they'll be like "see? it opened in November 2022!"

 

[Delvin4519]

There's a Board of Directors meeting that just started. I wonder if we get an announcement on the date today, but it would be on-brand for them to announce it at the last possible moment. Watch it be "the first train leaves Medford at 11:59:59 pm on November 30" and they'll be like "see? it opened in November 2022!"

Announcement soon, 9:50 A.M.

 

[Delvin4519]