New Red and Orange Line Cars

[Teban54]

We also have to consider that the T is somewhat unusual in that there is no ability to mix rolling stock among different services. The point of the electric track maps is versatility. But in a system with no versatility, why bother?

Plenty of subway systems with no versatility at least have little light bulbs that indicate current and upcoming stops above the doors, instead of just a paper map alone.

 

[bakgwailo]

Plenty of subway systems with no versatility at least have little light bulbs that indicate current and upcoming stops above the doors, instead of just a paper map alone.

Yeah, just way more user friendly/intuitive. You can immediately see the next stop, and the next X stops coming up. Also means if they ever add infill stations (yeah, ok, I know) they don't have to go and slap 120*6 stickers on to cover the Orange Line Fleet.

 

[RandomWalk]

Keep in mind we live in an area where signing the major roads is considered redundant, and turn signals are considered giving information to the enemy. It fits that they stick with a sticker.

 

[guitarguynboston]

The maps would have been Nice if they showed every train on that line and where they were(obviously the current train you are on would be differentiated from the others) so that you would know if you got off at the next stop for some random reason when the next train would get there. The Red Line would be even more useful if you needed to switch branches.

 

[Brattle Loop]

The maps would have been Nice if they showed every train on that line and where they were(obviously the current train you are on would be differentiated from the others) so that you would know if you got off at the next stop for some random reason when the next train would get there. The Red Line would be even more useful if you needed to switch branches.

Not only does that sound like a recipe for information overload (and thus passenger confusion), the stations are already equipped with countdown clocks telling passengers when the next trains will be coming, in a simple and easy-to-read format that doesn't require any interpreting of line maps.

 

[bakgwailo]

Not only does that sound like a recipe for information overload (and thus passenger confusion), the stations are already equipped with countdown clocks telling passengers when the next trains will be coming, in a simple and easy-to-read format that doesn't require any interpreting of line maps.

With the NYC style signs, you it would be a nice final warning for me though at JFK that the next 5 stops are in Quincy and I better get off and switch to Ashmont. Just kidding - I would still notice after JFK and curse myself for the 20+ minute to my journey by going to North Quincy and back.

 

[Brattle Loop]

With the NYC style signs, you it would be a nice final warning for me though at JFK that the next 5 stops are in Quincy and I better get off and switch to Ashmont. Just kidding - I would still notice after JFK and curse myself for the 20+ minute to my journey by going to North Quincy and back.

Yeah, the Red Line does have some (small) case for something like that, given the branching, though I don't think the cost-benefit analysis is going to come out in favor of electric maps given the limited series of instances where it'd potentially make a difference (though some of that is me projecting based on some of NYC's electronic maps on the shared cars that are way less intuitive to read than they should be). Most of my pessimistic take on the utility of electronic maps came from the fact that the topic came up in discussion of the Orange Line, which has no meaningful case for electronic maps. Red's is small, but on the OL they'd just be one more thing to break (and, this being the T, they absolutely would break).

 

[notthemonthaugust]

You can hear the smooth dulcet tones of Charles Ogletree.

Do you mean Frank Oglesby?

 

[Jahvon09]

Does anyone know when more shells will be sent from China? Seems that the covid pandemic has slowed things down to a definite crawl or a standstill!!

 

[kingofsheeba]

Do you mean Frank Oglesby?

That’s the one

 

[Jahvon09]

I read somewhere on the T's website that more shells will be arriving from CRRC sometime this summer. Seems that they should at least finish receiving the rest for the Orange Line, assemble them, get them tested & in service so that we won't have to see the old dirty ugly rust buckets any more!! The work at Wellington Yard is way ahead of schedule, & the T expects to have it completely
done soon, maybe sometime this coming summer!! Look how dirty, grimey & grundgy the #12 train is next to the new ones!

The

 

[cburns]

Cycling over the Broadway Bridge yesterday, there were several new red line cars in Cabot Yard. Not sure if they've been delivered in sequence, but if they have been we have new ones/ a second trainset; I caught the tags for 1911 and 1912.

 

[Jahvon09]

Cycling over the Broadway Bridge yesterday, there were several new red line cars in Cabot Yard. Not sure if they've been delivered in sequence, but if they have been we have new ones/ a second trainset; I caught the tags for 1911 and 1912.

Looks like the 2nd set is about to go into testing. The Red Line should have 252 cars in all, while the Orange Line is supposed to get about 152 cars.

 

[bakgwailo]

Bill Walton Approves of the new OL Cars

 

[kingofsheeba]

Bill Walton Approves of the new OL Cars

Took him a while to realize that he was on a new OL train. What a long strange trip it’s been, indubitably.

 

[Jahvon09]

Took him a while to realize that he was on a new OL train. What a long strange trip it’s been, indubitably.

The announcement on the platform should've told him that one was about to arrive. That is how I found out, so I waited there for it. They have enough of them now where the wait isn't long if you want to try one.

 

[bakgwailo]

Took him a while to realize that he was on a new OL train. What a long strange trip it’s been, indubitably.

I love that he didn't notice until he hits the top of the new car and has a genuine surprised face that his hand didn't go through a rusty roof (which I only have to infer has happened many times before). If the MBTA has any sense they would jump all over this for promos and commercials. "Hey it's a new train, it's not rotten!" is the perfect slogan.

In other news, looks the initial fed safety findings are out (https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/mbta-safety-review-fta/2746203/) and semi related, but, the MBTA has finished inspecting all bolts on all cars from the incident a few weeks ago, found a few bad ones, and plans on replacing all of them just in case:

MBTA workers examined 1,584 similar bolts across each of the newest subway fleet additions manufactured in Springfield by CRRC and found 17 others with similar problems, each of which has been replaced with new hardware, Director of Vehicle Engineering Bill Wolfgang said Monday.

The T sent faulty bolts to Mass Materials Research for analysis, the results of which should be available within 30 days. Crews will inspect the vehicles' brakes every two weeks and are in the second round of those examinations, according to Wolfgang."

Wolfgang said the MBTA will move next to replace all the bolts in question as a "cautionary step," likely at the end of June or early July once the parts are delivered.

 

[Jahvon09]

The MBTA says that it will be cutting back on service because they are understaffed!

 

[Jahvon09]

No fare hikes this year!!

 

[737900er]

Seems as though no new cars have run on Orange or Red since the service reductions were implemented yesterday. Any idea if that is unrelated or to decrease the complexity of the service?