Fire at Back Bay halts Commuter Rail

As my train pulled into Ruggles this morning at about 7:10, we were told that all trains in and out of Back Bay (rail and subway) were stopped. A few minutes later, we heard that the train would be held at Ruggles for "a while," so I joined the stream of people in search of a different way to work. I walked across Northeastern to the Green Line, and got to Harvard Square only about 15 minutes later than usual.

Boston.com reports that a small debris fire caused the halt; as of this posting, their site says CR trains are still stopped, which I find a little hard to believe after more than an hour. MBTA.com has nothing on it.

A Greenhouse for Canton Junction?

The T and the town of Canton are talking over three design proposals to enclose the Canton Junction station. The currently-open-air station is where the Stoughton line joins the Providence tracks, so any enclosure has to cover not just one set of tracks but two, as well as some pretty big pedestrian ramps and bridges.

Each of the three proposed designs would "enclose the ramps and walkways currently in place within a steel and glass enclosure in an attempt to increase safety and make the platforms more aesthetically pleasing."

Sounds like a greenhouse, eh? The designers hope not:

The station, which would remain un-manned, would protect passengers and walkways from the weather, and would include vents to eliminate a greenhouse effect in the glass structure. “Alternative JF” also includes an outdoor canopy around all entrances, and Del Vecchio asked that additional entrances and exits be considered to assist rush hour passengers.

Selectman John Connolly is quoted as saying "it's like painting a pig's ear."

Bumping elbows in Roslindale

The Herald notes that more commuters catching the train in Roslindale Village (aka Rozzie Square) is one reason parking is hard to find in the area:

...[T]hose in attendance at the meeting said the lot fills up before 9 a.m. as commuters from other areas come to use the lot. Police Captain James Hasson suggested possibly closing the lot until 9 a.m., but he acknowledged the legality of such a plan would have to be checked because it is a municipal lot.

In a previous meeting, similar concerned parties offered recommendations that were reiterated, including:
[...]
· Encourage the use of the MBTA lot for owners and employees and address safety concerns of the lot. ...

All parties agreed that there are too many people coming from outside of the area to park in Roslindale so they can take the commuter rail.

Is this part of a Roslindale Renaissance?

An intersting historical note, probably not new to the railfans out there: Roslindale was the scene of the Bussey Bridge collapse in 1887, one of the first rail disasters in the U.S., which prompted regular inspections of bridges.

(By the way, a quick hello since this is my first post. Thanks to Mike for letting me join in. I plan to pull in some of the more interesting (to me) news and blog items each day. If you have a suggestion, feel free to post a comment.)

Hot and Crowded as Hell

This week's "Starts & Stops" column breaks the news of hot cars on the Commuter Rail and people not paying fares on the Green Line. I nearly dropped my coffee when I read these startling accounts.

First up is the news that MBCR plans to finally do something about its notoriously-malfunctioning heating, air conditioning and circulation systems on Commuter Rail cars. For the first time in over ten years the full fleet will get a full makeover, which will also include better training for mechanics to (ideally) prevent "hot cars" from plaguing the system during the summer. The price of a more tolerable commute? Over $1 Million. I suppose it's the price we pay for comfort.

Next up is a scene anyone who has set foot on a Green Line car ever is familiar with - the free ride vs. on time service conundrum. On one hand, we have the revenue department and fare-paying passengers, who would like to see every last little sneak pay their fare at every station along the crowded and delay-plagued trolley lines. On the other hand, those on board who have somewhere to be (or don't like sitting or standing in a hot, crowded trolley for an hour), or the operator who'd like to actually complete a trip on time, often like to open all doors and waive fares when the platform is packed from end-to-end.

Stations once notorious for such activity, like Prudential and Lechmere, have eliminated the practice thanks to AFC gates. Now it's the street-level stops that bear the brunt of this issue, and its something that has become even worse with AFC and the implementation of outbound fares on the street. Quite often, operators will still open all doors on the outbound trips, merely suggesting that everyone pay their fare over the PA system. Few people ever do.

So what can be done about Green Line overcrowding? Not a whole lot. At stations like Longwood Medical Area, when Boston Latin gets out, or Fenway, when a Sox game is over, crowds will always fill the small platforms, and collecting fares from everyone would not only be a grueling hours-long process, it would pose a safety hazard. Center-of-street stops like Longwood Medical Area have no room for long lines to wind off the platform, and busy ones like Fenway would become unruly and breed crime or violence.

The unfortunate solution to this problem is a "more of the same" approach. Though new portable card=tapping devices do help in moderately crowded situations, a packed to the gills platform will remain so until a train comes to gobble up the people on it, and this can only be effectively done by opening all doors and eating the unpaid fares of the non-passholding passengers.

Mike

Boston Globe Photo
I'd also like to welcome TH's own Charleston "CS" Sargeant to the CharlieBlog. He and Ron Newman will be contributing to the blog with me, hopefully making this a current and interesting blog!