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For second day in a row, South Station trains just won't go
By adamg on Wed, 08/02/2017 - 5:52pm
The maddening crowds at South Station. Photo by Amy.
David Perry reports that South Station Meltdown, Take 2, is due to a problem in Tower 1, an Amtrak shed just outside South Station that handles switching trains onto the right tracks at the station. It's the second evening rush hour in a row that South Station commuters have found themselves with extra time to get a drink or three.
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Comments
Again
Throw in the thunderstorms, he train station is at 1000% humidity. It's like a sauna out here (no Sal Bass sightings). We were told it was the same switch as yesterday.
Look, you idiot.
First of all, it's Salman, not Salmon.
Expectations too high
It rained. The switch got wet. Would you work if you got wet?
Expectations High? I think not.
Um, the main problem, Hugo, was with Amtrak's Tower One which was effecting the signals right outside South Station. There is an ongoing problem with Tower One. I don't believe it had anything to do with wet signals.
Here's a bit of history on the Tower and its "issues": http://framwormbta.weebly.com/blog/what-is-tower-1-and-why-do-we-hate-it
Are there any weather
Are there any weather conditions under which the T is actually expected to function normally?
Problems cascade over to Back Bay
And that folks
Is why demand / prices in the city keep going up.
That's one explanation
Alternatively, it could be because there is more supply in the city.
Citation: Perry, et al, 2017
As Toto says
"I miss the trains down at South Station."
World class city indeed.
World class city indeed.
Anyone want to wager if it
Anyone want to wager if it will be 3 days in a row?
I say 3+
Beverly Scott was forced out after a few days of this nonsense. Just swap the summer with winter. Although we can't toss the one-month old GM, why is Stephanie Pollack still at MassDOT? 2.5 years. Just as bad. What gives?
Tower 1
The dirty secret is; Tower 1 has not functioned properly and needs constant attention since the Big Dig tunnels were pushed through under the switches. The rail bed has been sinking and requires constant tamping under the switches.
Amtrk maintains Tower 1, not the MBTa or it's contractor Keolis.
Sorry to say, but get used to it
That system, and many others won't be getting better any time soon. In fact they'll likely get worse. Learn to accept it and you MAY save yourself some headache.
Wrong
Start to make noise about it and things WILL change.
Organize a protest at the statehouse.
Blockade cars into the garage at the statehouse.
Start organizing voters to get rid of those in the way of improved transit.
Start initiative petitions requiring minimum quality in transit services, equity, and expansion.
Initiative petitions gutting highway funding if transit is neglected.
Etc.
You don't have to bend over and take it!
Not that simple
The major problem is funding. You can hoot and holler all you want but if there's no one ponying up the money to pay for all the fixes, nothing will change. Fixing the transit system would be so costly and time consuming there's almost no incentive to fix it. Let's say Baker starts the project, he'd likely be out of office by the time it was completed, which means he wouldn't get much credit for it. Pols tend to not work very hard for things they won't get credit for.
And who is in charge of funding?
The Great and General Court and the Governor.
Do you think it'll work if we
Do you think it'll work if we all hold our collective breaths until our Dear Leader implements his massive infrastructure spending plan to get all of this fixed?