A year of delays on the T made it hard to get from A to B

By adamg on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 9:19am

Massive crowd at Porter Square when the Fitchburg Line died

Just ugh. See April. Photo by Michael Doyle.

If we had a dime for every T delay, we'd be rich. Here are the ones we rhymed in 2018. It's far from a complete list of delays - we missed a few and didn't do rhymes for delays caused by deaths or that involved people being forced to walk through tunnels to escape from dead trains.

January

Jan. 11 at Charles/MGH. Photo by Midwinter's Wolf.

New Year same as before: Dead trolley at Kenmore, 1/1/18

Thanks a lot, dead train in Dot, 1/3/18

Downtown Crossing out of commish; burst pipe is the ish, 1/3/18

Not sure we'd say 'yay' but at least the train broke down today, 1/5/18

The T got through the storm OK; now's the time for delay, 1/5/18

Orange and Red trains die, too cold for riders to cry, 1/6/18

The Red Line this morning is a mess, when you'll get to work: anybody's guess, 1/8/18

Orange Line trains be parking, after trackside cable starts sparking, 1/8/18

Red Line pain is stark after a train dies at Park, 1/8/18

Green Line duress due to Eliot mess, 1/8/18

Driver tries to push through snow, now the trolley just won't go, 1/9/18

Park Street signal woes means Red Line ride blows, 1/10/18

A dead train at South Station means grumbling in Red Line Nation, 1/10/18

Stop me if you've heard this tale: Green Line moving like a snail, 1/11/18

Red Line stations filled with sighs as yet another train up and dies, 1/11/18

Orange Line train bites the dust, another ride becomes a bust, 1/12/18

Is the MBTA's Red Line world class? They're busing from Ashmont to JFK/UMass, 1/12/18

Power on the Green Line went out; riders incensed no doubt, 1/18/18

Green Line power is back, but now signals are whack, 1/18/18

Green Line power off once more; getting somewhere again a chore, 1/18/18

Red Line tells Green Line: Hold my beer; now has delays that are wicked severe, 1/18/18

Red Line still not fine, there's another dead train on the line, 1/18/18

The D Line is slow; after rush hour, though, 1/19/18

Another Green Line rush hour quickly goes really sour, 1/19/18

Red Line needs more than a pill for the dead train at Savin Hill, 1/19/18

Red Line in a tough spot, at least on the branch in Dot, 1/22/18

The Green Line problem of the hour once more is something with power, 1/22/18

Trolley taken out back when it dies, now the T says the Green Line flies, 1/22/18

MBTA alerts blare: Track problem at Jackson Square, 1/22/18

Green Line low energy once more; commute yet again a chore, 1/23/18

Rail-line switch at Forest Hills croaks; that means delays for lots of folks, 1/23/18

Orange Line riders need a prayer, due to the dead train at Malden Square, 1/24/18

Even the Mattapan Line has the blues; trolley takes a permanent snooze, 1/24/18

Train on the Red Line struggled with an incline, 1/25/18

Green Line commuters can only laugh: Trolley has broken pantograph, 1/25/18

Red Line ride a brute: Dead train slows commute, 1/26/18

A train stopped working at Forest Hills; getting it off the track took some skills, 1/26/18

Orange Line riders have extra time for flossing because there's a dead train at Roxbury Crossing, 1/27/18

The problems on the Red Line are quintessential; there's a dead train sitting at Central, 1/29/18

Train at Maverick moves like a brick, 1/30/18

Red Line now fine after rush hour turned sour, 1/31/18

February

Feb. 2 at Kendall. Photo by Spinfire.

A dead train at Park gonna leave a mark, 2/2/18

Orange Line ride a bear due to switch problems called severe, 2/2/18

Some riders' commute is shot, due to a dead train in Dot, 2/6/18

There's a dead Green Line trolley, making the ride a bit of a folly, 2/7/18

Hardly a surprise: A Red Line train dies, 2/7/18

Trolley just sits there dead; Green Line delays ahead, 2/8/18

More Red Line problems on display: Signal issues cause a delay, 2/8/18

Some Orange Line riders probably wish they'd drove; there's a dead train on the tracks at Oak Grove, 2/9/18

Red Line riders vent more spleen as dead trains become routine, 2/9/18

Man, this is the pits: Mattapan Line on the fritz, 2/9/18

Oh, hey, whadaya say: There's a dead train near Back Bay, 2/10/18

It wouldn't be a Boston rush hour without a Red Line train going sour, 2/12/18

Another one for the logbook: There's a dead train at Stony Brook, 2/12/18

This is getting to be such a bore: Red Line riders stuck once more, 2/13/18

Orange Line ride has no frills; dead train towards Forest Hills, 2/14/18

D Line becomes a tormenter when a train dies at Newton Centre, 2/14/18

Oh whadaya know: Another train won't go, 2/14/18

Red Line delays not quite at the max despite a dead train on the tracks, 2/15/18

The Orange Line deserves no snuggles because of signal problems near Ruggles, 2/16/18

Dead trolley inbound means Green Line ride is unwound, 2/16/18

An Orange Line train needed a funeral mass, but at least no riders were showered with glass, 2/22/18

Riders' hair might go gray, due to dead train at Back Bay, 2/22/18

Red Line service slowed more than a smidge when a train up and died in Cambridge, 2/23/18

An Orange Line train refused to move; riders wonder when things will improve, 2/26/18

Did any Red Line riders walk when the Ashmont train decided to balk?, 2/27/18

March

March 8 on the Riverside Line. Photo by the MBTA.

Now this really blows: Red Line train has power woes, 3/1/18

MBTA makes a Red Line plea: Be patient coming from Braintree, 3/1/18

Oy gevalt: Red Line train comes to a halt, 3/2/18

There were problems on two subway lines, but at least there's no trouble at Hynes, 3/5/18

On the Orange Line, it's fire and ice; service stops, to be precise, 3/7/18

All that snow makes the T go slow, 3/8/18

Green Line ride turns into a snore after one trolley suffers a broken door, 3/9/18

Things are not fine at end of C Line, 3/9/18

Green Line trolley has a problem up top; Green Line service comes to a stop, 3/14/18

Orange Line door proved quite a boor, 3/19/18

Red Line train turns into disabled hulk, leaving riders to swear and sulk, 3/20/18

A South Station track fire made the whole Red Line expire, 3/22/18

Dead train at JFK/Umass meant Red Line delays alas, 3/23/18

A Blue Line track fire is out, but riders still have reason to pout, 3/27/18

Orange Line riders have no choice but to relax: A train near Wellington is dead on the tracks, 3/27/18

A Red Line motor began to smoke; not enough to make riders choke, 3/28/18

April

April 4 at Porter Square. Photo by Michael Doyle.

Trolley becomes a travel preventer when it gets stuck at Newton Centre, 4/4/18

Porter Square is crammed for tonight's voyages of the damned, 4/4/18

Green Line follies: Derailment delays trolleys, 4/4/18

Oh, isn't that just great: The Red Line is running late, 4/9/18

Orange Line service is poor due to a train with a stuck door, 4/9/18

Signal problems and some track work could make Red Line riders berserk, 4/12/18

Orange Line shut by a small fire on the tracks; firefighters didn't need to use an axe, 4/16/18

Break out the tissues: The Red Line has issues, 4/20/18

Nothing was fine on the old Red Line, 4/23/18

Rush-hour trolley service slows to a crawl; hardened riders too tough to bawl, 4/23/18

Time for the Orange Line to retire? It just had another track fire, 4/24/18

Orange Line platforms getting cloggy; riders getting wet and soggy, 4/25/18

May

May 4 at Downtown Crossing. Photo by Amelia Mulligan.

Orange Line was delayed by burning trash; all that's left now is a heap of ash, 5/3/18

What could be wrong with the Red Line this hour? There's a train stuck without power, 5/3/18

E Line is dead; take a bus instead, 5/3/18

Why people turn to cars for hire: Orange Line tracks erupt in fire, 5/4/18

Gremlins go to town: Red Line train is down, 5/4/18

Situation dire: Red Line tracks on fire, 5/7/18

Now don't up and blanche: Delays on the Ashmont branch, 5/10/18

You can't blame all Green Line delays on the T; some drivers don't know how to handle tracks, you see, 5/10/18

Orange Line riders get some heartache when a train belches smoke from a brake, 5/11/18

Some people don't like the T; it's not reliable, you see, 5/14/18

No Beacon of hope; a C trolley decided to mope, 5/15/18

Orange Line riders gonna be late: One of the trains dropped dead at State, 5/16/18

An Orange Line train broke down, on the tracks north of town, 5/17/18

Delays on the D line, trolley has issues not so benign, 5/17/18

The T has to confess: The Green Line was a mess, 5/23/18

Orange Line riders go 'Zut alors': They face delays due to broken doors, 5/25/18

June

June 19 at Charles/MGH. Photo by A Quiet Philodox.

Track fire south of Porter proves a real Red Line thwarter, 6/2/18

South Station commuters were in a pickle; service wasn't worth a plug nickel, 6/4/18

Orange Line grinds to a halt; it's a deceased train's fault, 6/5/18

Green Line at a halt; it's all the wires' fault, 6/12/18

Red Line goes bust, which line can you trust?, 6/12/18

There was a train dead at Broadway; means other trains have a delay, 6/13/18

Oy, vey: Dead train at JFK, 6/14/18

Red Line once more not fleet due to a dead train at Park Street, 6/14/18

Red Line ride no longer a snorter, now that dead train is out of Porter, 6/15/18

Maybe get out a funeral wreath: There's a dead train headed to Heath, 6/15/18

Red Line not moving a smidge, due to dead train in Cambridge, 6/18/18

C Line is at a halt; cab on tracks at fault, 6/19/18

Charles/MGH had a bit of smoke; maybe not enough to make you choke, 6/19/18

Track fire and dead train causing lots of Red Line pain, 6/24/18

The latest update on Green Line health? There's a dead trolley along Commonwealth, 6/29/18

July

No delays because of this, but it's a deer on the Green Line. Photo by MassDOT.

Blue Line really hosed; let's just consider it closed, 7/3/18

Red Line riders, it's time to beware: Yep, signal problems at Harvard Square, 7/6/18

Helter swelter: Red Line feels like a smelter, 7/10/18

Of course delays on the Red Line have causation: There's a dead train at South Station, 7/12/18

Red Line train delayed at this hour because of a train without power, 7/17/18

T says use the 39; power problems on the E Line, 7/20/18

Orange Line commute was a frustration due to signal woes at Oak Grove station, 7/24/18

Orange Line must have a hex: There's a dead train at DTX, 7/25/18

Red Line riders could develop heat rash due to delays caused by flaming trash, 7/27/18

August

August 6 at South Station. Photo by Meri Persisted.

Some Orange Line woe: Track fire made things slow, 8/3/18

Red Line riders get overheated and wilt, because some Red Line tracks need to be rebuilt, 8/6/18

T has to confess: The Blue Line's a mess, 8/7/18

Orange Line riders might wish they drove; there's a dead train towards Oak Grove, 8/7/18

The Red Line is delayed once more; the problem this time is a door, 8/7/18

A lot of Orange Line riders feeling blue; train has issues at Mass. Avenue, 8/10/18

Out on the C Line, things are far from fine, 8/15/18

It's enough to give you chills: Signal problems at Forest Hills, 8/17/18

Orange Line off to a slow start; trains are few and far apart, 8/22/18

Orange Line delayed by a bit of smoke; not enough to make riders choke, 8/22/18

Maybe it's the weather: Three T lines fail together, 8/30/18

September

September 29 on the B Line. Photo by Fuad.

Red Line train is out of power, riders are getting dour, 9/6/18

This is essential: Dead train at Central, 9/24/18

Some riders might say it's unfair; they couldn't get on at Rozzie Square, 9/24/18

There are no fines for the dead train at Hynes, 9/26/18

B Line riders aren't going far; they can thank the driver of this car, 9/29/18

October

October 31 outside North Station. Photo by T.J. Winnick.

Red Line signals blow; Red Line trains go slow, 10/4/18

Green Line riders can bawl; dead trolley near City Hall, 10/12/18

Nobody on the Red Line will pass: There's a dead train at JFK/UMass, 10/17/18

On the first really cold fall day, the T can't keep dead trains at bay, 10/22/18

Needham Line isn't fine, 10/22/18

Orange Line riders were not feeling the love when one train had to give another a shove, 10/25/18

There's a Red Line delay; dead train at Broadway, 10/26/18

One Orange Line door is such a boor, 10/26/18

Leaving is always the hardest part; long delays at North Station to start , 10/31/18

November

Nov. 17 on the B Line. Photo by Sundaram.

Trains that were dead plagued Orange, Green and Red, 11/5/18

If only you had a quarter for every train stuck at Porter, 11/6/18

An Orange Line train brought back from the dead, but delays leave riders with sense of dread, 11/8/18

The ride on the Red Line is far from first class due to signal problems at JFK/UMass, 11/10/18

Plenty of Blue Line frowns due to signal problems at Suffolk Downs, 11/13/18

The Red Line commute's a beast, due to a train that's deceased, 11/14/18

When are those Chinese trains getting here? Dead train at Assembly Square, 11/14/18

Maybe it's just a bum rotor: Orange Line train suffers dead motor, 11/15/18

Fitchburg Line is wicked slow; goes at a crawl in the snow, 11/16/18

BC Line riders not getting far thanks to somebody in a dumb car, 11/17/18

Now this really calls for headlines: Delays on three of four subway lines, 11/19/18

A Green Line wire at North Station is down; making it harder to get to Cambridge town, 11/21/18

Blue Line service a real turkey; the power's all kinds of jerky, 11/22/18

No happy trails: Fitchburg train derails, 11/27/18

Orange Line all jammed up: Another dead train, yup, 11/28/18

Blue Line riders know this really bites: Signal problems at Orient Heights, 11/28/18

Red Line ride becomes a chore due to one car's broken door, 11/29/18

Time to break out the tissues: Orange Line train has performance issues, 11/30/18

December

Dec. 8 at Kenmore Square. Photo by Jesse.

Blue Line blights: Signals at Orient Heights, 12/3/18

It is such a shame: Red Line train turns up lame, 12/4/18

The Red Line is still not up to snuff: Another dead train makes the ride tough, 12/4/18

It's probably not a big surprise: Another Red Line train up and dies, 12/4/18

At least this time the T's not at fault - Electricity in Braintree's come to a halt, 12/4/18

The Green Line fails when a train derails, 12/8/18

Green Line platforms don't scale when trolleys up and derail, 12/8/18

Red Line moves like a snail when those darn signals fail, 12/11/18

Not so divine: Delays on the B Line, 12/11/18

Franklin Line train has mechanical woes: It's very tired and it barely goes, 12/11/18

There is something you should know: Red Line still like Waiting for Godot, 12/11/18

The ride into town is slow from the west; the Worcester Line is just not at its best, 12/12/18

Blue Line enters delay quicksand due to power problems at Wonderland, 12/12/18

Blue Line track has a crack, 12/13/18

Boo hoo hoo: Train died near Andrew, 12/19/18

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Comments

Not good, but

By anon on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 9:49am.

Now do delays on 93.

OK

By Michael on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 2:02pm.

On 93 north you won't get very far
There's 10,000 folks each alone in their car

My commute to work in the

By anon on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 10:21am.

My commute to work in the warm city I live in is 20 mins via car each way. Enjoy the cold dark misery!

Enjoy the cultural amenities of the sunbelt …

By Ari O on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 11:07am.

I'll go to an exhibit at the MFA and walk over to the BSO.

That's nice dear

By anon on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 11:15am.

Now tell us all how you will weather nearly a year of unemployment culminating in a move to another city when you get laid off.

I am loving it. Glad to hear

By anon on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 2:00pm.

I am loving it. Glad to hear you have a job that has 100 percent job security. Happy New Year!

Not job security

By anon on Thu, 12/27/2018 - 11:59am.

Just much easier to find other jobs if you lose a job.

I've had ten jobs in 20 years but have not been unemployed for more than a couple of months in between (and half of that was just taking a break)

That sounds like hell, actually

By anon on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 12:15pm.

My ass is getting fatter just reading about 40 minutes a day in a car.

Enjoy it while it lasts

By SwirlyGrrl on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 1:31pm.

Sounds like you are good for now. Not my cup of tea, but not an unreasonable situation.

Judging from a couple of decades of seeing what has happened to people I grew up with and extended family members, you won't have that sweet situation for long.

A couple of things tend to happen:
1. the lack of traffic is linked to an overall lack of economic activity. If your employment falls through, you will have to move.

2. Economic activity is solid, jobs are plentiful, your employment outlook is robust, and that brings with it acres of sprawl development as people move into the area. Poof - your magic commute is now 40+ minutes each way.

Commutes seem to be beholden to the laws of thermodynamics: you can't win, you can't break even, and you can't get out of the game.

Unless you live on a narrow

By BenHav on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 5:18pm.

Unless you live on a narrow swath of the California coast, YOU can go enjoy your 4-5 months of extreme heat (and possible soaking humidity) come May.

Love it!

By PeyoteEatingWaterBear on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 10:33am.

The T failure rhymes and the very opinionated, know-it-all, hilarious prolific superstars of the UHub comments section are why this is one of the first websites I log onto every day while slacking off at work. Thanks for all you do, Adam, and cheers to a great 2019!

UHub, Twitter, and Reddit have the best T coverage

By anon on Fri, 12/28/2018 - 4:41pm.

In that order. I'm calling it for 2019. Pollack is thrown out. Walsh rides the T and says holy sh. A T station partially collapses. South Coast Rail is cut, again.

Great advertising for Uber and Lyft

By downtown-anon on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 10:42am.

Just point to this list.

And to think people want the city to be car free. Build it and they will come, but not if failure is so frequent.

Not really

By anon on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 11:17am.

We all know where that leads - massive traffic jams.

I think this list should end with a list of bicycle shops. Sure, doesn't work every day for everybody, but you can probably commute 80-90% of the time by bike.

In defense of the MBTA

By anon on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 11:01am.

Sometimes the delays are not their fault. On Christmas Eve red line trains were delayed and had to bypass JFK station because a passenger had a medical emergency according to the Globe.

What I saw and heard on the 24th around 7PM

By anon on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 11:13am.

T alerts said the JFK closure on the 24th was due to police activity. The driver of my train said the the station was closed due to police activity. I got on the train at Savin HIll. At the same time T police were driving up and down Savin Hill Ave and walking around Savin Hill station looking for something.

There was no mention of a medical emergency

Medical Emergency?

By anon on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 6:36pm.

Either the Globe or the MBTA is playing loose with the facts. The delay at JFK was the result of a brutal stabbing and fight on a train.

Link?

By anon on Thu, 12/27/2018 - 12:54pm.

Link?

Maybe they should deal with

By anon on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 12:02pm.

Maybe they should deal with medical emergencies differently if possible.

Meanwhile

By geep9 on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 11:41am.

The governor, the speaker, and the chairs of the transportation committee all got re-elected. No consequences for those in charge

Better candidates

By hux on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 12:55pm.

If there were better candidates, maybe that wouldn't be the case. I, for one, would've been very, very happy to vote Charlie out, but after watching the debates with Setti it was very clear he was not a good candidate.

Umwut?

By anon on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 1:12pm.

Setti Warren?

He didn't run in the end.

Wow.

Hmmm...

By SwirlyGrrl on Wed, 12/26/2018 - 1:34pm.

Setti Warren?

He didn't run.

The choice on the D side was between Jay Gonzalez and Bob Massie, with Gonzalez facing Baker in the General Election.

Not sure what year you got stuck in.

Plus any more that happen between now and Monday night.

Yeoman's work, Adam!

By Christine Langhoff on Fri, 12/28/2018 - 7:57pm.

Yeoman's work, Adam!
Thanks and a Happy New Year to you and yours.
God bless and keep the T!