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MBTA board commits to making the Fairmount Line battery operated by early 2028
By adamg on Thu, 07/25/2024 - 1:14pm
The MBTA board today approved a $54-million plan to replace the diesel-powered trains on the Fairmount Line with more climate-friendly battery-operated cars within four years, which could mean almost subway-like train frequency - and some relief for Readville residents who live near the yard where diesels now loudly vibrate, hum - and have their horns blared - into the early morning hours.
The transformation will make the Faimount Line - the only one to run just within the Boston city limits - the T's first electric commuter line. Although the Providence Line has catenary lines, the T continues to run diesel locomotives under them, rather than figuring out how to share the system with Amtrak.
Under a proposal released by commuter-rail operator Keolis in March, Keolis and the MBTA would hire a company willing to install charging stations at both South Station and Readville to charge the batteries that would both power each individual car and provide its lighting, heating and air conditioning. Although the T disdains catenary systems - the trains would recharge at South Station by connecting to the existing catenary lines that now power Amtrak trains there.
Keolis says the new trains would mean quieter, smoother operation, with trains running every 20 minutes.
Transit Matters Executive Director Jarred Johnson praised the vote as another milestone for creating Boston-area "regional transit," which would involve running commuter-rail trains at or near subway-level frequencies, as is done across Europe.
At a meeting with disgruntled Readville, Dedham and Milton residents in April, state Rep. Rob Consalvo said the battery plan would help residents - who say they know they live near a train yard but that the problem has gotten far worse since 2020 - sleep better at night. However, the plan would do nothing about noise from Readville's other train yard, used by CSX, or about non-Fairmount diesels that will continue to be stored at Readville at least until the T converts a large area near South Station called Widett Circle into a new train storage yard.
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Comments
Better for air quality too.
.
So, which will it be?
So, which will it be?
Actual "subway-like frequency", or "every 20 minutes"?
It's the T
Why not both?
20m if we're lucky
If the trains really can top off their batteries as quickly as the manufacturer claims, especially on the hottest and coldest days (why does the T hate overhead wires?). And if South Station interlocking can handle that many comings and goings.
Catenary Wires
The sensible, cheaper thing to do is just run catenary wires, especially for rail. No worries about poorly performing batteries in winter, lighter, and less cost to the environment due to the harmful mining and manufacturing processes.
Several years ago, when the T foolishly and arbitrarily decided to destroy their existing electric bus capacity in North Cambridge in the name of battery powered buses that are still apparently years away, that told me all I needed to know about the decision making at the MBTA.
Depends on the Administration
The move to battery from actual electrification and infrastructure improvements always felt to be push by the Baker administration as one of those magic bullets to look like they were doing something and then punt it down the road and get out of town before any of it mattered.
I am rather surprised that Eng hasn't put a stop to this foolishness given he is a Rail Road guy and coming from places that did real electrification.
The T will likely settle on batteries from Harbor Freight
for their cost effectiveness. When the trains die along the route, the engineer will make a quick run to Walgreens for Duracells, only to discover that they aren't there anymore.
Did somebody mention Duracell, the copper top, dum dum DUM!
Good, now do the other lines
At a minimum, the other lines out as far as 128 should get this same treatment, particularly the frequencies.
Fairmount line is the only commuter rail entirely in the city
So it makes sense for it to be electrified first. And at some point the rest of the lines should be electrified also, based on an agreed upon priority metrix.
And does anyone know the current ridership levels on the MBTA commuter rail?
Below is all I could find
https://www.mbta.com/performance-metrics/ridership-the-t
And most times I ride the Fairmount line they don't ask riders for tickets so their collections and counts are probably low...
Partly Correct
All the stations on the line are within Boston. The line passes through Milton on the stretch between Fairmount and Blue Hill Ave.
The Milton "stretch" of the
The Milton "stretch" of the Fairmount line: https://shorturl.at/cFNBQ
Not best practices.
Literally no where in the world uses battery trains on a route like this. This is 9 miles and connects to an already electrified train corridor on both ends. This is a no brainer for stringing up catenary, which has so many benefits compared to lately unproven battery trains: much lower fire risk, you do not waste time charging trains, trains do not have to carry around heavy batteries so they accelerate and run faster, which in turn allows higher frequencies with the same number of trains.
Battery electric is such a distraction. I do not understand the commitment of US transit agencies to completely ignore global best practices in transit.
Completely Agree
Not to mention that electrifying the Fairmount Line with catenary can serve as an alternate route for Amtrak into South Station
Magoo sez
Magloloo. Magoo ‘specs this will never happen. Magoo is someone whose nose knows no bounds and Magoo can sniff out a sniffy. Is Magoo an MBTA insider? Hmmmm. Magoo.
Shut up.
.
I hereby nominate Lee’s comment..
..for the Uhub Hall of Fame.
If it wasn't for myopia, we could see to Ethiopia
The cartoon character Mr. Magoo (voiced by Jim Backus, by the way) is so myopic that he can't see anything that isn't right in front of his eyes.
That would make "Magoo" a strange name to sign to one's predictions of the future, methinks.
This is a promising
This is a promising development. This spring I got to visit a few mid-size French cities (150k to 1500k people) and everyone of them had one or several electric trolley lines. These things have been booming in Europe over the past two decades. The development of battery-powered trains sounds very promising as they don’t require the unsightly and very expensive overhead wires.
I use the Fairmount line once in a while and it feels like 1940 travel. Boston may finally leap in the 21St century. The $54m budget sounds optimistic to me, but it will be worth it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alstom_Citadis
What?
There is nothing unsightly to overhead wires - and those French cities all had them. Overhead catenary is the global standard for electric trains. Battery powered is extremely new with very low adoption - mainly in places remote off of main lines for last mile service (which Fairmont is not). They also have severe performance issues in cold weather and are entirely untested. Lastly, string up catenary is not expensive - especially on Fairmont where substations are already there, and the NEC which is already electrified.
This is a left over decision from the Baker Admin to force an unproven technology on public transit instead of just doing the actual standard that works across the world that will end up costing significantly more over it's lifetime than doing it the right way.
Finally. Its completely
Finally. Its completely embarrassing and dumb to have diesel trains in 2024.
Partially true
Up until 2000, Amtrak steadfastly refused to electrify the Boston-New Haven corridor until the Feds dragged them kicking and screaming into the modern ages. Until Amtrak electrified that stretch, trains had to switch from diesel to electric engines (and vice versa) at New Haven, adding 20 minutes to a trip - and they still do for trains north to Springfield and beyond.
Hence, while electrics and battery powered trains are great, keeping the diesels around until the electric technology gets better will be the norm.
There was once talk of nuclear locomotives
http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2015/ph241/sanders1/
We are not stupid
do they know where the electricity comes from to charge those batteries? Do they know what fossil fuels are burned to create that electricity?
And did you know ...
That, in general, electric engines are more efficient than those powered by fossil fuels? So even if the power comes from a fossil-fuel plant, there is less fuel used?
The more you know ...
Except, the efficiency bottle neck is the battery
You’ve completely ignored that part along with how all the toxic battery components are mined and guess what they use to mine?
And of course...
...battery technology hasn't changed since 1911, or whenever you were born, whichever comes first. Nor can it possibly improve in the future.
Ditto ICE
Your point?
Who is "we"?
You might want to take a look at the mix of generation technologies producing electricity for Massachusetts' grid system before you make such a bold declaration.
Yes, natural gas is fossil fuel and is in the mix - but the efficiency of electric propulsion vastly outstrips the efficiency of internal combustion. Far less carbon is emitted from natural gas combustion for generating electricity that is used for propelling a vehicle than is produced by a comparable internal combustion vehicle.
Also, notice the lack of brownouts during the recent heatwaves? Sweet sweet solar. Its getting stronger in the mix.
Are these batteries and their housings ...
Adequately tested for extreme temperatures? No, really?
While I’m all on board
For this as someone who uses the line. The T is full of shit.
They plan on building/expanding their layover facility at Readville which will increase the overall noise.
https://www.mbta.com/projects/south-side-maintenance-and-layover-facility
Also, does this plan include reducing the rate for Readville riders? Probably not!