Haven’t posted lately…

 

Sorry for not posting lately, I am a little shy at blogging.  But I promise I will start making posts about buses I ride, or any other things that have to do with the MBTA.  Thank you for your understanding.

I rode a new bus this evening

On my way home from stuff I was doing in Boston, I picked up bus #1412 on the 108 at Wellington. This is one of the new buses the MBTA has recently ordered and usually are on the 111. There are mixed opinions of these buses. Some drivers don't like them too much. I thought the seat layout was quite interesting. There are three single seats on the left. According to mbta.com, that's to make room for baby strollers. Also, in the back, there are two sets of forward facing seats right in front of the back seats (one on each side). There actually are 3 less seats on these buses than the others but this isn't exactly noticeable. In my opinion the ride was actually not so bad, considering it wasn't very crowded this time, partially due to the 106 that left Wellington right before us getting to Malden Station first and picking up most of the people there first (I presume). Seeing I don't ride the 111 due to its crowds anyway I would at least see these buses being a little more efficient in handling those crowds due to the extra space in the front section. Also helps the situation where a stroller has to move out of the very front spot for a wheelchair. Of course, strollers during rush hour is a different discussion all together that I won't get into here. I'd say these buses are ok. The only thing is, don't do anything stupid or, most importantly, illegal on these buses. They have the cameras that the Transit Police can actively log into and view. Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving.

Something you may or may not know about the Orange Line when it is closed for Assembly Square construction

Ever wondered why the northbound train is just sitting there for heaven knows how long at North Station on the nights and weekends that the Orange Line is down for Assembly Square construction between Sullivan and Oak Grove? Well, the reason is because they are running single rail operation between Sullivan and North Station. They do not clearly mention this on the website, maybe because they assume everyone knows this, but I don't think everyone does. And the only crossover on the tracks in that stretch is right before the tunnel between Community College and North Station. Therefore they HAVE to run single rail if they are to turn a train around without going to Wellington. So when you see an announcement on mbta.com about Assembly Square construction on a given night or weekend, don't just prepare for the sardine cans that pass as shuttle buses, but also intense delays outbound at North Station waiting for a train to get back to North Station on the single rail stretch to Sullivan.

Welcome to my new blog "Fartin' Around on the MBTA". This blog is about, but is not an official site of, the Massachusetts Bay Tranportation Authority. I will mostly be covering any things of interest that I witness during my rides on the buses or subway. Maybe do a few bus reviews too, although there are many great blogs that do a better job at that than I. Also if there will be any scheduled changes to service I will post them here too (to an extent, I'm not going to display them all, just changes such as shuttle bus substitutions on certain lines at certain times, for example). Yes, you can also check http://www.mbta.com (MBTA's Official Site) for that, I will be quoting them directly.

Hope you enjoy.


Note of Interest: I got the term "Fartin' Around on the MBTA" from a friend of mine and we keep joking about it all the time.