The Red Line Floating Slab Project and what that means for you

I am a regular user of the Red Line and through my 3+ years of riding the line I have encountered but never actually questioned what exactly is the infamous Floating Slab Project. Though most of my commuting occurs on weekdays, I have ventured out in the world on the occasional weekend, only to be affected by closed stations and random shuttles. 

The Floating Slab Project affects all stops from Harvard to Alewife, which accounts for 99% of my home turf (I know, I know, small much?). While the shuttle switch from Harvard to whatever my destination can be annoying, I have had a couple of occurrences in which that delay has turned into a cluster and almost caused major repercussions. 

One incident in particular occurred this weekend: On the way home from changing my car's oil, I stopped at the Porter Square shopping center to grab a couple of things at CVS. I had also planned to go shopping at the H-Mart over in Central (seriously, go check out H-Mart if you're there! but that's a different story and I digress). Being the registered bad-ass that I am I decided for the first time to keep my car parked at the shopping center while I quickly took the T one stop over and bought a few items for an awesome Korean beef recipe I wanted to try. Of course karma got the best of me and I realized this "quick trip was going to take much longer. The shuttle bus I hopped on was stuck in terrible Mass ave traffic (20 min!) and then the T car at Harvard was very, very crowded. Fortunately I was with good company but I still regretted my decision and began to believe my car would be missing when I returned. The only city with parking rules more merciless than Cambridge can only be NYC.

Long story short, I got my groceries (quickest H-Mart shopping spree in history) and my car was still there! I thank the parking gods and promise to never ever pull that stunt again. 

While I joke about the Floating Slab Project, I want to state it is for a good cause. I did some research about the when why and how on the project and retrieved this from the MBTA site:

The Red Line track from Harvard to Alewife sits on concrete slabs floating on rubber disks that absorb noise and vibration from trains. Years of water infiltration into the tunnel has resulted in corrosion and cracking that must be addressed in order to maintain safe and reliable Red Line service.


More information can be found following this link:
 http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/t_projects/default.asp?id=22956

Oh, and for your own planning, here are some dates the project will affect the T:

- Saturday, April 29, and Sunday, April 30. 
- Saturday, May 13, and Sunday, May 14. 

Your Ride on MBTA Just Got Fun and This is Why

Yes, your ride on the T just got more fun.

I wish I could tell you to close your eyes to imagine this, but you have to read it. But even with your eyes opened, imagine yourself getting into an MBTA station. It can be either subway or commuter rail. On your way to the platform you spot a book. You grab it and you take a look at it. It looks interesting, but you wonder if someone lost it. You look around to see if anyone is coming back to get it. You check left and right, and

Feel Like Your Train is Abnormally Overcrowded? Here's Why.

Finding a rare open seat on the morning commuter rail may be more difficult than ever and there's a reason why. According to CBS News, commuter line choo choo's (that's the professional term for "train")  have had significantly fewer passenger cars attached to their cabooses this past month and a half:


"For the last six weeks, there has been a shortage of commuter rail coaches.


In a contract the MBTA has with Keoloiscs Commuter Services, 362 coaches are to be used in March. Keoloiscs was, on average, 30 coaches short for the last few weeks, according to officials and statistics from the monthly commuter rail update."


Maintenance issues have been to blame for the shortage but full service is planned to return within the next few weeks...then again we are talking about the MBTA so this could take bit longer. In the meantime, be sure to wear comfortable shoes for standing (Red Sox crocs?) and practice your "Serenity Now" mantra to keep from going loco on the locomotive.

Beaches You Can Get to Via MBTA Subway Lines

On this Monday, I'm sitting in my Dorchester office fantasizing about lying on the beach and alternating between sleeping and reading. I love a great beach, but I also despise the inconvenience of getting to one. I don't like the long drives in heavy traffic, the expensive parking lots, and getting sand all over my car. Luckily, there is a solution to all of these problems. Every MBTA Subway line can bring you to an urban beach that offers all the perks a beach bum wants with none of the hassles. Here are a few of my favorites.

Revere Beach (Blue Line to... you guessed it... Revere Beach Station)

The Boston area is known for is pioneering spirit. Revere Beach is a perfect example. Just a few

Sand Sculptures at Revere Beach

miles from downtown Boston and right next to the Revere Beach Blue Line Stop, Revere Beach is the first public beach in the United States. Of course you are going to want to stop at beach institution Kelly's Roast Beef a place so renowned it's been name checked in both Good Will Hunting and 30 Rock. Another big attraction is the New England Sand Sculpting Festival, which has taken place at Revere Beach each July since 2004. During this festival an area of the beach is fenced off, and sculptor's create an art gallery for beach visitors. These are not your grand daddy's sand castles.

Carson Beach (Red Line to JFK/UMass Station)

Volleyball at Carson Beach

Carson Beach is just a short walk from JFK/UMass station. This spot is particularly easy to get to from downtown since it is just three T stops away from South Station. Parking is very limited making the T the optimal way to get there. Carson Beach is a true urban beach with the city skyline draped across the horizon. This beach is particularly lively during the afternoon and into the evening on weekdays during the summer. Carson Beach is a favorite spot for casu
al and serious beach volleyball players. Pro Tip: If you go on a hot day during the off season, stop by Star Market next to JFK Station for beach provisions since the Seaside Cafe at Carson is only open during the summer.

Wollaston Beach at Sunset. Photo Credit: Nancy Santry

Wollaston Beach (Red line to North Quincy or Wollaston Station)

Wollaston Beach is a bit of a walk from the Red Line, but if you have a beach craving it is worth the trip. Wollaston is about a mile from either North Quincy or Wollaston on the Red Line. The Clam Box and Tony's Clam Shack provide excellent New England Beach Grub mainstays. Taking the T to Wollaston will get you closer to these clam shacks.

The Charles River Esplanade (Green Line to Copley, Orange Line to Back Bay, or Red Line to Charles MGH)

"Beach" Bums on the Esplanade.
Photo credit: Keith Bedford, Boston Globe

Okay... so technically this isn't a beach. But if you go there on a hot weekend day in the summer, you might believe it is. A major benefit of the Charles River Esplanade is that it is easy to get to from the Red, Green, and Orange lines (sorry Blue) so its an easy meeting spot for groups of friends who are coming from different areas of the city. This is my personal favorite "beach" in the Boston area. Bostonians flock to the esplanade to enjoy lying in the sun by the Charles River.  You get many of the features of the beach at the esplanade: people in swimsuits catching rays, sailboats gliding across the water, and, most importantly, a tranquil escape from the city. Unlike the beach however, you don't leave with shoes full of sand and you're slightly less likely to get in a territorial dispute with a seagull. In addition to all of these benefits, you're just a few blocks away from the restaurants and bars in the Back Bay and on Charles Street.

Why kids can draw better cars for MBTA

For God’s sake! We are almost two decades into the 21^st century. The MBTA management team could’ve done, and can do a better job on both design and technology. How costly can it be to open a contest for young people to draw a modern car or locomotive and then have engineers fit the mechanics into it?

On this week's edition of Craigslist Missed Connections: A poetic person has perfect pitch but wasn't prepared!

But seriously, I love the descriptions in the title. The man really does have a poetic license!

Enjoy~~~

Did Rosie Ruiz take the T during Her Infamous Marathon "Victory"

In 1980, the Boston Marathon had what is undoubtedly its weirdest outcome in the history of the storied event. That year, Rosie Ruiz was the first women to cross the finish line with a recorded time of 2:31:56. The problem was, Ruiz didn't run the entire race. Harvard students John Faulkner and Sola Mahoney saw Ruiz emerge from the crowd of spectators on Commonwealth Avenue just half of a mile from the finish. An investigation ensued and later than week Ruiz was stripped of her victory and it was awarded to rightful winner Jacqueline Gareua of Canada.

Our question is: did Rosie Ruiz take the T during this infamous race?

Before we answer this, let's deal with the question you're all asking in your heads. How could Ruiz's hoax last for days? Wouldn't the officials immediately know she hadn't run the entire course? These are logical questions. What readers must remember is that the marathon was not the international spectacle in 1980 that is in 2017. Media outlets didn't cover every inch of the course like they do today. Spectators weren't armed with smart phones uploading videos to Facebook and Instagram. Other runners didn't remember seeing Ruiz during the race, but with the number of runners being much lower then than it is now and the packs of runners much smaller, the other racers just assumed she separated herself from the pack.

So if Ruiz wasn't on the course, was she perhaps, riding the T for at least part of the race? The Green Line provides many opportunities to reduce the 26.2 mile burden of the route. The D line in particular would allow a runner to skip most of Heartbreak Hell. Details about what Ruiz did leading up to emerging from the crowd close to the finish line are still a mystery. As recent as 2000, Ruiz still insisted she ran the entire race.

If Rosie's history is any evidence, there may be good reason to believe she took the T on race day. Just six months earlier, Ruiz took the subway during the New York City Marathon. New York City photographer Susan Morrow saw Ruiz and struck up a conversation with her. Ruiz told Morrow she was an injured runner who dropped out of the race but what she did in actuality was take the subway to close to the finish line and cross with a time that qualified her for Boston the next year. After Morrow saw Ruiz during coverage of her Boston "win," Morrow contacted the media and Ruiz was eventually disqualified from her appearance in the New York City Marathon. Note: even if Faulkner and Mahoney had not seen her, the disqualification from New York might still have rendered Ruiz's Boston win moot since her New York time is what qualified her to enter Boston.

Credit: http://rosieruizfanclub.blogspot.com/

What Ruiz did prior to running that final half of a mile to a dubious victory may always be a mystery. Did she ever set foot in Hopkinton, Ashland, or Natick on race day? Did she hop on the Green Line at some point and ride unbeknownst to everyone else. A T shirt produced by the Rosie Ruiz Fan Club suggests that perhaps she did. Unless the notoriously shady Ruiz ever comes clean, we might never know. But in support of weirdness on the T, I like to imagine an untrained Ruiz gussied up in her best running gear but devoid of all signs of effort (she wasn't sweaty at the finish line) sitting on the Green Line stealthily hiding behind a copy of the Globe's Sports section (the Sox led the AL East by 0.5 games that Marathon Monday) sketchily making her way towards the finish line.

How to Move Though Boston on Marathon Day

If you are going to watch the marathon from the streets of Boston, there are things that, known in advance, will help you get around the city on its busiest weekend.  As weird as we are, we took the time to find what you need to know to navigate through Boston with much ease. We believe that it is good to know when and where the roads will be closed, where you cannot stop, where to park, and what the MBTA is doing to

So I know this may be a bit controversial, but I happen to spend a lot of time in NYC and wanna share some tips on how to get from Boston to the Big Apple (via the MBTA! ...sorta). Unless you like to throw the big $$$ towards a train ticket, the best way to get to NYC is via buses. 


The three best places to catch a bus are at South Station, Back Bay and Alewife. For this segment I am going to focus on South Station and Alewife because the first one is huge and centralized while the second one is close to Cambridge and the suburbs. You can take the Red Line to either of the stations and then simply walk to the bus terminals (of course you will need to buy your tickets, too!) 

I am a fan of South Station because everything is indoors and there is a food court, so, yeah, pretty sweet deal. The best times to catch a bus on short notice are on weekdays and weeknights. Of course there may be space last minute but don't push your luck--try to get a ticket at least 3 days in advance because the prices go up closer to the departure time. 

There are other cities you can go to but you'll have to do your own research--Alewife is strictly NYC but South Station can take you to Portland, Maine and other places.

Marathon Monday Unlimited MBTA Travel Tickets

In honor of Marathon Monday, the MBTA is offering Unlimited Travel tickets for the Framingham/ Worcester commuter line. These tickets include unlimited bus and subway travel for Monday, April 17th. The MBTA will run regular service with additional trains on the Framingham/ Worcester line to meet demand.

Below is a map of Marathon Course Viewing Areas accessible by commuter rail and Green Line.

According to MBTA.com:

"The Boston Marathon will be run on Monday, April 17, 2017, and before and after the race transit service will run on rush-hour schedules.

Pre-marathon activities are also scheduled on Saturday, April 15, and Sunday, April 16 so the MBTA will be adjusting various bus routes in and around Copley Square to circumvent street closings. In addition, on Marathon Day, various bus routes will be detoured and Copley Square Station will be closed.

Due to an increase in customers using the MBTA on Marathon Day, bikes are not allowed on any MBTA vehicles on Monday, April 17. Please note, backpacks, coolers, cans, bottles and large items are not permitted at the marathon. We appreciate your cooperation and wish all runners a good day."

For more information about Marathon Monday MBTA service, go to http://www.mbta.com/events/

Celebrating the Sunday Late Night T Riders

You could wait 26 minutes for this trolley

Today we celebrate the most patient and un-celebrated of T patrons: the late night Sunday rider. These riders endure long waits on subway platforms and at bus stops hoping for the sweetest of announcements, "the next [insert line name] train to [insert direction] is now approaching." Late night on Sunday, which starts at 8PM, is the period during which most of the MBTA system runs with the least trip frequency on its entire weekly schedule. If you're a late night Sunday T rider, we offer you a Weird MBTA salute.

Late night riders deal with delays in addition to scheduled waits.
Note: delay was at 9:16PM Eastern time.

Truth be told, some riders suffer less than others. Theoretically, late night Green Line C train riders should have to wait a maximum of twelve minutes for a train. This is just 2 minutes longer than they would have to wait for a late night train on a weekday or Saturday.

Among subway riders, it is the Red Line trolley riders going between Ashmont and Mattapan who really draw the short straw. On a Sunday night, trolley riders can expect to wait as much as 26 minutes between trains. With Google maps indicating the walk from Ashmont to Mattapan station is 47 minutes, this has to be a tempting option for those who do not make a hobby of sitting at transit stations for 25 minutes.

A beer while you wait for your train.

Commuter Rail riders may not have much sympathy for subway riders. Many lines have two hour gaps between trains. On the bright side, if you do miss your preferred train out of North or South Station, there is always Tavern in the Square for a beer while you
wait.

Should MBTA Compensate Commuters?

So, let’s see if we can get this straight!

The MBTA is blaming Keolis Commuter Services, the commuter rail operator, for delays and cancelation happening since Wednesday. To support their case, the MBTA is presenting their evidence which is the amount of $204,000 they fined the Keolis company since July. However, Keolis is pleading not guilty because they claim the MBTA’s new locomotives are defective.  

My friend T-Rider said “who cares? The MBTA may blame whoever they want. The buck

Green Line Extension and Donuts

As a local resident, I am hearing more and more about the Green Line Extension. I also hear it directly! (it's less than a mile from my neighborhood!). 

I know the Green Line is the bane of many people's commutes but I gotta say I am excited about how this supposed extension will affect future riders. Am I painfully optimistic or simply naive? or maybe both? Anyway, at least the Union Square stop will get me closer to the heavenly Union Square Donuts (seriously, do yourselves a favor and try the maple bacon!!! They also have vegan options, too!)

Missed Connection: Porter Square Bookworms

On this week's edition of Craigslist Missed Connections, a man pines for what could have been if only he had come up with the right pick up line:

amazing book lady on red line - m4w (porter square) 

You asked me about "The Sympathizer," and, between being exhausted and caught in my wine gums habit, I totally fumbled this one.

Would you like to get coffee and discuss it when you finish reading it?

Are you or do you know this bookish young lady? Send your tips to weirdmbta@gmail.com so that we can connect these two library lovers!

Hack This Commute

Jon at work (top center). Happy or delirious from a long commute?

Today we ask our readers to help T rider extraordinaire Jon Keleher. Jon's daily round trip commute clocks in at a whopping 3 hours (Concord to Dorchester and back). Lately, he's been taking Fitchburg Commuter Rail from Concord to Porter Square and transferring to the red line to get to JFK/UMass. No one deserves to spend so much time on the T without getting paid. Got any ideas to save our friend Jonny some time and hack this commute?

Jon visiting WROR's Loren and Wally show

Want to know more about whose commute you're hacking? Jon is a bit of a local celebrity having been featured in a story on NPR. As the story tells us, Jon has a very rare neurological condition which makes activities like driving difficult making robust public transit that much more important. He's also been known to rub elbows with drive time DJ's Loren and Wally from WROR. Our staff "sat down" with Jon to learn more about his commute.

What is something very weird you've seen during your commute?

JK: Weird is a subjective word and hard for me to determine. It can mean different things to different folks. I don’t really like to use that word because of how subjective it is. I like to use words like surprising, unexpected, unusual, and interesting. I think life is just one big adventure and I look forward to what I might see or hear from day to day.

You have a very long commute. What do you do to kill time?

JK: I listen to music: rock 'n and roll and Motown classics. I have a Motown playlist on iPhone I use to cover up the high pitch squeal of the subway.

The Red Line at 8am on Monday.

What would you do if you could change something about the T so you would enjoy your commute more?

JK: Widen the seats and make it roomier. People are getting wider and wider. I don’t think any one of us can deny that. I feel like sardines in there sometimes.

Got any ideas to hack Jon's commute? Add them to the comments and you might even win a prize.

Your Opinion About MBTA Matters.

Two questions only! 

...and your help will be much appreciated!

New cars being build in Springfield MA

Expected to be running by 2018 / 2019

The MBTA Orange Line car mock up has been placed on City Hall plaza, and will be open to public on April 3rd, 4th and 5th.

Tell us what do you think of it.

Do you like the new design?

Yes

No

I don't know

SurveyMaker

Second and last question:

Ms. Pac Man Takes Over Google Maps

In honor of April Fool's Day, Google has added a Ms. Pac Man feature to Google Maps. Users that open the Google Maps app or search for directions via a browser can click on a pink Ms. Pac Man button to start playing. Players swipe to control Ms. Pac Man' movements (so yes, you will eventually swipe right on Ms. Pac Man, you sick son of a bitch).



So if you're lost in Boston, just give up, find a bar, and start playing Ms. Pac Man!