Talk:Blue Line (MBTA)

Rolling stock

Thanks for the nice addition of the new "Rolling stock" section!

Atlant 13:34, 23 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Power

The article states that "Blue Line cars are unique among rapid transit vehicles in Boston in that they use both third rail and overhead pantograph current pickup. The line switches between the two at the Logan Airport station where it transitions between running in a tunnel and running above ground." I believe that the power is switched at the Maverick Station, not at the Logan Airport Station. Can anyone verify this? It's been awhile since I was on the Blue Line, so I'd like the benefit of some additional comments before editing the document. Thanks. --abl 13:51, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

No, the power switch definitely used to occur at Airport Station, not Maverick. I think it still does, even with the reconstruction of Airport Station. -- Atlant 14:42, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

Definately still at Airport. I watched the pantographs going up and down there only two weeks ago. The continuous overhead lines stop just on the inbound side of the platforms, although there did appear to be remnants of earlier overhead lines heading inbound into the tunnel mouth, so possibly the transition was once at Maverick. -- Chris j wood 16:56, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

The power switch has occured at either location over the years. I remember it happening at Maverick years ago, before the Hawkers. I remember because lights and AC cut out for several seconds during the transfer. Airport I believe is the standard place now, but while the new Airport station was being constructed, it was done at Maverick. Doconeill 00:03, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

One thing that baffled me was the statement about using overhead wires due to icing during the winter. If this were the case, then the Red Line would also use overhead where it runs above ground. Not to mention, if the Blue Line's tunnels were indeed designed for streetcars, why doesn't the entire Blue Line use overhead wires all the way to Bowdoin and get rid of the third rail and associated extra equipment (pickup shoes etc)? 71.241.70.24 (talk) 09:21, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

There is insufficient vertical clearance in the East Boston Harbor Tunnel for an overhead power feed to the heavy rail cars. The Red Line failed miserably in February 2015 due to third rail icing; third-rail heaters were installed along part of the most vulnerable sections later in 2015, with more to be installed in 2016. Reify-tech (talk) 22:26, 26 February 2016 (UTC)

Strange sentence - what does it mean

The third para of the intro section says:

The northward extension project would either run on the ex-Boston and Maine Railroad Eastern Route Main Line or the ERML in combination with narrow gauge.

which seems a bit odd. There is no other reference in the article to narrow gauge, and 'in combination with narrow gauge' could mean any number of things. I don't think the Blue Line is currently narrow gauge, and there doesn't seem to be any logical reason to contemplate building the extension in a different gauge to the existing line, so maybe I'm misreading this. -- Chris j wood 16:56, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

The new Siemens cars definitely claim to be "Standard Gauge" so that's not the answer to the mystery: the author can't be talking about the Blue Line cars.

Atlant 00:01, 26 July 2006 (UTC)

I believe the author means that the extension could involve just the ERML or a combination of the ERML with the remainder of the old narrow-gauge right of way which is still owned by the state - the old BRB&L right of way. It was a 3ft narrow gauge line. I think the confusion is because unless you follow the BRB&L article, you won't know that it was narrow-gauge. I recommend replacing "with narrow gauge" with "with the remainder of the BRB&L right of way". Doconeill 00:02, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

It's been a while, and no objections, so I'll make the change. Doconeill 22:57, 13 April 2007 (UTC)

Cambridge Street Portal photo

I just uploaded a historic image of the Cambridge/Joy Street Portal from the 1915 Boston Transit Commission annual report.

I'm new to Wikipedia and don't want to break anything by adding this to the article. Feel free to do so: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:East_Boston_Tunnel_-_Cambridge_Street_Portal.jpg

TrainManTy (talk) 22:10, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

There ya go. Don't worry about breaking things - the preview button is your friend (I sometimes use it dozens of times for a major edit), and worst case you can just undo it. You can't actually break anything permanently unless you're an admin; there's funny stories out there about deleting the main page and deleting the sandbox. Pi.1415926535 (talk) 03:26, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Fantasy map

How do proposed extension stations get on the schematic map? Those stations don't exist, and a map in an encyclopedia should not include extensions desired by advocates. People coming to Massachusetts from Wisconsin don't need to be confused by a map with bad information on it. MarkinBoston (talk) 02:47, 6 December 2012 (UTC)

Both the Red-Blue connector and the Lynn extension are not merely railfan fantasy; they are official MassDOT projects. They are also explicitly marked as "Proposed" on the Route Diagram Template. Pi.1415926535 (talk) 02:51, 6 December 2012 (UTC)

A couple of weaknesses of this article

1. I know those who live in Boston know the MTBA has four subway lines, but doesn't the Green Line use streetcar technology? While much of its route is underground, or on an above ground separate right of way, isn't part of its route shared with regular vehicular traffic? Can't local Boston pride be accommodated by using a term for the four lines that includes both heavy rail rapid transit and light rail rapid transit?
2. When the tunnel under the harbor was built, wasn't it built for streetcars? Aren't the narrower tunnels and tighter turns tracing to this history the reason the route has to use different, shorter rolling stock than the other heavy rail lines? This is one of the most interesting things about this line, and should definitely merit coverage here. Geo Swan (talk) 19:10, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

   The Green Line is officially "LRV" or "light rail" technology. In local common usage, there isn't a distinction made between "metro" heavy rail and light rail; they are all called "subways". Wikipedia can't change this local usage, but probably should document it in the main MBTA article.

   The fact that the Blue Line harbor tunnel was originally built for streetcars should be mentioned in the article, since it does explain the smaller tunnel cross-section and tighter track curvature, as you say. Reify-tech (talk) 17:59, 26 June 2014 (UTC)

   All these concerns have been addressed in the article for some time now. Reify-tech (talk) 22:26, 26 February 2016 (UTC)

   Great! Thanks! Geo Swan (talk) 17:13, 22 June 2016 (UTC)

3. I don't see any mention of how many passengers per day the line carries. Similarly, what is the maximum number of passengers caried during a busy rush hour? Geo Swan (talk) 17:13, 22 June 2016 (UTC)

   The former is already in the infobox. The latter is not, to my knowledge, published anywhere. Pi.1415926535 (talk) 17:59, 22 June 2016 (UTC)

Dual power

Although the "Equipment" section of the article describes the dual sources of power, it doesn't describe the technical specs. Is the power 600 V DC for both third rail and pantograph? Reify-tech (talk) 17:59, 26 June 2014 (UTC)

Yes, the four subway lines and the trackless trolleys all use 600VDC power regardless of the physical transmission method. There is logic behind this; it allowed East Boston Tunnel trolleys and trains to operate over the Red Line to Eliot Shops from 1916 to 1952, among other uses. The Draft CIP has bits and pieces about power systems in it. Pi.1415926535 (talk) 23:30, 26 June 2014 (UTC)

Expansion of History section

I have started a long overdue expansion of the History section, with references. I also imported some material stranded at the Bowdoin (MBTA station) article, which really is more relevant to the entire Blue Line, and will look for other similar material. In addition, we need a map showing the physical route of the Blue Line relative to surrounding neighborhoods, to supplement the excellent schematic route diagram already in the article. Reify-tech (talk) 22:26, 26 February 2016 (UTC)

English

In section "History," the first sentence literally calls a tunnel a subway. A tunnel is a piece of infrastructure; a subway is a train. Change "subway" to "subway tunnel".

(I'd make the change myself, but I'm loath to modify articles outside my expertise.)

Jimlue (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 18:38, 9 April 2019 (UTC)

 Done Pi.1415926535 (talk) 03:07, 10 April 2019 (UTC)