CharlieBlog at TransitHistory.org

Rest in Peace, THE Forums at BoardZero.

Mike — 2008-07-01T16:14:00Z

Well, perhaps you knew that THE Forums at TransitHistory have been down for about a week now. We were hoping they would be back up for their second anniversary, but instead of this, we received news that they are GONE. Completely.

"Unfortunately we had a crash last week which corrupted our backups of all our forums," according to BoardZero. "I'm extremely sorry to say that we are not able to restore your previous posts. We've since fixed the issue that caused it (moving from phpbb2 -> 3.0) and added additional backups to our system so your data from now on is extremely safe."

"We lost a lot of great community data, but most have started back up again and are rapidly getting back to speed. Although you have to re-register your forums, a lot of speed, security, and features have been added. I personally enjoyed your forums, feel free to let me know if you have any questions or need any help getting set up."

I'm not so sure. We had so many outages over the last year that we're very uncertain if we'll remain with BoardZero.

Stay tuned to TransitHistory.org and here in the Blog for the latest on our saga...

We WILL rebuild. And hopefully quickly.

TransitFan Episode 13: Happy Birthday THE Forums

Mike — 2008-06-26T20:05:00Z

Please tune in tonight at 7:30 (www.transithistory.org/tfan) for a new, LIVE episode of The TransitFan Podcast over at TransitHistory.

Tonight we're discussing the latest transit news, including three fatalities in the last week, Fung Wah, and more Legal Sea Foods developments.

PLUS... We're celebrating the SECOND ANNIVERSARY of THE Forums (which are currently down, thanks to BoardZero - how apropos)! Call in and share your grins and gripes about our lovely Forums.

Episode 13 airs Live TONIGHT at 7:30PM on BlogTalkRadio and at www.transithistory.org/tfan
Subscribe and download past episodes through iTunes and at podcast.transithistory.org

Fung Wah crash kills 1, injures 4 in NYC

Mike — 2008-06-23T15:12:00Z

A pedestrian was killed early this morning when a Fung Wqh bus hit a dump truck in New York City. The bus then crashed into the United Commercial Bank building on Bowery Street in Chinatown.

A 57 year old woman was struck in the collision and died. Two passengers and the bus driver were also injured in the collision.

There aren't any more details yet, but this surely isn't good news for Fung Wah -- just another accident to add to their repertoire. I'll reserve judgment until more details are released...

Update: WNBC reports that the dump truck hit the bus after coming off the Manhattan Bridge, so perhaps the Fung Wah was an innocent participant in this -- looks like it got hit and forced onto the sidewalk and into the building by the dump truck.

Update 2: New York Times reports that the bus was parked, with cargo doors open, as passengers were waiting to board. The dump truck lost control coming off the Manhattan Bridge and struck the bus, sending it around and into the building, also striking a parked NYPD Counterterrorism Unit, injuring two police officers. Sounds like this is completely unrelated to Fung Wah, simply wrong place wrong time for them.

All Hell breaks loose on the T -- Thanks, Celtics

Mike — 2008-06-19T12:55:00Z

Today's Celtics parade is wreaking havoc on poor, unsuspecting commuters all around the MBTA this morning. Here are some examples:

Parking levels:
           Braintree (FULL)
           Riverside (75%)
           Woodland (80%)
           Alewife (FULL)
           Quincy Adams (FULL)

Commuter Rail:
           ALL Lines - Expect delays due to heavy ridership
           Lowell train #312 running nonstop to Boston due to crowding
           Woburn train #352 running 20 late
           Haverhill train #212 running nonstop from Reading b/c overcrowding
           New/Rock #110 experiencing 30+ minute delays
           New/Rock #198 is CANCELLED at Salem
           Providence #906 experiencing 30+ minute delays

Bus:
           Bus routes 9, 10, 39, 43, 55, 352, 354, 355 are all diverted to various degrees

Silver Line:
           Terminating at New England Medical Center Sta.

Perhaps the best news of the day is for Forge Park commuters, as scheduled track work has been canceled, giving them a ride on a train rather than a bus -- although it will still be just as crowded.

The way home will be bad too, as "queuing systems" will be in place and North and South Stations, as in past parades, limiting access to the stations and organizing people into line-specific boarding areas. South Station will have access restricted to the Summer Street entrance, except (i suspect) the Post Office side entrance, which will likely be forgotten, so if you want to sneak in, try that first, though don't blame me if they've got that blocked too.

Good luck to everyone today. I'll be in town later and I'll have a live report on the TransitFan Podcast tonight at 7:30, transithistory.org/tfan

Support TransitHistory financially! Please visit our sponsor.

LIVEBLOG: Celtics win; Long night begins on MBTA

Mike — 2008-06-18T04:06:00Z

12:45AM: Crowds are gathered in the North Station and Haymarket areas, rowdy in spots. Especially under the Haymarket garage and at Valenti Way. MBTA Police are no doubt keeping an eye on the stations, and hopefuly no major vandalism will occur aside from the bus stop sign noted earlier (PLEASE don't destroy our nice new North Station lobby!! heh). That's all for me tonight, I'll have a wrap up later tomorrow. Good night, and good luck to all who remain on the MBTA tonight!

12:27AM: Bus Route 8 is being diverted on Brookline Ave. from Park Dr. to Beacon St.

12:11AM: WBZ News reports a bus stop sign has been toppled. Crowds are getting rowdy.

11:50PM: The Celtics have won the championship at the Garden, and crowds are beginning to gather and grow outside.

Needless to say, if you have the misfortune of riding the MBTA at this late hour, God speed.

North Station will be a madhouse -- both subway and Commuter Rail -- with the station likely being shut down or having access limited. Updates will be provided here for a while.

North Side Commuter Rail trains were scheduled to leave 15 minutes after the end of the game, but there will likely be a longer hold tonight due to crowds.

T... The Brainer Route.

Mike — 2008-06-18T02:50:00Z

Methinks someone had writers block in the marketing department.

The idea of comparing the MBTA to gas prices is great, as is the "No brainer" line I suppose. But the way it is broken up in this MBTA.com self-advertisement is a bit peculiar.

"No" in reference to the gas prices is fine. But "Brainer" in reference to the T? C'mon. Its not even a real word, and "T" and "brain" don't always go hand in hand.

And why couldn't they have used a photo of an actual T sign instead of simply the computerized logo? It would have gone better with the gas station sign.

But aside from that, cool ad!

Mattapan trolley hit by tree branch, 3 injured

Mike — 2008-06-17T12:14:00Z

WHDH Image

Around 1:15AM this morning, a Mattapan High Speed Line PCC trolley was struck by a tree branch during a thunderstorm.

The branch went right through the fron window of the car, injuring the operator and two passengers. The passengers were treated at Carney Hospital, while the operator denied medical treatment.

There was no track damage, and no serious visible damage to the trolley, though it will likely require a new windshield.

Assuming the car will be placed out of service until repairs are made, this temporarily reduces the PCC fleet at Mattapan from 9 active cars to 8, as a tenth car is already out of service awaiting A/C installation.

Here's hoping the car recovers quickly!

FireWatch: Red Line earns its color

Mike — 2008-06-16T04:30:00Z

Just when we thought we didn't need to make a "FireWatch" graphic, another fire erupted on the Red Line, this time near South Station.

The small fire broke out early Saturday afternoon, in an electrical box, on a day when the Red Line was already being bused between Park/Charles and Kendall due to Longfellow Bridge track work. While crews needed access to the tracks, service was bused - first from Broadway, then from JFK/UMass all the way to Kendall. AND it was a busy weekend in the city with several events going on Saturday afternoon.

Those seeking shuttle bus service at Downtown or Park were urged to walk to other points, as the GLBT Pride Parade had several streets near Park Street blocked off at the start of the fire.

Things were back up and running by the evening, but the inconvenience damage was already done.

Not a good day for the MBTA.

This CEO looks like a jackass

Mike — 2008-06-12T16:31:00Z

Boston Globe Photo

Legal Sea Foods CEO Roger Berkowitz (pictured) offered a sarcastic apology today to the Boston Carmen's Union in response to their anger over an ad placed on trolleys that said, "This conductor's face looks like a halibut."

And I quote from a new radio ad:

"We should have never, ever said, 'This conductor has a face like a halibut,' when the truth is, most conductors don't look anything at all like halibuts. Some look more like groupers or flounders. I've even seen a few who closely resemble catfish. And there's one conductor on the Green Line that looks remarkably like a hammerhead shark. So we feel very badly about this mischaracterization, and we won't let it happen again."

Now, this is all humor and I can understand that. I don't think that the original ad was that huge of a deal, and a simple apology and retraction of the ad would have been fine. But Berkowitz responded with this back-handed, joking remark in a new radio advertisement. What an ass.

The Carmen's Union responded again, saying Berkowitz is an "elitist" and urging a boycott by all unions of Legal Sea Foods. While this, too, is rather extreme, their anger is now fully justified.

If it was one of these ads on the side of the trolley in which a Green Line operator was killed last month, I don't think he'd be as sarcastic.

TransitFan Podcast Returns TONIGHT!

Mike — 2008-06-12T14:12:00Z

Brace yourselves -- the TransitFan Podcast returns TONIGHT at 7:30PM!

Charleston and I will be discussing the latest Boston Transit News, BoltBus vs. MegaBus, the Longfellow Bridge, the Peter Witt car display, the Green Line collision, upcoming events at TransitHistory, and much more! Plus, you can call in live during the show and join the discussion!

Join us before the show for a live AIM chat (screnname: TheTransitFan).

7:00PM AIM Chat AIM Screenname: TheTransitFan

7:30PM TransitFan LIVE www.transithistory.org/tfan

TransitFan Podcast Archived at podcast.transithistory.org

and Subscribe & Download through iTunes!

Cell phone use ruled out in trolley crash

Mike — 2008-06-11T03:09:00Z

The District Attorney's office today announced that no criminal charges would be filed against the late operator of the Green Line trolley that slammed into another near Woodland Station last month, saying there is inconclusive evidence of any criminal wrongdoing.

This includes use of a cell phone -- records obtained by police deny that she was using her phone for any purpose before the crash.

The NTSB has also ruled out brake, track, or signal problems -- so what happened?

We may never know.

FireWatch: Red Line @ Porter

Mike — 2008-06-09T15:38:00Z

I think its time to begin a new series here at the CB called "FireWatch", which, in addition to being another made up word consisting of two otherwise separate words, will follow track fires, smoke, and other "fire department activity" around the system.

Today's installment features activity at Porter Station this morning, which forced bustitution of Red Line service between Alewife and Harvard, so it must have been an actual fire. This follows a major fire-related mess at Downtown at the end of May, forcing many rush hour commuters on to buses and other modes of transit, without much assistance from the Authority (allegedly).

This has been mentioned over in the "unmentionable" forums, but I will second it here -- somebody needs to clean up the tracks. Every time stuff catches fire, major delays are encountered by passengers, employees are stretched, and anger escalates. Though I'm sure the cost of giving the entire subway system a good TLC cleaning would be astronomical at this point and lead to a fare increase, so maybe we'd best put up with the occasional delay!

BoltBlog LIVE: Part Deux

Mike — 2008-06-06T23:34:00Z

Welcome to the BoltBlog 2 -- a liveblogging event at TransitHistory!

I am riding on board today's 6:30PM departure from New York to Boston, and will be online the whole way tracking my journey. Watch here for live updates.

Blog Schedule (Approximate):
6:30PM-10:30PM -- New York to Boston

Scroll down for LIVE BLOG entries!

6:35PM: Given all the traffic in the city, I'm quite pleased to be sitting on the bus ready to go. Now the real test will be getting out of here -- I'd like to make the 10:40PM train at North Station tonight, but I am planning for the 12:10. We'll see. Today was a productive day in NYC, I was able to ride the NYC Subway, PATH, and Hudson-Bergen Light Rail lines, as well as visit Hoboken Terminal in New Jersey, among other things. Now I'm heading back to my beloved (and less hectic) Boston. Buckle up!

7:00PM: We started at 34th & 8th, and we're now at 37th & 11th in front of the Javitz Center. As bad as Boston traffic gets, be grateful you don't have to deal with this on a daily basis. Congestion pricing, anyone? (The 10:40 train is now out of the picture for me!)

7:28PM: We're free! We broke loose of the traffic upon entering the Lincoln Tunnel and are now heading north, though if we retrace our steps here and cross the George Washington, we'll be right back in some momentarily. Ahh, the joys of bus travel. But until you people start donating to TransitHistory, no Acela Express for me (just kidding, of course).

Post-Trip: Okay, I sorta got involved in a movie (on my laptop) and forgot to update y'all again. We made fairly decent time, getting to Boston just after 11, about 30mins late. I made it to North Station with plenty of time to spare and made the last train home, which was much less enjoyable than BoltBus was. All in all BoltBus is the winner of my scientific comparison test, though I will forgive SOME of MegaBus' issues with it being the first day of service. My choice in the future will be BoltBus, unless I snag a fantastic deal from Mega.

Tune in THURSDAY, JUNE 12 at 7:30PM at transithistory.org/tfan for my final analysis on the TransitFan Podcast's LIVE return episode!

Longfellow could soon grace the bottom of the Charles

Mike — 2008-06-06T23:16:00Z

Boston Globe Photo

Here's some more comforting news for Red Line riders. Turns out one of the sidewalks on the Longfellow Bridge is so unstable that it has been indefinitely closed to pedestrians, for fear it may break off the side of the bridge, and you'd become a swimmer.

Don't worry, the other sidewalk will remain open.

But officials also announced that the entire span will be closed to pedestrians for the July 4th festivities because it is safe only for regular foot traffic, not large crowds.

Many Red Line riders have also noticed a speed restriction imposed on portions of the span recently, limiting how fast rapid transit trains can travel over the deteriorating bridge due to track and structural concerns. And trucks have been banned from the bridge of late as well, for the same reasons.

This really doesn't look good for the ol' Longfellow. I'd get your pictures in now before it gets replaced, refurbished, or covered in algae at the bottom of the Charles. I'd say it's an even bet right now on any of the three options.

BOLTBLOG Live!

Mike — 2008-06-06T11:33:00Z

Welcome to the BoltBlog -- a liveblogging event at TransitHistory!

I am riding on board today's 7:30AM departure from Boston to New York, and will be online the whole way tracking my journey. Watch here for live updates, and join our AIM chat for bus and transit discussion!

I will be doing the same on my return trip, starting at 6:30PM tonight.

Blog & Chat Schedule (Approximate):
7:30AM-11:30AM -- Boston to New York
6:30PM-10:30PM -- New York to Boston

LIVE AIM CHAT NOW! – Send I.M. to: TransitHistory

Live Blog Entries:

7:27AM: I'm on board, plugged in, wifi connected and ready to go! The bus is very nice, still like-new. This trip is sold out I believe, and I got "the" $1 seat for booking first! I'll be online however long I can, and I'll be on AIM (screen name: TransitHistory) so send me a message and join the chat!

7:39AM: We're underway. Heading west down the MassPike on our way to NYC! There was a MegaBus departure at the same time, though I think we left before they were even at the gate! Several passengers asked our driver where MegaBus was boarding, as well.

8:19AM: We've just passed the Auburn Mall on the Pike, and the rain has picked up. Nothing major to report so far. The reported "pre0trip" safety video was not played, so I was a little disappointed, but otherwise all is well. Our driver was very friendly and madea nice welcome announcement. Internet is a little patchy and inconsistent, but I'll try to keep updating as we head into CT and toward NYC.

8:45AM: We're slowly going through a weigh station in Connecticut. Last week, MegaBus didn't have to stop at it, but this week we apparently do have to stop and go through the song and dance. No big deal, just a minor nuisance for all involved.

9:03AM: My AIM will not log in consistently, so please excuse my lack of chat. I guess I'll try it on the way home.

11:09AM: We're using a different route than MegaBus did. We are on 87 headed south, while MegaBus went 95 the whole way. They also stopped for a food break, while BoltBus will not. Personally, I prefer not to stop as it means more time in NYC. If I don't update again, I will be back on later from 6:30-10:30 for my return trip. Overall this has been a nice ride, much preferable to MegaBus! Thanks for reading.

BOLTBLOG Begins 7:30AM & 6:30PM Tomorrow!

Mike — 2008-06-05T19:37:00Z

Starting at 7:30AM tomorrow, tune in here at the CharlieBlog for a live blog and live chat during a trip on BoltBus from Boston to New York! I'll be updating as we go, and I'll be chatting live on AIM (screenname: TransitHistory) during the trip!

There will be a second round at 6:30PM on my return trip.

(The wifi should work fine given their month of experience!)

Come back in and join me for the ride!

Blog & Chat Schedule:
Approx. 7:30AM to 11:30AM
& Approx. 6:30PM to 10:30PM

For once, South-side commuters get screwed over

Mike — 2008-06-05T13:39:00Z

The above photo is from MBTA PR about their 5.5% increase in ridership through April (I bow down to their tremendous hard-earned success, as this has absolutely nothing to do with external factors -- gas -- forcing people to ride the system).

But what I notice most is the activation of South Station's new digital train/track/time board, which replaces two old Solari flip-sign boards (Rest in Peace, my fair friends). What's wrong with this?

They have replaced two separate boards - one for Amtrak, one for Commuter Rail, one on the left and one on the right - with one slightly larger board that jumbles them all together in a mess of orange lights. 'Cause thats more convenient for running commuters to decipher.

On top of all this, North Station, who never had the Solari boards like South Station did, received TWO boards.

So, counting the two boards, Dunkin Donuts, bench seating, ATMs and open-air bar, North Station finally perhaps has the upper hand on South Station, after years of being cramped in the hellish lobby of the FleetCenter, fighting over four benches.

Take that, South side commuters. We've earned it.

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Hell Over the Charles

Mike — 2008-06-05T12:38:00Z

Red Line riders will get another thrilling opportunity to try out the MBTA's fleet of state-of-the-art buses this month -- two chances, in fact -- when the authority replaces regular old train service with bus service on June 14-15 and June 21-22.

"This is an amazing opportunity for regular subway riders to experience the thrills of a modern bus system," said MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo at a news conference.

"Our hope is to enlighten subway riders to the flexibility and convenience of bus service. If even 10% of regular Red Line riders opt for bus service because of these free trials, it is a success both for Bus Operations and the Red Line, as it will lessen the intense loads experienced on the cramped rapid transit cars on any given rush hour," Pesaturo said.

A regular Red Line passenger expressed his enthusiasm, saying the free trial will be "Wonderful," and "Just great," and was excited that he will get to spend "20 minutes standing on a bus over the Charles River."

Don't live on the Red Line? Rest assured.

"We will be expanding this program across all lines, even the Commuter Rail, over the next several months, so all commuters can experience riding a bus," Pesaturo said.

Commuters can expect a minor increase of 10-15 minutes in their commute time during these trial periods due to increased enthusiasm for bus operations.

MEGABLOG: Live-Blog of the Inaugural MegaBus Trip

Mike — 2008-05-30T02:03:00Z

Welcome to the MegaBlog -- a liveblogging event at TransitHistory!

This event took place on Friday, May 30th -- I rode the inaugural MegaBus trip from Boston to New York. Laptop in hand, I intended to utilize the bus' promised wifi service to give live updates on the way. Unfortunately, it was not yet working on our bus, and neither I nor the Boston Globe reporter next to me could get online to blog the trip. I was able to post a few updates in THE Forums from my phone, which are shared below.

All in all, it was a somewhat miserable trip, as it took 5 hours due to both the driver getting lost in the Bronx, going northbound at one point (his only directions were obviously unclear on a sheet of paper) and congestion from the crane collapse on the upper east side. Hopefully my BoltBus trip will be much more enjoyable, but for 50 cents (the processing fee), i can't really complain too much!

6:30AM: Bus departs South Station, Boston, 15 minutes later that previously stated departure time (boards at South Station say 6:30)

7:46AM: Of course, the wireless is not working! I will make a few updates here via my phone. The bus left at 6:30am from gate 12 at south station - 15mins later than the ticketed time, but as displayed in the station. There were three employees eagerly awaiting the bus, which had to circle while a DATTCO New Bedford arrival was unloading (the buses at that gate double today from 22 to 44!). The wifi is supposedly installed, but not working and nobody knows why. Oh well, boltbus will have it next week! The bus is clean and I believe new, and is nicely painted in the blue megabus ad scheme. More to come. From the Mass Pike, signing off for now!

8:16AM: weve been trailing the Fung Wah departure the whole way so far. We almost passed them, but their driver wouldnt have it and gave us a good race back to the lead! The Chinese carriers know how serious this competition is. As I was typing, we passed for the lead, making it Megabus, Fung Wah, then Lucky Star a distant third.

Post-Trip: Ugh. The bus trip was somewhat miserable, as it took 5 hours after the driver got lost in the Bronx (we were going NORTH at one point), had to ask police for directions, then we got stuck in crane collapse rerouting traffic. And the damn wifi didn't work. BUT, I did sit next to a Boston Globe reporter who was also intending to blog the trip, and also coulnd't because of the lack of wifi. I'll have more in a summary post in the CharlieBlog, and some on my weekend trip to New Orleans, but I wanted to close out my posts on here! The bus had about 25 people on it, one of whom was a standby person who had to wait til we all got on first.

Boston Globe Blog Post: (I am the "fellow passenger"!) MegaBus charged perhaps a bit prematurely into the ultra-cheap Northeast Corridor bus wars yesterday -- a day when "I don't know" was uttered too many times for comfort.

Some passengers arriving at Boston's South Station bus terminal didn't know where the company's sole boarding gate was located. (It's Gate 12, right next to Lucky Star and two gates away from Fung Wah, which was visibly worried about the 25 passengers lined up for the new competitor's inaugural ride.)

On board MegaBus's first departing coach, which pulled away from the curb at 6:30 am, our reporter and another passenger didn't know how to tap into MegaBus's ballyhooed benefit of free wireless Internet access. We double-checked with a bus employee at South Station that WiFi was being offered, and he said it was installed yesterday but he didn't know if it worked. Then we asked the driver which WiFi network to connect to, but he didn't know. We shut our laptops and resorted to sending emails with cell phones. (MegaBus chief operating officer Dale Moser later told us WiFi has been postponed until June 9 so parental blocks for inappropriate websites can be added.)

Our bus arrived at Penn Station an hour late, at 11:45 am, in part because that morning's construction crane accident in the Upper East Side clogged street traffic and diverted the bus from its Third Avenue route. Rider Robin Salazar of Pembroke, held an 11:53 am train ticket to Long Island and worried aloud that she didn't know if she could catch her connection.

Perhaps most concerning, the driver didn't know how to get to Penn Station. No map in hand, he looked at a one-page photocopy of handwritten driving directions with blue highlighter marks and quietly kept inching down crowded Fifth Avenue. New York native Paul Pikman leaned forward from his seat behind the driver and politely said, "Sir, you need to make a right, not a left. Seventh Avenue is on your right. So just make a right whenever you can."

Later, the driver flashed his newfound navigator a thumbs up.

Boston Globe Blog Article: MegaBus yesterday charged into the ultracheap bus wars with an offer hard to beat - a free ride to the Big Apple.

Like BoltBus, which rolled out service last month, MegaBus offers at least one seat per bus on its Boston-to-New York route for $1. Other seats cost up to $14 each way. Chinatown rival Lucky Star matched the fares.

But through Tuesday, MegaBus is offering all seats for free, with a small booking fee. Many people, including a Globe reporter, took advantage of the offer, joining the first trip out of Boston at 6:30 yesterday morning.

MegaBus's new motor coach was clean and comfortable, and there was ample legroom.

But the company's ballyhooed benefit of free Wi-Fi was not available yesterday, so passengers couldn't use laptops to access the Internet during the trip.

Chief operating officer Dale Moser said Wi-Fi has been postponed until June 9 so parental blocks for inappropriate websites can be added.

The bus arrived at Pennsylvania Station an hour late, at 11:45 a.m., in part because of a construction accident in New York City, but also because the driver needed directions. No map in hand, he looked at a one-page photocopy of handwritten directions.

New York native Paul Pikman, 21, leaned forward from his seat behind the driver and politely said, "Sir, you need to make a right, not a left. Seventh Avenue is on your right. So just make a right whenever you can."

Later, the driver flashed his newfound navigator a thumbs up.

Come back FRIDAY, June 6 at 7:30AM for a live blog and live CHAT event from a BoltBus trip on the same route! Will the wifi work? Will we get lost in the Bronx? Will we make it there by 3PM? Log on to find out!

Then and Now: Type 7 #3667 and #3703

Mike — 2008-05-30T01:25:00Z

In doing research, and in forum postings online, Type 7 #3667, the car which rear ended another train in yesterday's crash, was actually one of the most photographed cars of recent, because it was the first to receive a new dark green paint scheme. This car was also an ad-wrap car at one time, and could be seen in various advertising wraps within the last decade. Some comparison shots are seen below. The structural reaction of the trolley to the impact is quite astounding and truly unbelievable. One can see how it took them seven hours to extract the operator from the cab.

And below is #3703 - in better days, and after it was rear-ended yesterday. 3703 was delivered in 1997 as part of the small second order of Type 7s from Kinki-Sharyo to hold the MBTA over until the Type 8s arrived.

Old photos by Richard Panse from Railpictures.net and NYCSubway.org
Accident photos from Boston Herald