Green Line riders already deal with the slowest speeds. Now service will be less frequent this summer, too.
An earlier posting about the service change identified the culprits for the cuts as a temporary decrease in available vehicles, and speed limit changes on the B and C branches. But after inquiries from the Globe, the MBTA clarified there will be no speed changes on any branches and that 'trip time adjustments' were made because train cars will be briefly removed from service as the agency installs Green Line Train Protection System equipment on the vehicle fleet this summer.
Schedules on the B and C branches were adjusted to better reflect the actual trip times following an analysis that found trips on those branches 'were encountering minor timing challenges related to street traffic, traffic signals, and other factors,' T spokesperson Lisa Battiston said.
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More than five years ago, transit service was slashed in response to the coronavirus pandemic
Sean Keim, 21, a recent graduate of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, lives right by the Hynes Convention Center and primarily travels on the Green Line. Keim, who dances professionally, said he has gotten stuck on a disabled train on the Green Line for up to a half-hour, unable to go anywhere, more times than he can count.
'I definitely don't think it's back to where it used to be, which is sad, because Boston is known for its public transit. So this decision to slash some of the trains, I definitely don't think is great for quality of life,' he said.
With its high number of surface-level stops, the Green Line is notoriously slower than the other subway lines across the system. Speed limits on the line vary by location, from 5 miles per hour around stations, crossings, and curved sections — and up to 40 miles per hour on open, straight stretches, according to the T.
Stops on
the Green Line are fairly close together, so lower speeds are simply baked in. (
And the extensive track repair work that wrapped up in December didn't do much to alter that, according to an analysis
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In February, the T board of directors approved a
Many of the trolleys on the Green Line are decades old and frequently break down,
Chris Friend, the treasurer of Transit Matters, called the impending service cuts 'really disappointing.'
The Green Line 'struggles to be competitive, and this just makes it worse,'
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Jasmine R., 23, who declined to give her last name because she works for a local government program and is not supposed to speak with the press, said trains running less often during the summer makes her worried for her mom, whose commute from Dorchester to East Boston is taxing and tires her out.
'It's going to be a lot for her,' she said. 'Realistically, it's kind of annoying because we've had all these promises. ... I need my train to come when it has to, so it's a little bit challenging, and I just hope for better.'
Meanwhile, service on the Orange Line will improve, partly thanks to better track conditions. And, for the first time in more than a decade, the line will have 17 trains in service, according to T spokesperson Joe Pesaturo.
State lawmakers are currently negotiating
Justin Holtzman, 43, a physician with a private practice who is also going to law school in the city, takes the Green Line at least three times a week usually late at night, when his classes end. While not thrilled about the service cuts, Holtzman said the system has overall been running more smoothly under Eng.
'We should have a long-term, sustainable plan with funding the T. Obviously, that has to be balanced with everything else that needs to be funded,' he said. 'I guess I'm glad I'm not the one making those decisions.'
Shannon Larson can be reached at
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