STEVIEBOY1
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Good morning, I just wondered why the Underground and suburban/commuter network, in and around Boston Mass USA, is called the T?
Thanks Steve.
Thanks Steve.
I think it's because the logo for MBTA is just a T in a circleGood morning, I just wondered why the Underground and suburban/commuter network, in and around Boston Mass USA, is called the T?
Thanks Steve.
I think it's because the logo for MBTA is just a T in a circle
The Mattapan Trolley is the only tram line retaining PCC cars, although run on private track - the mainstream Green Line, also run with modern articulated tram vehicles, has quite extensive street running at points on its four outer branches, which feed into the central tunnel section.It also has a single remaining TRAM line (Ashmont Mattapan, I believe still with old style renovated PCC, its a feeder into the T)
3 of the 4 IIRC - I didn't think the D branch to Riverside doesn't have street running.The Mattapan Trolley is the only tram line retaining PCC cars, although run on private track - the mainstream Green Line, also run with modern articulated tram vehicles, has quite extensive street running at points on its four outer branches, which feed into the central tunnel section.
Just to clarify a few things. The system started out as the Boston Elevated Railway to operate the Tremont Street subway an underground system to relieve congestion in the city and only the third underground railway in the world after London and Budapest. The Boston Elevated then built and operated other lines. While it was a private company, many of the facilities were built with public funds but operated by the BERy. In 1947 with the drop in ridership postwar as people began to drive more, a public organization the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) was formed to buy out the BERy and take over operation. By the 1960s it was felt that more transit was needed in the metro area and the MTA was too limited in scope to deal with it, so a new state agency was formed in 1964 including a larger number of cities and towns in the Boston Metro area. This was the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority).No-its the other way around. Its nickname was T (like the real Cockney Londoner talks about the tube) and they took this when the system became in public hands to save it from bankruptcy (as is common in all US transitsystems in its large towns). Its officially MBTA (Mass. Bay Transit Authority). It also has a single remaining TRAM line (Ashmont Mattapan, I believe still with old style renovated PCC, its a feeder into the T) and HAD also trolleybuses (In the famous Cambridge UNI area) which were sneakily withdrawn recently-first as due to road or tunnelwroks, and then it suddenly became permanent with the promise to buy a few dozen more of new-style electric buses to compensate for the environmental damages.
What the real origin of the nickname is we need to wait for a knowledgeable forum user from Mass (or else) USA.
Comparable to the people from Chicago (known for their oversupply of polish sausages also, I believe) who call their metro (mostly a skytrain in the air) El (for Elevated).
The A branch was eliminated all the way back in the late 1960s, shortly after the Green Line branches received their current letter designations. It split from the B at Packard's Corner and ran in mixed traffic to Watertown Yard. It was replaced with the 57 bus, which follows the exact same route.The Boston green line branches are lettered B, C, D, E, which leads me to believe that there once was a A. I visited some parts of the system and saw what looked like abandoned tunnels. May be, but not sure anymore because it was a long time ago, near a station named Boylton. Is that it ? Where did it go, and is it part of the current extension ?
I believe you are referring to the tunnels that branch off at Boylston St. station and head South. In the original 1897 subway design they were for lines to the South and Southeast to access the subway. Two of the lines, to Egleston Sq. via Tremont St. and to City Point in South Boston via Broadway lasted into the 1950s. The Egleston Sq. line was cut back to Lenox St. and lasted until 1962. This was the last line using these tunnels (except for a very short lived shuttle service from Boylston to the tunnel mouth). After this line was converted to buses the tunnels were sealed up and a park was built over the former tunnel mouths. For that reason it is unlikely they would be used again.I visited some parts of the system and saw what looked like abandoned tunnels. May be, but not sure anymore because it was a long time ago, near a station named Boylton. Is that it ? Where did it go, and is it part of the current extension ?
67thave is correct. The Watertown "A" line was "temporarily" suspended and converted to bus in 1969 but the tracks were still retained and used to move cars to and from Watertown car house (depot) which was used to do repairs on the PCC cars. Allegedly the suspension was due to a shortage of cars. I don't know if things had turned out better with the Boeing LRV fiasco there might have been enough cars to restore service. As it was the order was truncated and many of the PCC's had to soldier on until around 1984 when the Kinki Sharyo Type 7 cars started to arrive. Generally the MBTA has not favored tram lines running in the streets with auto traffic and has tended to eliminate them where possible. The line was finally abandoned for good in 1996, overhead removed and the connection to the B line at Packard's Corner was severed.The A branch was eliminated all the way back in the late 1960s, shortly after the Green Line branches received their current letter designations. It split from the B at Packard's Corner and ran in mixed traffic to Watertown Yard. It was replaced with the 57 bus, which follows the exact same route.