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Boston’s new $2.2 billion subway expansion is forced to slow trains to just THREE miles per hour while defects that could cause a derailment are fixed – meaning it’s faster for most commuters to WALK
The Green Line extension, which opened last year, is already plagued by track issues, which have dramatically reduced train speeds
Last month, the system added 18 speed limits and eliminated just one
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Boston’s new $2.2 billion subway expansion has been forced to slow trains to just three miles per hour, meaning it’s faster for most commuters to walk.
The Green Line extension, which opened last year by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, has already been plagued by track issues, meaning train speeds have been dramatically reduced.
Due to the defective tracks – caused by the metal being too close together in many places – trains run slower than the average person can walk.
This despite the fact that they were closed for repairs just months after opening.
Running trains at full speed on the narrow tracks risks derailing, so extra-slow service on the 11 on the Medford branch and 3 on the Union Square branch is now necessary.
The Green Line extension, which opened last year, is already plagued by track issues, which have dramatically reduced train speeds
MBTA General Manager Phil Eng took over the embattled agency in April
Several rail-related problems were found during various rounds of scanning the transport system.
Last month, the system added 18 speed limits and eliminated just one.
MBTA General Manager Phil Eng said in a statement when he took over the embattled transit agency in April: “We remain committed to addressing infrastructure issues we inherited, caused by years of disinvestment and past decisions that have brought us to this point in the time has led.
“We know we have a lot of work to do, not only to restore public confidence by lifting speed limits, but also to rebuild our workforce and reorganize our leadership team.”
Taylor Rossi, who rode the Medford branch, said she accepts slow speeds occasionally, but Tuesday was the worst she had ever seen.
Due to the defective tracks – caused by the metal being too close together in many places – trains run slower than the average person can walk
She told me Boston sphere: ‘I feel like I probably could have run faster.’
The MBTA dashboard showed that trains were traveling at a speed of three miles per hour during parts of the trip.
According to the newspaper, cyclists and pedestrians rode past the train on the tracks.
An MBTA spokesperson told NBC10 Boston: “Earlier this month, MBTA track inspectors conducted a regularly scheduled geometry scan of the Green Line Extension tracks, and discovered some areas where the width between rails was slightly outside the limits of regular track standards.
“The MBTA is working to determine the cause of these track gauge discrepancies.”
There are plans to eliminate the three speed limits at the Union Square branch by the time the branch reopens, spokesman Joe Pesaturo said.
He said: ‘We are doing everything we can to resume that work this week.’