As I mentioned in the previous post, I broke my elbow while hiking, recently, and so haven't been able to take the train as often as I used to. Nonetheless, I did run into a few hot cars.
On 8/29/2008, the Stoughton #917 train had a hot car: coach 507
On 9/3/2008, the Franklin #715 train had a double coach without working AC (the first I've ever seen in which the AC was disabled throughout): coach 716. It was horribly hot. I didn't have a thermometer, but I feel quite safe in saying that the temperature was approaching 100°. The coach had the usual effect, too; people jammed into the adjoining coaches, crowding them dangerously. Since the Franklin #715 coach has been getting more and more crowded lately (and they've been shorting us a coach fairly often, too) this was a real problem.
Showing posts with label AC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AC. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Something new: half AC
This was a new one on me: coach #704 on the Franklin #715 train tonight (Thursday, 7/17/2008) didn't have air conditioning on one half. It was the half closer to the engine (and to Franklin, for that matter).
What's particularly unusual about that is that coach #704 is one of the new double-decker coaches. It was the first time I've seen any AC problem on one of those.
What's particularly unusual about that is that coach #704 is one of the new double-decker coaches. It was the first time I've seen any AC problem on one of those.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Notes: AC and announcements
On Thursday, July 10, the air conditioning was broken on coach #611, on the #917 Stoughton train. It was a hot day. Fortunately I wasn't going to Stoughton...but I pity those who were.
Yesterday, on Monday July 14, the schedule was definitely messed up. An outbound train pulled up to Ruggles at 4:19; everyone got on. One passenger asked what train it was, and discovered that it wasn't the Franklin train after all; it was the Needham train, running very late. We all started shouting and warning people, and there was a mass exodus of Franklin passengers.
The conductors never announced the damn train. You'd think that since it was arriving at the exact time and on the same track as the Franklin train, they might have made an announcement...but I guess they have delicate lungs.
The Franklin train showed up about eight minutes later.
Yesterday, on Monday July 14, the schedule was definitely messed up. An outbound train pulled up to Ruggles at 4:19; everyone got on. One passenger asked what train it was, and discovered that it wasn't the Franklin train after all; it was the Needham train, running very late. We all started shouting and warning people, and there was a mass exodus of Franklin passengers.
The conductors never announced the damn train. You'd think that since it was arriving at the exact time and on the same track as the Franklin train, they might have made an announcement...but I guess they have delicate lungs.
The Franklin train showed up about eight minutes later.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
And again (715)
Just for the record, the Franklin #715 had five coaches again today, and people were once again forced to ride in the vestibule - as they have been every day for weeks.
And the last two coaches on the train still have no air conditioning - cars 628 and 1504. It wasn't quite as hot as it was yesterday, so the heat wasn't unbearable. But it certainly wasn't comfortable, either!
Word on the train was that the T is going to give the 715 one or more coaches soon. I'm not sure if it will be a single or a double-level. If it's a single, that will simply put us back to where we were a few weeks ago; the 715 used to usually have six single-level coaches. Ridership is still considerably up since then, though, so even the addition of a sixth coach will probably still leave well over 100 people standing in the train, every day.
I've been asked if I have any solutions. I've been thinking about it, and will continue. In the meantime, if anyone out there has any ideas - any at all, no matter how unorthodox - I'd love to hear them. I don't to simply sit around waiting for a serious accident, and right now that seems to be the one thing that might get the problem addressed in a hurry!
And the last two coaches on the train still have no air conditioning - cars 628 and 1504. It wasn't quite as hot as it was yesterday, so the heat wasn't unbearable. But it certainly wasn't comfortable, either!
Word on the train was that the T is going to give the 715 one or more coaches soon. I'm not sure if it will be a single or a double-level. If it's a single, that will simply put us back to where we were a few weeks ago; the 715 used to usually have six single-level coaches. Ridership is still considerably up since then, though, so even the addition of a sixth coach will probably still leave well over 100 people standing in the train, every day.
I've been asked if I have any solutions. I've been thinking about it, and will continue. In the meantime, if anyone out there has any ideas - any at all, no matter how unorthodox - I'd love to hear them. I don't to simply sit around waiting for a serious accident, and right now that seems to be the one thing that might get the problem addressed in a hurry!
Friday, September 7, 2007
AC, and system meltdown
It's a hot day, so it wasn't a surprise to see yet another hot car on the Franklin #715 train: coach 1517. There was the usual overcrowding in other coaches, with about 20 standees per coach. And once again, the temperature in the hot car was nearly unbearable, even with the doors open.
On an unrelated note, a friend just passed on the news (from The Boston Community on LiveJournal) that "the communications center at High Street has lost it's (sic) ability to communicate with all trains and buses (commuter rail excluded). All of the T Stations are already starting to get crowded with hundreds of people and there are delays system wide".
On an unrelated note, a friend just passed on the news (from The Boston Community on LiveJournal) that "the communications center at High Street has lost it's (sic) ability to communicate with all trains and buses (commuter rail excluded). All of the T Stations are already starting to get crowded with hundreds of people and there are delays system wide".
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Jammed Or Broiling
The 4:10 Franklin #715 was a coach short tonight - there were only five single-level coaches (and no bi-level ones, of course).
To top things off, two of the five coaches had no AC: 1521 and 244. 1521 is one of the 2 seat/2 seat coaches that theoretically seats 94 people, while 1521 is one of the 3/2 models that's listed as seating 122. So that's 216 seats (plus standing space, which would certainly have been used) which were close to if not at 100 degrees or more. The outdoor temperature in the area was 90 degrees today.
The remaining three coaches were, as the picture shows, packed to the gills. Travel down the aisles was utterly impossible until the last three stops or so; I got out at different stops to move along the train and check the various coaches. Incidentally, I also checked the coaches with working AC to see if any of them were on the "hot car" list. None of them were. I have yet to see a coach from that list since it was first recorded.
So I've now seen nine hot cars since the MBCR claimed that there was only one, exactly one month ago. In fairness, though, I've been told that some of those have been fixed. I'd like to see one of those repaired coaches!
One of the passengers on coach 244 was a young woman; she was pregnant, and had to be at least eight months along (maybe nine). She didn't look comfortable at all. I don't suppose that was entirely because of the incredible heat, but I'm sure it didn't help!
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
No AC: The Miraculous Multiplication
Medieval theologians used to speak of a "miraculous multiplication". I experienced an ongoing one tonight on the Franklin #715 train.
Despite the MBCR's claim that only one of their 333 coaches lacked air conditioning, there was a yet another hot car on the Franklin line tonight. Last week coaches 641 and 629 had no AC (on the same train, which is pretty miraculous). Tonight the 604 was hot. And I mean hot!
Incidentally, I can't say that there were no hot coaches on the last two days. This was the first night I took the train home, this week.
And yet so far the press seems to have accepted the "one hot coach" story from the MBCR.
It leaves me feeling kind of powerless; doesn't anybody care that the MBCR is using our tax dollars to, well, not fix coaches and then lie about it? Isn't anyone holding them to any sort of accountability?
I guess not.
So, coaches without AC, a running tally:
641
629
604
If you should see any coach without AC, or a coach on this list with working AC, please comment about it here.
Despite the MBCR's claim that only one of their 333 coaches lacked air conditioning, there was a yet another hot car on the Franklin line tonight. Last week coaches 641 and 629 had no AC (on the same train, which is pretty miraculous). Tonight the 604 was hot. And I mean hot!
Incidentally, I can't say that there were no hot coaches on the last two days. This was the first night I took the train home, this week.
And yet so far the press seems to have accepted the "one hot coach" story from the MBCR.
It leaves me feeling kind of powerless; doesn't anybody care that the MBCR is using our tax dollars to, well, not fix coaches and then lie about it? Isn't anyone holding them to any sort of accountability?
I guess not.
So, coaches without AC, a running tally:
641
629
604
If you should see any coach without AC, or a coach on this list with working AC, please comment about it here.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
No AC - One in 333?
According to the BostonNOW! article in the last post, the MBCR claims that only one out of their 333 commuter rail coaches lacks working air conditioning.
Tonight on the way home I learned otherwise.
The train was my usual, the #715 Franklin departing South Station at 4:10 PM. It had six single-level coaches, the usual inadequate complement. And of those six, two of them - coaches #641 and #629 - had no air conditioning. The temperature outside was in the low 90s, and in the middle of the coaches it had to be close to 100 degrees if not higher.
People packed themselves into the other cars like sardines. It was literally impossible to squeeze any more people in. I saw young children in the hot coaches, fussing and asking their parents over and over when they'd be able to get off.
I also saw that although coach #516 had working AC, the door was broken on one side. It was stuck more than half-open, making the AC pretty ineffective on that end of the coach. There was a repair tag stuck to the door handle dated 7/31.
So the so-trustworthy T claimed that only one coach in their entire fleet lacked working AC. This was repeated as fact in the BostonNOW! article. But I can testify that as of today, August 2nd 2007, at least TWO coaches lacked AC - and that was only on a single train! If you see a coach without working AC, please note the coach number if you can (it's located on the inside doors and on the roof near both ends of the coach) and record it here.
I have a very hard time believing that those are the only two coaches in the fleet without AC. But I find it very easy to believe that the MBCR just decided it would be easier to lie to the press and the public, figuring that they wouldn't be caught.
Or maybe a second coach broke down the minute after the spokesman spoke to the reporters, and the MBCR decided to put their only two broken coaches on the Franklin #715. How likely does that sound?
Tonight on the way home I learned otherwise.
The train was my usual, the #715 Franklin departing South Station at 4:10 PM. It had six single-level coaches, the usual inadequate complement. And of those six, two of them - coaches #641 and #629 - had no air conditioning. The temperature outside was in the low 90s, and in the middle of the coaches it had to be close to 100 degrees if not higher.
People packed themselves into the other cars like sardines. It was literally impossible to squeeze any more people in. I saw young children in the hot coaches, fussing and asking their parents over and over when they'd be able to get off.
I also saw that although coach #516 had working AC, the door was broken on one side. It was stuck more than half-open, making the AC pretty ineffective on that end of the coach. There was a repair tag stuck to the door handle dated 7/31.
So the so-trustworthy T claimed that only one coach in their entire fleet lacked working AC. This was repeated as fact in the BostonNOW! article. But I can testify that as of today, August 2nd 2007, at least TWO coaches lacked AC - and that was only on a single train! If you see a coach without working AC, please note the coach number if you can (it's located on the inside doors and on the roof near both ends of the coach) and record it here.
I have a very hard time believing that those are the only two coaches in the fleet without AC. But I find it very easy to believe that the MBCR just decided it would be easier to lie to the press and the public, figuring that they wouldn't be caught.
Or maybe a second coach broke down the minute after the spokesman spoke to the reporters, and the MBCR decided to put their only two broken coaches on the Franklin #715. How likely does that sound?
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