T aims to ease Red Line disruptions
Anyone who rides the subway is accustomed to the occasional frustrating delay, which is seldom accompanied by any information from train or station personnel about what's happening and how long the wait is expected to last. But Red Line riders seem to be experiencing more than their fair share of aggravation lately.
Paul of Quincy became so frustrated after several recent service interruptions that he did some research. He sent us a complaint filed with the T documenting 21 disruptions on the Red Line on 16 days between Sept. 20 and Oct. 18, based on alerts posted on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's website.
Major problems on the Red Line ''have been going on really ever since the blizzard of January," Paul wrote. ''At first, the T said the problems were weather related, but the service failures have not abated and now occur regardless of the weather. . . . These failures are not isolated events but a pattern."
Red Line chief Maureen Shrikus reviewed Paul's incident list and responded with details on what caused each delay. Mishaps included signal failures, power problems, door malfunctions, loss of air pressure, trees down on the track, medical emergencies (including a person under a train), police incidents, switch troubles, and a smoke sighting.
Trains on the Red Line's two branches make 224 trips each weekday, second only to the Green Line, which has four branches. With an estimated 200,000 daily riders, the Red Line is the T's most heavily traveled.
The large number of service disruptions ''have drawn considerable attention" from Richard Leary, the T's acting chief operating officer, said spokesman Joe Pesaturo.
Leary, who was director of bus operations until his promotion earlier this month, ''is allocating additional funds and dedicating more resources and personnel toward preventive maintenance activity," Pesaturo said. ''This stepped-up effort will not only address current issues, it will also help to ensure that the Red Line is better prepared for whatever the upcoming winter season sets upon us."
We expect our loyal readers will keep us posted on whether any improvements are seen in coming months.
South Station shift
If you take the Red Line from South Station, you might need to find a new way in and out. The T has closed the portal at Summer Street and Atlantic Avenue in front of the station. Demolition begins Oct. 31; a replacement head house at this location is scheduled to be ready this winter. Until then, customers should access the subway from inside South Station or via entrances at One Financial Center and Purchase Street.
Green Line riders are advised the D branch to Riverside will be closed from 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday night for track and platform improvements. Shuttle buses will run along the D branch from Fenway Station to Riverside.
Group effort urged
Some commuters who park in South Boston have been altering their schedules this month after hundreds of spaces were closed until 9:30 a.m. to comply with a parking freeze ordered by the state a decade ago as part of efforts to mitigate the Big Dig's environmental impact. But the air-quality benefits of this step have come into question as dozens of automobiles burn gas cruising around in search of a spot or idling in line waiting for the extra slots to open.
Lauren Grymek, outreach and development coordinator for the Seaport Transportation Management Association, reminds inconvenienced commuters there are other options. Visit www.seaporttma.org for information on transit and carpools. If your employer belongs to the association, you're eligible for various discounts and incentives to help reduce the number of single-occupant vehicles heading to the waterfront.
Another TMA sponsored by the Artery Business Committee is hosting a seminar for employers on how to promote ride sharing and comply with a state regulation mandating that large companies reduce the number of employees driving alone to work. The session takes place from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Nov. 4 at 75 State St. Call 617-557-7322 for more information or to RSVP.
Commuter-friendly companies honored
Many firms are already doing their part to help ease employees' commutes. Last week the US Environmental Protection Agency honored 44 Massachusetts businesses on the third annual list of New England's best workplaces for commuters. The awards recognize ''leading, innovative employers committed to improving their communities by reducing traffic congestion and air pollution and improving health and quality of life for thousands of commuters," according to an EPA announcement.
''It's important that we take steps to conserve fuel by carpooling and using public transit wherever possible," Robert Varney, regional administrator of the EPA's New England office, said in the statement. ''We applaud this year's employers for their leadership in promoting commuting strategies that reduce air pollution, decrease traffic congestion, and save employees money."
Can't get there ...
Eastbound Interstate 90 between Exit 22 (Prudential/Copley) and South Boston will close 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday to Thursday and 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Southbound I-93 at Exit 18 (Mass. Ave.) will close 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday to Thursday and 1 to 6 a.m. Saturday.
Southbound I-93 at Exit 26 (Storrow Drive) will close 12:01 to 7 a.m. Saturday. Ramps from the Tobin Bridge and City Square will also close.
Northbound I-93 at Exit 20 (I-90) will close 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday to Thursday and 12:01 to 7 a.m. Saturday. Exits to I-90 and onramps from Mass. Ave. and Broadway will also close.
The ramps at Exit 20 from northbound I-93 to I-90 will also close 10 tonight to 5 a.m. Monday.
Northbound Route 1A near Logan airport will close 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.
The Sumner Tunnel will close 12:01 to 5 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday.
The ramp at Exit 23 from southbound I-93 to Purchase Street will close 11 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Monday to Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday to 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
The Haymarket onramp to southbound I-93 and the Callahan Tunnel will close 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. tonight to Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday to 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
The Essex Street onramp to southbound I-93 will close 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, 10:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday to Thursday, and 12:30 to 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
The Storrow Drive onramp to southbound I-93 will close 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday to Thursday.
Exit 20B from southbound I-93 to westbound I-90 will close 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday to Thursday and 8 p.m. Friday to 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
The tunnel from southbound I-93 Exit 26 to westbound Storrow Drive will close 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday to Thursday.
The ramps from southbound US 1 (Tobin Bridge) and from Rutherford Avenue/City Square to southbound I-93 and Storrow Drive will close 11 tonight to 5 a.m. Monday.
The Congress Street onramp to southbound I-93 and westbound I-90 will close 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday to Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday to 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
The Congress Street onramp in South Boston to I-93 and westbound I-90 Exit 24 to I-93 will close 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday to Thursday and 1 to 6 a.m. Saturday.
Exit 26 from northbound I-93 to Storrow Drive will close 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday to Thursday.
The onramp from eastbound Storrow Drive to northbound I-93 and the Tobin Bridge will close 12:01 to 5 a.m. Tuesday to Friday.
The Atlantic Avenue and Essex Street onramps to northbound I-93 will close 11:30 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday.
The Haymarket onramp to northbound I-93 will close 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday to Thursday.
The Sumner Tunnel onramp to northbound I-93 will close 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, Thursday, and Friday.
The Kneeland Street onramp to westbound I-90 will close 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday to Saturday.
The Frontage Road/Albany Street onramp to eastbound I-90 (Logan Airport) will close 11 tonight to 5 a.m. Monday.
The Sumner Tunnel exit to Storrow Drive will close 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, Thursday, and Friday.
The Broadway bridge will close to westbound traffic 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday to Thursday and 9 p.m. Friday to 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
Complain to us at starts@globe.com. Don't forget to send us your hometown. The column can be found at www.boston.com/news/local/startsandstops. Our mailing address is Starts & Stops, PO Box 55819, Boston, MA 02205-5819.
