The Most Dangerous Subway in America

I've worked in the T tunnels as an engineer during many of those shutdowns mentioned in the video. It's honestly incredible being down there, almost like walking through a time capsule. You can see the difference in construction practices between the decades as you pass through different parts of the tunnels, but what you said in the video about willpower is most apparent. These pioneers of the American subway system just wanted a better way to get around than the busy and filthy surface level streets of the time. We need to attack this problem with the same willpower of the past. Thank you for bringing attention to this issue.

As a Boston area lifelong resident, thanks for highlighting this! One point you didn't touch on that I was hoping you'd discuss was the debt the MBTA was forced to take on from the Big Dig.

As a former MIT student and Boston resident, this saddens me. I have fond memories of riding the T all over the place, and being able to explore the Boston area without a car (as I was not licensed to drive). The T was one of those things that really made me thankful to be attending college in Boston. I certainly hope these problems can be sorted out. That subway system is a piece of American history, and it can not be allowed to just go away.

I was in Boston with no car for two years in grad school. It very much seemed like there were two Bostons, layered on top of each other and yet largely isolated from each other. If you didn’t have a car you lived a certain way and went certain places on a certain schedule. People with cars often couldn’t or wouldn’t be there because there was no parking and/or the timing wasn’t synced with the commuter rail where they might leave their car. Meanwhile people with cars lived a certain way and went certain places on a certain schedule - and without a car you either couldn’t join them at all, or the timing didn’t work with the T’s schedule/reliability. Some employers had a rule that employees had to be let off at the end of the day before the T closed. Others had parking lots. Rarely did anyone have both.

Fun fact! The green line extension, which cost 2 billion $ and is less than 2 years old, had to shut down because the rails were installed too wide and rather than fix it right when they found out about the issue (a year before it opened) , the T decided to ignore the problem for 2 years until trains were being slowed to under 3mph to stop trains from completely going off the tracks

Just a quick note from another Bostonian, The MBTA being a useful and reliable means of transit isn't something from our grandparents childhood. It was the 2000's. The T has driven off a cliff over the last 10 years, before that I could on getting all over the place in quick order.

I work at an indie theatre in Boston. Annually, there's a production of a musical about how bad the MBTA is. It follows three people just trying to get home on the train, but the T's management conspires to ruin their commutes home. This is how bad the subway is in Boston.

15:54 important thing to note. People make such a big deal about "revenue shortfalls" for operating a transit system. yet roads by and large make approximately.... 0% of their costs both construction and operating. yet no one says we shouldn't build more roads, increase funding for it or can't find the funding for repairs

I speak for all people from Worcester: nothing is quite possibly as bad as being stranded in Worcester for 2 hours because you missed your train

It’s shocking to see such a critical piece of infrastructure suffer so much neglect for so long

I lived in Boston in 2017 and did not have, nor could afford to get a car. The MBTA was my only option to get to work from the lower income suburbs I was staying in. My commute took 2 hours one way, which means I was absolutely exhausted by the time I got home, and still had to make lesson plans and cook, etc. I took the Orange, Red, and Green Lines primarily. I was increasingly frustrated by the slowdowns, the closed stations, and the trains that were so packed, I had to wait for a couple to go by before finally being able to fit onto one. Boston has the bones for a more robust transit system. I really hope they figure it out because it could be a game changer for not just low income people like myself, but for everyone.

“increased physical mobility leads to increased economic mobility.” i love this, and yes it’s so true!! how can people access different rungs of work and society if they literally can’t even get there? thank you for lifting that up.

Having rode the MBTA on a regular basis, it does suck. But also it still has a rather large group of wealthy people using it and advocating for it. The D line runs through almost exclusively wealthy neighborhoods, most notably Brookline and Newton. The Red Line runs through some of the wealthiest parts of Cambridge and that's the reason why it's underground there. The MBTA is bad right now, but they're digging themselves out, the slow zones have decreased significantly in the past month with a comprehensive plan, and new rolling stock is arriving on all lines. Although expansions haven't been proposed, there is a large group of people who would advocate for them and our mayor is extremely pro transit and uses it. We just got a new general manager, heralded with fixing the terrible reliability of the Long Island Railroad. So things are looking up, and I hope they'll follow through because I still have hope.

As a Bostonian who takes the T almost every day, yes, it is seriously in bad shape, although extremely necessary for Boston citizens!

I was a NYC dockbuilder when they were doing the big dig in Boston. Some of the boys were sent up there to help with the tunneling. They were a bit shocked by the methods used to hang massive cement slabs on the ceiling. Holes were drilled into the roof slab and pins were glued in place. Slabs of precast cement were then hung from the pins. Meaning, the only thing holding these very heavy sections up was glue. This was very different from how it was usually done. The glue was 2 part and had a complex mixing nozzle that combined the glue and hardener as it was dispensed. None of them were sold this method's functionality and they advised anyone who would listen against using the tunnel. Within a couple of years, the slabs began to fall and people lost their lives...

the sound of the green line screeching on decades old rail gives it such charm

Although I am frustrated with the state of the T, I'm glad it exist. I recently moved to Boston from Indianapolis, which has no local rail system, and barely has a bus system. I am unable to drive, so having the rail option was a huge game changer. Although I'm apriciative of the opportunity it's opened for me, it's also highly frustrating. The commute to my first job here was 3 hours due to it being in Weymouth, and me living in Dorchester (still beats walking). I was eventually able to find something closer, but still have a long, hour and a half commute.

I was a student in Boston (early 2000s) and now live in Paris. Can confirm what was said about the Paris metro network, but we also have a really good bus system that fills in the gaps between the metro stations. I've been here for three years and have NEVER needed a car. The commuter rail goes to the airports, the rail stations service the regional trains, and plenty of delivery services exist if you want someone to bring a couch home for you from Ikea. In addition, bike share is incredibly popular with our plentiful new bike lanes, and taxis are available in a pinch.

Living in the DC area, it's been nice to see what the WMATA has been doing. The setback of the 7000 series a few years ago didn't help, but it's nice that most lines have 6 minute service. When this helps create near 3 minute service in downtown. It will be nice whenever the Purple Line gets finished because the group of Bethesda to Silver Spring to College Park is currently a terrible option. It's probably 45 minutes to go from Silver Spring to Bethesda on the Red Line right now, but that will be only 2 or 3 stops of grade separated running on the Purple Line cutting out a large amount of time. Another subway line is also being planned that would hopefully be a ring going from Rosslyn to Georgetown connecting with Union Station down through National Harbor, across to Alexandria, and back up to Rosslyn. I hope they can get the funding to keep pushing in the right direction.

As a native New Yorker, I see that your forum about the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the first subway in America, is great. Thank you for your forum because it is the best and a blessing to railroad buffs like me.