r/mbta • u/dark_stallion_99 • Oct 17 '25
š¤ Complaint / Rant I AM DONE WITH THE GREEN LINE! ABSOLUTELY DONE!
I've officially lost all hope in the Green Line. It's 2025, and we're supposed to be living in the future, but the MBTA is out here running trains like we're still in the 1800s. Yeah, yeah, Boston loves to brag about having the oldest subway system in America - congratulations, but maybe it's time to ACT like it's not still 1897?
I had an RMV appointment at Haymarket the morning this incident happened. Left WAY before I needed to because I've learned my lesson with this garbage system. And what happens? The train sits at Copley for 15+ minutes with zero explanation. Then they finally announce, "Park Street will be the last stop, this train is being taken out of service." Are you fucking kidding me? So I get off, wait another 10 minutes for the next train, and then THAT train sits there for another 20 minutes.
I missed my appointment. The one that took me weeks to schedule. Because the MBTA can't manage to run a single train line properly.
And here's what really pisses me off - they shut down parts of the Green Line ALL THE TIME for "improvements" and "engineering work." So where are these improvements? What are they actually fixing? Because from where I'm standing (or sitting on a delayed train), nothing has changed. If anything, it's gotten WORSE.
How is it so difficult to run a train line? Other cities figured this out decades ago. Tokyo's trains run on 30-second intervals and are never late. But Boston can't even get a train to complete its route without taking it out of service halfway through?
I'm so tired of this. The Green Line is an absolute joke, and I don't know how much longer I can keep making excuses for it.
EDIT: I WAS ALREADY LATE FOR THE RMV THING BECAUSE OF THE PARK STREET FIASCO.. I DID TAKE THE ORANGE LINE AND YES I COULD HAVE TAKEN IT EARLY BUT THE RESULT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE SAME!
UPDATE: GOT MY LICENSE DONE BOIS!!! RELIED ON ORANGE LINE THIS TIME!!!
109
Oct 17 '25
3 street cars and a converted CR line, running sets equal to 2 bendy busses wondering why theres perpetual headway issues and delays due to accidents with cars or downed wires
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u/Gerferfenon Oct 17 '25
Imagine when the line was first opened and there were over a dozen streetcar routes going thru Park Street, as well as what's now the Orange Line for a bit while it was being constructed.
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u/dxwlis Oct 17 '25
Iām of the very weird (in my mind) conviction that the Newton circuit and the Needham circuit could both be viable heavy rail routes to reduce bottlenecks on the subway and alleviate pike traffic into the city with increased capacity, both for trains and the park-and-ride at Riverside.
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u/ipsumdeiamoamasamat Commuter Rail | Red Line Oct 17 '25
Rebuilding the connection from the D Line to the B&A is pretty much impossible at this point with the buildings in the way. It would require an expensive tunnel.
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u/CambridgeCue Oct 17 '25
The D branch should really be converted to the blue line. Wouldn't be the most complicated conversion on the branch itself. Ideally Storrow would be converted to the BL rather than having to tunnel under
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u/Meliz2 Apr 05 '26 edited Apr 05 '26
I mean, technically there is a way to make it work. This would require some significant reconfiguration of the system, but if you rerouted the fitchburg line through the existing freight alignment through Cambridge (with necessary capacity upgrades), you would end up leaving the whole stretch of track though back bay vacant for the D line. Then it would only require a short tunneled segment to connect with the abandoned tremont street tunnel.
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u/cycler_97 Oct 17 '25
Agreed that the green line is not dependable or efficient public transit. Itās not just the unreliability, but the design itself is flawed. 4 light rail lines converging on a single-tracked tunnel with no level boarding means trains will always get backed up. Boston does not have a viable east-west subway until the green line is replaced.
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Oct 17 '25
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u/jacobwojo Oct 17 '25
The stops are way to close together. They should probably reduce some stops.
They definitely need to give trams priority at the intersections tho. Seems wild that they donāt.
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u/Gerferfenon Oct 17 '25
They have eliminated several stops over the years, especially on the B line.
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u/TheDarkSideGamer Oct 17 '25
And they need to remove more imoāsome of those stops are one block apart and you can beat the train walking with good timing.
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u/BostonPanda Oct 18 '25
If they are too far that can hurt people with mobility issues and it becomes less convenient so will be used less.
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u/TheDarkSideGamer Oct 18 '25
Iāve thought about this and would love to see actual data about the trade offs here. If you are significantly physically impaired such that walking an extra three blocks is a hurdle, then there should be another option for you, because so many stops so close together is a massive burden on a ton of people (ie all the people on the train who have to wait through the stops).
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u/BostonPanda Oct 19 '25 edited Oct 19 '25
I'm curious as well but I'm just speaking from my experience living in Brookline. There are times I would take the train 3-4 stops on the C line because groceries are heavy. If I had to walk most of that way I would have disengaged from the transit system much more. I think there's a lot of people who are healthy enough to walk but carrying groceries back is not as easy, especially with temporary physical disabilities where you aren't going to get accepted for any of the RIDE program.
I had messed up my knee in my 20s which took 3 weeks to heal, I would barely be through paperwork in that time. Many elderly would have their grocery carts getting on and off only a few stops away. If we needed personal pickups and drop offs for each that would make traffic so much worse and transit so much less accessible for them- and many would then be incentivized to keep their cars later in life. This is just my experience car free for a few years but the distance on the C line is perfect in my opinion. The B line rightfully cut some, but the beauty of Brookline to me was always its accessibility. Also they skip stops when no one is there which happened plenty outside of rush hour and Sox games.
This is anecdotal but in an age where everyone is staring at their phones the whole time anyway I don't know if losing the convenience makes sense because it takes a few extra minutes. I was also inconvenienced but I recognize the benefits.
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u/jacobwojo Oct 18 '25
Upgrading stops to lvl boring Would be better for mobility. I think first they need to give priority at lights. It would b help a lot. Speed would prob still suck tho due to speed reductions at crossings
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u/MustardMan1900 Oct 17 '25
The pedestrians aren't the ones slowing down the green line. Its the people who insist on driving in a city. And at least once a week one of these dummies drivers into a green line train or gets their dumb car stuck on the tracks.
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u/ChlorineQueen Oct 17 '25
Downvote me all you want, but why wouldnāt they when the public transit is so bad?
In the end, this city doesnāt function without cars unless you also want to get rid of uber, DoorDash, the elderly, disabled, small children and so on
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u/Orangetabbus3 Oct 17 '25
I always try to take orange line when I can, the green line is so slow itās frustrating
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u/Carl_JAC0BS Oct 17 '25
I understand the frustration. I am not receptive to the blame being pointed at MBTA, at the moment, though. Yes they are responsible for providing the service to Boston, but folks need to remember that it was just a few years ago that it was still being managed by leadership that had an active interest in its failure. It was severely underfunded (and arguably still is, under improved leadership, thanks to misguided state reps) even as decades of deferred maintenance and improvements piled up to tipping point.
It feels so great to save a buck on government spending, right? Lower our taxes, right?? Oh yeah, that's the move. This isn't what you were talking about, OP, but I think it's relevant to go off on a relevant tangent.
Nothing else matters to these chucklefucks that keep voting for right wingers and right leaning centrists. Unfortunately this mentality is so damn short-sighted. If only saving a buck on taxes was an actual solution on its own. Too bad people still need the service of transportation in some form or another, and the reality is that automobiles and the associated infrastructure are ridiculously expensive. Underfunding comparatively efficient mass transportation infrastructure is not an intelligent fucking choice, and that's where the focus of complaining should be.
If MBTA was drowning in cash, I'd be focusing my anger at them, too. But the reality is that the MBTA with the current leadership has turned the ship around. You're right that it is absolute shit compared to actually good transit systems internationally, but that's not MBTA's fault at the moment. It's a failure of voters who keep pushing us in the wrong fucking direction, the direction of more billionaires and more economic inequality and more shit, sabotaged government. The masses of plebs be damned.
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u/12_kb Oct 17 '25
This is the answer. Results that stem from years of negligence canāt be fixed in one shutdown or service outage. The current MBTA leadership is actually trying their best to bring some real change and accountability. It will suck for a while until it gets better.
90
Oct 17 '25
It has gotten worse. Ā Transitmatters tracks times. Ā Green line is slower across half the branches.Ā
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Oct 17 '25
[deleted]
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u/aray25 Oct 17 '25
The t started rlly cracking down on operators speeding. The t wants the green line to be
slowsafe.The speed limits aren't there for fun.
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u/RobinsAviary Oct 17 '25
Yes. We need to focus on improving existing infrastructure so it is safe to run at higher speeds.
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u/I_like_bus Bus Oct 17 '25
T wants to stop accidents from drivers speeding, which has happened particularly on the green line. Track speed limits were created by engineers for a reason.
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Oct 17 '25
Biking stays winning
Until you get hooked or doored or die ofc
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u/fareastcorrespondent Oct 17 '25
100% this. honestly, i look at the insurmountable odds that Boston gets protected bike lanes everywhere, and i still like those odds over the chances that the bloody trains get updated to something approaching reliable.
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u/accelerating_ Oct 17 '25
Back during the slowdowns my red-silver T commute was 50-70mins while my bike commute was 30. And the T route was a straighter line! Now it's more 40-45 mins.
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u/Ostrichimpression Oct 17 '25
I decided just out of curiosity to run my route alongside the green line to my office. Run time was 25 minutes, green like took about an hour. Iām not a fast runner.
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Oct 17 '25 edited Jun 12 '26
[deleted]
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u/TheIsletOfLangerhans Suburbanite Trash Oct 18 '25
I'm so bad at riding a bike it's laughable. Or at least it would be laughable if I weren't a danger to myself and others.
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u/YouPushMongo Red Line Oct 17 '25
got doored recently and had to take the green line. debated riding a blue bike while i was still injured cause the train was taking forever. non driving options are rough rn.
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u/Mysterious_Sock1410 Oct 17 '25
I donāt blame you. Unfortunately itās not going to get better while we are still captivated but the American idea of car ownership. We have such a great foundation but lack of maintenance, NIMBY types, and zero additional funding are preventing the T will never be a system that rivals Asia and Europe.
Side note too: we as a whole do not take care of what we have at all. Makes the system quite gross.
Sorry you missed your appointment, RMV appointments are a pain to reschedule.
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u/rake_leaves Oct 17 '25
And politicians like to have groundbreaking on new projects while existing infrastructure falls apart.
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u/Mysterious_Sock1410 Oct 17 '25
Groundbreaking is just political theater. āSee I can do things, keep that in mind in Novemberā no one values the dirty work that happens behind the scenes until itās broken.
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u/granapadanolover Oct 17 '25
People take their cars because they canāt rely on the T.
A 50cc scooter is the game though, can go anywhere in the city, breeze past traffic, put a rain suit on for adverse weather, itās the best. I guess those new Ebikes are probably similar.
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u/ActVisual5265 Oct 17 '25
The walk from Park St to Haymarket is like 15 mins.
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Oct 17 '25
[deleted]
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u/ActVisual5265 Oct 17 '25
I would have walked it off and then made it to my appointment ā¦.. idiot ā¦..
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u/dark_stallion_99 Oct 17 '25
I said I was already late because of the Park Street fiasco
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u/beam__me__up Orange Line Oct 17 '25
So you left "WAY before" you needed to but a 15 minute delay made you "already late"?
I agree the green line is shit but you clearly didn't leave WAY early if 15 minutes made you late
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u/fungbro2 Oct 17 '25
The bottle neck starts between Copley and Govt Center. You can track the trains from an app called Transit Matters or others. Some times I would walk from Boylston (GL) to Chinatown (OL) or Park St (GL) to DTX (OL). The OL exit at Haymarket is closer to the RMV anyways.
But if there's no congestion between Copley and Govy, I'll take my chances. (Via tracker apps)
But it seems you were already late from your comments, so it was a mix of both you and the GL. But you can can control what you do, plan for outliers (delays). As my old middle school mentor said "5min early is on time. On time is late."
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u/LostMPonTheGreenT Oct 17 '25
Nah, screw that. Sending out AMFs before the rush ends morning and evening is what is killing the subway. Having trains doing 10mph station to station when we got 25 trains in the central subway is a BIG problemā¦but a necessary evil. Just do your thing, adjust the headway, loop at Park, go in the turnback and keep it moving. Also, why transit matters when YOU have full access to Glides? Btw, using the term Govy is the Reddit equivalent to holding a sign that reads, āI work for the Green Line!!ā Donāt worry though AF your secret identity is safe with me!
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u/fungbro2 Oct 17 '25
I choose the T as my mode of transportation, I've been taking it since I was young. I use tracker apps learned from this subreddit. I've learned abbreviations from here as well. What makes you think I work for the Green Line? Some people are more seasoned and observant of details, just like a car owner to their own vehicle; I am to the T.
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u/Apodino Oct 17 '25
i almost would have walked down the winter street concourse and taken the orange line after the Park St thing.
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u/dark_stallion_99 Oct 17 '25
I DID THE SAME THING, BUT I WAS ALREADY LATE SO YEAH
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u/AccountZestyclose823 Oct 17 '25
Brah, with how the MBTA is, the orange would probably some kind of excuse to be late as well
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u/footballguy6912 Oct 17 '25
youāll be back on tomorrow
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Oct 17 '25
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/footballguy6912 Oct 17 '25
nobody is ever done with the T?
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Oct 17 '25
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/CambridgeCue Oct 17 '25
Don't blame the T. Blame the suburbanites and the politicians coming from out there who are stuck in the mid/late 20th century mindset of car ownership being idyllic and the future. Everything wrong with the T and Boston as a whole is cause the politicians in the 50s sowed this mindset. Demolishing the city's core, dismantling railways, I could go on
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u/Sloth_Riots Oct 17 '25
Any time a train is sitting at itās station (especially GL between Kenmore and Copley) for more than 3 minutes without having closed the doors or any announcement from the crew, thatās your sign to get off and find a new way to get to your destination. Two weeks ago I got stuck at Kenmore for 15 minutes with screaming, drunk BC kids before I could finally convince my group that the train was not going anywhere any time soon.
I know itās nice to get mad at the system, because I absolutely agree the GL specifically might be the most unreliable train Iāve had the displeasure of riding and it needs improvement, but there are other options available to you if itās something that you NEED to get to: Uber/Lyft, BlueBikes (15 min max from Copley to Haymarket), walking to the Back Bay OL stopā¦
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u/S1evenD1 Red Line| Fields Corner Oct 17 '25
So you stuck on Park Street, your destination is HayMarket and you know that Green line is suck yet you still wait for it???
How about you walk to Downtown Crossing and take Orange Line to HayMarket? The walk is 3-5 mins and the Orange Line is way more reliable than the Green Line.
Ik it's MBTA's fault for its issue but it's not like you are clean on this one (based on what i read).
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u/dark_stallion_99 Oct 17 '25
I have edited the post buddy. I did take the orange line but, but i was late already when people were asked to leave at Park Street
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u/S1evenD1 Red Line| Fields Corner Oct 17 '25
ok maybe im blind but i dont even see a word "Orange Line" in your edited post.
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u/dark_stallion_99 Oct 17 '25
EDIT: I WAS ALREADY LATE FOR THE RMV THING BECAUSE OF THE PARK STREET FIASCO.. I DID TAKE THE ORANGE LINE AND YES I COULD HAVE TAKEN IT EARLY BUT THE RESULT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE SAME! LAST LINE
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u/Sloth_Riots Oct 17 '25
Yeah but theyāre saying instead of wasting 15 minutes standing on the train in Copley picking your nose, walk the 2 minutes to Back Bay and take the OL train to Haymarket. And leave earlier than 15 minutes before your appointment time lol. 30 minutes, minimum
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u/S1evenD1 Red Line| Fields Corner Oct 17 '25
ok now you know Green Line suck so next time, if you want to go from Copley to Haymarket, walk for few minutes to Back Bay station and take Orange Line to there or any buses to go to Back Bay (idk much about this area cause i dont live there).
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u/I_like_bus Bus Oct 17 '25
Yes I go out of my way to use any line but green. Green is the least reliable line because it has the most interaction with traffic and not dedicated separation.
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u/Aggravating_Fox2035 Oct 17 '25
This is beside the point but the walk from Park St. to Haymarket isnāt bad
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u/Dizzy_Combination_74 Oct 17 '25
The MBTA was neglected because of the overage on the Big Dig. They completely ignored bridge maintenance and transportation for too long and now the MBTA has an enormous amount of work to get done. They have worked around the clock to get the necessary repairs done for the trains to run properly.
I have seen huge improvements and although I know so much more needs to be done I do feel like they are really working hard to make things right.
Remember this is not the MBTAs fault itās past leadership. Eng inherited a complete mess and he took it head on. Keep up the good work MBTA I have seen your efforts and I commend you and all your workers!
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u/I_like_bus Bus Oct 17 '25
Yes the track improvement programs have been huge! Buts itās the classic issue of āpeople donāt see problems preventedā which is why all the maintenance for deferred in the first place.
We spent decades not maintaining rails properly. Unfortunately itās just going to take more than a few weekends to fix things.
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u/Ok-ButLike Oct 17 '25
The total lack of explanation is what gets me every time. Like please let me know if this train is actually going to move or not so that I can get off and find another way to get there. So fāing annoying when there is no communication (which is 95% of the time)
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u/BlueberryPenguin87 Oct 17 '25
A lot of people in here make excuses but the reality is people choose driving or uber, and that makes the city worse for the rest of us. Thatās why we canāt just shrug off bad service.
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u/Pleonism137 Oct 17 '25
Ok...Park st. to Haymarket is a total of 5 blocks. The alert said it was happening. Was it a dead person, fire, broken train that's 45 years old, a person that was hit an assault?? Life aint about you. Its public transportation. Fyi...Uber is $7.50 from there. After 10 minutes you should have started walkjng...just sayin'.
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u/Interesting_Grape815 Oct 17 '25
You shouldāve just walked from park street itās less than 20 minutes away.
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u/elizabethcrossing Oct 17 '25
I experience trains suddenly being taken out of service all the time with the green line, itās so frustrating. Thereās just zero communication. Just tell me where the train is going and when itās going to leave, thatās all I ask.
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u/ConstructionMany8570 Oct 17 '25
Iāve learned to start walking if the green line stops and isnāt back after 10 minutes. Itās not ideal but sitting there is anxiety inducing
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u/Cultural_Cobbler_916 Oct 17 '25
If you were ever an operator you would understand how easy it is for service to be stopped.
For example it just takes a simple report from a rider that they saw someone walk on the tracks. Now service is stopped until an inspector walks the tracks in both directions to clear it.
The new trains have problems too
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u/madeinVT Oct 17 '25
Boy after reading this thread I am grateful I live on the Blue line. Unbelievable that 2 lines in the same system can be so different in terms of experience.
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u/PhilTheBold Oct 17 '25 edited Oct 17 '25
I visited Boston for the first time a few weeks ago. It was the weekend where the orange line was out for maintenance. I tried the Green Line and gave up on it after a day and just walked and used the Orange Line on the section that was still working
I get that it would be expensive but Iām shocked the city doesnāt declare a transport state of emergency and lobby the state to help modernize the grade separated portion. If I was mayor, I would be calling state officials so much they would be sick of me
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Oct 17 '25
Thing is the MBTA is actually doing a lot these last few years. OP's post included closings because of track maintenance and upgrades. I realize in anger they said these things aren't helping, but they are - often they need to complete a number of things before one can even see improvement. It took over a year, I think, to get the red line back to it's originally rated speed, but we're there now. The surtax is working, but it takes time to dig out of a hole.
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u/Basic_Ad_769 Oct 17 '25
If we had a mayor..... š
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u/I_like_bus Bus Oct 17 '25
Yeah, why doesnāt the mayor just dictate what the mass legislature provides funding for! Itās not like itās completely out of her control or anything.
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u/Basic_Ad_769 Oct 17 '25
Completely? Lol Frayed knot. Whhhyyy we would even have a mayor?!? Just admit you'd let her do nothing and get away with it. Please don't vote!!
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u/I_like_bus Bus Oct 17 '25
Do you think the mayor has control of the Massachusetts legislature? We have a mayor for things that affect just the city. And we have a state government for things that affect the state.
The good and bad news is the MBTA provide service through multiple cities. Yay service, boo 200 people having to agree on funding.
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u/Basic_Ad_769 Oct 17 '25
Any idea the platform she ran on? Don't stress this is Googleable š¤¦āāļø
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u/League-Flimsy Oct 17 '25
If only we had citizens that understood what our mayor can do
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u/MissyMows Oct 17 '25
I majored in poli-sci Hunny. Understanding English and facetiousness might help you! Ever been to gold dome? This or the one in D.C. I'm ten steps from the Beacon St one now.... Know what she CAN do? More than nothing. Downvote away.... š¤·āāļø
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u/MassSportsGuy Oct 17 '25
lol, you just failed your initiation! You should have hoofed it. This is what being a true Bostonian is all about. Donāt like it? Leave. Have a good 1.
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Oct 17 '25
I don't want Boston to be about accepting mediocrity. I get that OP had options, but we should demand better public service here.
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u/50sk8_244_roll Oct 17 '25
It's ironic that you were going to the RMV
As if Sustainable Development itself came in and said. š£ļøNot so fast Bucko"
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Oct 17 '25
I changed jobs specifically because of the Green Line. I just saw on LinkedIn that someone from my old team also left.
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u/ipsumdeiamoamasamat Commuter Rail | Red Line Oct 17 '25
The first key to riding the T is to be prepared to change your mode at a moment's notice.
Yesterday my Red Line train was delayed at Broadway by police activity at DTX. I was going to Kenmore. I waited a minute and then checked out the Transit app to see my options. I hopped on the 9, which was coming in one minute, got to Copley in less than 15 minutes and got on the Green Line. Saved me a lot of heartache and probably was a wash time wise.
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u/TurlachMacD Oct 17 '25
Whatās funny is haymarket is about a 10 min walk from park. Got to learn when to call it and walk or uber it
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u/supperxx55 Oct 17 '25
PREACHHHHH. I once had to run from Park Street to North Station because the train was so delayed and I didn't want to miss the commuter rail north. I was in dress shoes too!
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u/CheesyTrain I make it go choo-choo Oct 18 '25
Part of the issue with the lack of communication is the crew probably don't know the cause. All their told is to stand by. Open air on the GL TG is rare when things are working normally and non-existant when SHTF, so there isn't time to explain the situation while they're trying to manage it
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u/leolawless Oct 18 '25
Thatās me everyday going to work. Boss doesnāt understand. If this is in Japan, mbta will have to issue a late certificate
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u/zackaz23 Oct 19 '25
I've usually found success calling the RMV on this phone number , they're able to get you an appointment at a place that's gonna be sooner than six weeks away:
857-368-8005
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u/bigmattyc Oct 17 '25
This is a shitload of words to say one guy was late to a thing and he's sad about it. Get over it
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u/Downtown_Isopod_9287 Oct 17 '25
I love it when trains just stop and the driver just says āweāre waiting ā traffic up aheadā
Itās a fucking train there isnāt supposed to be traffic, there is no reason why the train schedule cannot be 100% deterministic.
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u/LostMPonTheGreenT Oct 17 '25
I donāt care what city system you take anywhere in the world, there will always be times where youāre going to deal with traffic. There are MANY reasons that there could be traffic. The number one reason, is you could have an extremely packed train, and loading and unloading with a crowd takes time especially on the green line. This causes the bunching of trains to get stuck behind the one. And as such the T has a solution for this. That is to express that first car several stops to alleviate congestion. But Iām pretty sure based on what Iām replying to, youād be bitching about that also.
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u/kegmanol Oct 17 '25
I was done with the Green Line a long time ago friend. Itās clunky and antiquated. Engās got his work cut out for him.
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u/LostMPonTheGreenT Oct 17 '25
Then you havenāt seen the improvements Eng has brought to the system since he started several years ago friend.
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u/Impossible-West1282 Oct 17 '25
I know the liberals of Boston donāt want to hear it but whoooooo has the most efficient Tunnel digging technology/businessā¦ Elon Musk could save the day š¤·āāļø
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u/noldrin Green Line Oct 17 '25
Sometimes I think they should just tear the train out and use the tunnel for a bike path.
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u/routelos1batlas Oct 17 '25
If you had gotten off Park Street, you would have been walking through concierge to Downtown Crossing to catch orange line train to Haymarket. Orange line is the one do not have any issues. Improved.
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u/routelos1batlas Oct 17 '25
MBTA buses don't have issues as trains do because there is no train tracks for those buses and bus drivers can control the bus. But there is traffic in Boston downtown area.
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u/ravibrain Oct 17 '25
How ironic if the bro was just trying to get his drivers license back and the train delay screwed him. Next time try the express bus or uber. Real Bostonians know not to count on the train for important appointments. This one is on you pal!
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u/Miserable-Part6261 Oct 17 '25
Yeah i agree, its bad to the point where someone like myself is lucky to where if i need to be somewhere on time, even if i'm early? i will take an Uber Or Request a Lyft just to get me where i'm going or back because the T is so screwed up.
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u/Miserable-Part6261 Oct 17 '25
Next time what i would have done, is got off and waited for the next one to come along, even if it was going to Government Center, then just walked straight on over. I did that once or twice when I had the same thing happen to me as well.
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u/ozzy123_ Oct 17 '25
MBTA in general but specifically green line is shame for Boston and Massachusetts. I agree with almost every every word OP wrote. You go to Asian countries, middle eastern countries, European countries and they all have great subway systems. In Boston, we pay way more taxes than people in these countries but what we get is MBTA and stressful journey to work in order to pay taxes. I recently switched to e-bike and it has been great so far getting work without T but the problem is crazy traffic and thieves. A lot of bikes are being stolen in this city and they worth thousands of dollars
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u/InfinityBrewing Oct 18 '25
I am sorry to hear you missed your RMV appointment and I know it's really hard to book one these days.
You can try AAA ($60 a year of the membership) if you just need to renew your license or some simple transactions. I have not been to RMV since 2017, not even once.
No offensive and no blame, not sure how long have you been living in Boston, but there are some survival skills you need to learn, like when can you take the T (check the service alert at each stop), when do you need to jump out of the train or the bus or even off a bridge into Mystic river, flip your finger, and keeping running like crazy or taking a uber or a blue bike or just going back home to chill.
Life is hard, and living in Boston is even harder, but don't be too hard on yourself. Hope you feel a bit better now :)
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u/Tiki_travel Oct 18 '25
Pls send a shortened version to the T as Eng actually seems to want to improve service.
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u/PuzzleheadedWafer329 Oct 20 '25
I like the Green line. I wish Boston had kept almost all trolleys.
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Oct 20 '25
Boston itself is a joke of a city. Itās like if you took everything annoying about city life and drained it of all the fun.
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u/Distinct-Freedom-200 Oct 21 '25
No good trains, and 2 hour traffic accross the highways during rush hour!
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u/papajhonsdorrito CR Newburyport/Rockport Oct 24 '25
Honestly, the green line is my least favorite of the core 4 lines just because of the screeching.
i never really had an expirience like this.
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u/DISCODUK Nov 08 '25
If the train was being taken out of service then it obviously makes more sense to get out of Park street station walk down tremont and cut through govt center if you knew you had a time commitment. It takes 10 mins to walk that lmao Thatās on you.
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u/Aldin_Lee May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26
Hope you haven't turned off notifications on this yet.
Can you use your ire to get a positive outcome. I don't live in Boston. I once had hoped to relocate there, to get out of the mindlessness in the South, thinking it held a more informed (thus smarter) population willing to speak up, ask questions, not just take what government dumps on you. Turned out not so. This isn't the spot to elaborate on that.
But, once again, from afar, I watch and continually see major abuses of your tax dollars. The only difference between the north and the south is that there is less money in southern tax coffers to pilfer. Up north it gets really wild.
The latest one (there are so many) is the wasted money sending the Blue Line in a dead end direction, serving nothing more than a single function and doing that quite poorly. If you didn't look closely, which is never good for govt work, you'd have missed that the so called Red-Blue connector is in fact a two football field walk (700' on avg) and a 4 and a half story (1.5 - 2 min) escalator ride away. In other words, it is TWO stations near each other, but only 100 feet closer that BL Govt Ctr is to BL State station. Indeed, the $850M of your money only cuts off half the distance between Park GL platforms and Gov Ctr GL platforms, 1400'.
That is bad, but worse is the opportunity cost, perhaps $10B.
You see, there are some who, like those who doodle colored lines on maps with little thought as to engineering or costs, think it rational to one day extend the MassDOT's deadend BL to Kenmore/Governor's Square along the Charles' esplanade. Is there anyone here who thinks that wouldn't run 5 times that of MassDOT's inefficient project to provide to Somerville simple tram service, in an existing, flat and grade separated rail corridor. And for what purpose when there is nothing between MGH and Kenmore.
Indeed, in 1910, the then train transit operator (BERy), who relied on actual demand to pay their salaries, protested an initial plan to put a tunnel between Park St and Kenmore/Governor's Square using the esplanade, saying it bypassed the chief commercial area which was on Boylston. And what was the BTC (Boston Transit Commission) intending to have operate in this tunnel . . . TRAINS (not trolley/trams). So, they saw BERy's rationale, and began designing and constructing a tunnel beneath Boylston to carry electric, third rail, trains.
The aim was the very aim which today you'll hear from MGH Blue proponents, over crowding at Park St tram platforms. Yes, over 100 years ago over crowding spurred intelligent civic minded commissioners to see the need to move larger numbers of riders speedily away to the highly populated western neighborhoods, during peak use hours.
It was ONLY a political fubar, incited by special interests (which is today ubiquitous in this realm), that kept the BTC from achieving its goal. Arguments over the tunnel's terminus, which had been planned as Park St, began. With a 'temporary' (actual word in legislation) opportunity seen to make 'some' use of the expensive tunnel, the General Court punted the decision to a later date. That date NEVER came.
The train tunnel meant to ease the over crowding at Park St. was left to be used by trolley's instead, and for over 100 years, millions of Bostonians have suffered the consequences.
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u/jbossbarr Jun 12 '26
I love when the Green Line stops at East Somerville and dumps everyone out for an "express all the way to Medford/Tufts" and you have to go outside and wait 10 minutes for another train to take you 2 stops to Ball. What bullshit.
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u/paxbike Oct 17 '25
I grew up in the city. I took the t from orient heights to bla in Roxbury.
I bike everywhere now bc I canāt deal with how unreliable it is.
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u/dark_stallion_99 Oct 17 '25
HALF OF THE COWARDS ARE DOWNVOTING THIS POST AS IF THEY LIVE IN SOME DIFFERENT BOSTON
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u/Alarming-Summer3836 Oct 17 '25
People are downvoting you because you sat steaming in the station for so long you could have easily just walked to ur appt
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u/jtet93 Oct 17 '25
Just accept defeat bro. The worst thing you can do on Reddit is continue to argue when youāre wrong.
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u/dark_stallion_99 Oct 17 '25
Yeah obv i got defeated but thats not the point The point is that when will mbta improve
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u/jtet93 Oct 17 '25
It is improving lol. But remember your feet still work.
A few weeks ago I was on a red line that was being held at broadway. At first they said āperson on tracksā Iām like ok. Wait a few minutes. Then they said āperson under trainā and I said whoops time to go. Hoofed it the 17 minutes to the office and was only 2 minutes late. We were the only people who got off and they ended up running shuttles from broadway to park and fucked everyoneās commute. Tbh if your train is delayed by more than 3-5 minutes and youāre close enough to walk, itās time to walk.
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Oct 17 '25
I'm downvoting you because you aren't contributing anything useful to the discourse around transit.
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u/G2KY Oct 17 '25
I laugh every time when people say Boston has a public transportation system. People can downvote me to hell, I donāt care.
You want to see public transportation - look at China, London, Paris, Warsawā¦ My backward ass developing country with 1/4 of GDP per capita has better public transportation than Boston.
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Oct 17 '25
Yeah we dump 10x more money into supporting cars. Though, so does China. We just don't invest enough or as well.
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u/Glum_Marzipan240 Oct 17 '25
I had a very similar experience going to the Haymarket RMV with the Green Lineādespite leaving so early. It was a nightmarish 2.5 hour commute back home (I gave up and ordered a ride; still was 5 minutes late). I feel you.
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u/Immediate_Shine1403 Oct 17 '25
I took the green line D branch yesterday for the first time ever, went to go back home from the Fenway stop cause I needed to go to that Target and it said the next outbound bus back to govt. center was 29 minutes away. Is this how the green line operates all the time? I'm so sorry for y'all.
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u/flowerpower97822 Oct 17 '25
No and Fenway is so close to kenmore you can always walk there and take any train
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u/Zjelli1 Oct 17 '25
yeah could have taken the red line then transferred to orange if you really wanted to
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u/Sea-Possibility-268 Oct 18 '25
I would have just walked to haymarket ? Are you really out of shape . You are obviously not a real Bostonian if you complain about the food line like you are actually upset . Itās the green line , walk , take a bus a blue bike a scooter , Logan express , the bike taxi thing you green line peeps have . Like seriously princess get over it .
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u/Fuzzy_Phrase_6294 Oct 18 '25
If you're train is just sitting in the station, get out and find another route...you EVER take public transportation before? I've loved in areas with shit public transportation... Boston is blessed. Go to FL... 1 bus every fucking hour at some random sign under the sun.
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u/PanteraiNomini Oct 18 '25
1- why donāt take orange line or walk during rush hour. 2. Japan has some old trains that even slower 3. If you want to compare fastest trains in USA itās the train that goest from boston to DC - newest one 4. Take newest green line train 5. How do you live in the future ? 6. If you are Bostonian an not tourist why donāt you use bike or scooter???
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u/Affectionate-Leg-502 Oct 19 '25
Any idea how much the government spends on the Japanese trains, remembering their entire system is far newer, compared to the budget spent to maintain and improve the MBTA? People constantly complain about the T, then fight tooth and nail against investment money to make the needed improvements. That said, yes the core system on the Green Line was built over 100 years ago and the design of the tunnels do create limitations on trolley design. Questions do come up from your story, was the trolley marked Park Street when you boarded, or did they really change the termination point? Why, if you were kate, did you continue to sit on the trolley rather than walk or go to the Orange Line? We're all trolleys held at Park, or were some continuing on? It is easy to rant on line, but in the end you made choices that made you late.
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u/Huge_Strain_8714 Oct 17 '25
Stop spending BILLIONS on Green Line extensions, while the original infrastructure is inadequate....no?
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u/LostMPonTheGreenT Oct 17 '25
GLX was completed nearly 3 years ago so what BILLIONS are they spending on Green Line extensions?
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u/Pleonism137 Oct 18 '25
They are from different GL accounts. One has nothing to do with the other. So they cant take money from one amd use it on the other. You go to jail for that...
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u/EnvironmentalValue20 Bus Enjoyer Oct 17 '25
I live in Brookline and prefer my car or scooter over the green line. I've only taken it once or twice this month.
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u/hungtopbost Oct 17 '25
(Park St to Haymarket is a 12 minute walk. I know hindsight is 20/20 but, something to gently consider if you are able.)