
History of the MBTA’s troubled new orange line trains
The bidding process In late 2013, the MBTA was looking to replace its aging fleet of orange line trains – Cars that were 34 years old, and nearing the end…
The bidding process In late 2013, the MBTA was looking to replace its aging fleet of orange line trains – Cars that were 34 years old, and nearing the end…
Background The MBTA has one of the most expansive commuter rail networks in the country – only behind New Jersey Transit and Metra (somehow the MBTA and Metrolink in LA…
Background Despite it’s challenges, maintenance backlogs, debt and safety record, the MBTA is a lifeline for the city of Boston, one that must be expanded over the next few years…
The Why: Designing a new map. The Metro is a unique system, having operating closer to an S-Bahn style system outside of downtown, with subway-equivalent service in downtown. That made…
The Why: The MBTA map is one of the most iconic subway maps – trailing just behind London and NYC. Its an awesome looking map, but it distorts geography heavily…
The Why: The 3 railroads are very intimidating networks. Unlike their easy to understand subway counterparts, the railroads feature tons of unlabeled service patterns and oddities that I find aren’t…
The Current Maps: The currently available maps for commuter rail lines in the greater NYC region are a hot mess. I mean, at the time of writing, clicking to view…
As many are aware, the T is in a crisis right now. Crumbling infrastructure and major safety incidents have led to degraded service, and unfortunately, the MBTA is still under…
Lets try this again Earlier this year, I set out on a mission to redesign the MBTA map. The result? A blocky mess that showed the system inaccurately and had…
Hey there! Before we get to my post, this is my first post on this new blog! I’m Eliot, a central Massachusetts native who is preparing to move to Chicago,…