Slow zones plague T
70 speed restrictions in place across system
Trains are crawling along large portions of the MBTA’s subway system, where 70 speed restrictions are in place, covering a whopping 8.7 miles of total track, according to new data released by the agency.
Trolleys are traveling the slowest on parts of the Green Line, where speeds are restricted to just 3 to 6 miles per hour for nearly 1,800 feet of track, and 10 miles per hour for the remaining 5,890 feet of speed-restricted track.
The MBTA made the slow zone data available to riders for the first time on Friday, about a week after a Boston Globe reporter obtained the information through a public records request. This follows months of T officials refusing to tell the public just how many of these speed restrictions were in place throughout the system.
“Obviously these are issues that people care about, that we care about, and we use it to track and manage internally,” said Interim General Manager Jeffrey Gonneville at a Friday board of directors meeting. “But now also giving out that information publicly is what we’re looking to do.”
Gonneville said the report, which shows slow zones in place as of Jan. 31, covering 6.5% of total track, is an interim measure until the MBTA launches a live speed restriction dashboard in late March or early April.
The dashboard will be updated daily to provide riders with the most up-to-date information available on location, speed limits and distance for each speed restriction along each subway line, MBTA spokesperson Lisa Battiston said.
Until that time, a prepared report will be made available for February and March slow zones as part of the MBTA’s new safety dashboard, which shows progress the agency is making toward special directives issued as part of last year’s safety management inspection, conducted by the Federal Transit Administration.
As of Jan. 31, 24 speed restrictions were still in place on the Orange Line, despite promises from the T that all so-called slow zones would be eliminated following track repairs made during last summer’s 30-day shutdown.
Trains are traveling 10 to 25 miles per hour throughout the 24 slow zones, which cover 2.9 miles of track, accounting for 13.1% of the Orange Line.
But the Red Line is the leader in total slow zones, with 30, when factoring in three on the Mattapan Line, which tracks with data from advocacy group TransitMatters, which had previously been the only resource for riders trying to keep track of speed restrictions along their commute.
Between the Red and Mattapan Lines, 4.3 miles are speedrestricted, with trains traveling at just 10 miles per hour over 3.4 miles of track.
Sixteen speed restrictions are in place along 1.5 miles of Green Line track, with trolleys inching along at 3 mph for 100 feet from Kenmore to Fenway, and 5 mph for 150 feet from North Station to Science Park.
Green Line trolleys don’t pick up much speed in other restricted areas, hitting just 6 mph in six locations and topping out at 10 mph in the remaining eight slow zones, the MBTA data show.
Only the Blue Line is currently free of speed restrictions.
Gonneville said crews are conducting work after train service stops on weeknights to address these speed restrictions. Given the ongoing construction and track inspections taking place, restrictions will be lifted, but others will be put in place “as we move forward,” he said.
Lifting speed restrictions will require larger diversions, according to Gonneville, who said information on what have recently been partial subway line shutdowns on nights and weekends will be shared at a future board meeting.
Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, who grilled former General Manager Steve Poftak about the agency’s lack of transparency on Orange Line slow zone data at an October oversight hearing, praised the release of Friday’s speed restriction report.
“Last fall, I asked leadership at the MBTA to come clean about their slow zones, telling the public where and why,” Markey said in a statement. “This announcement moves us forward, but I won’t rest until the T is back on track, up to full speed and fully doing right by its riders.”
In a statement, Warren added, “This is a positive step toward providing greater transparency to MBTA riders and the public at large about the conditions of our transit system, but our work is not done.”
“The people of Massachusetts deserve a safe, reliable and efficient transportation system,” she said.