UPDATE: The MBTA's New Locomotive Order

As a follow up to a story we first reported on June 4^th Boston To a T can now confirm that the MBTA’s order for 40 new locomotives is about two months behind schedule.

Last year the MBTA released a statement stating that the first of 3 pilot locomotives would be arriving in Boston this month. According to MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo the first pilot unit will not be shipped out of the Motive Power Industries plant in Boise, Idaho until the end of July.

Pesaturo blames the delay on "design modifications and improvements". 

Currently, all 3 pilot units are out of production and are being prepped for testing. One of them will be sent to GE's Transportation Division in Erie, Pennsylvania for testing and the other will be sent to the TTCI test track in Pueblo, Colorado where it will undergo dynamic testing.

When the third unit arrives here in Boston it will undergo acceptance testing and training will take place. 

If all goes according to plan we might see the first pilot unit in service by years end. 

New MBTA locomotives: Is the order on track?

Rendering of MPI HSP-46
Courtesy: MBTA

In July of 2010 the MBTA board of directors approved the purchase of 20 new locomotives. The $115 million order was placed with Idaho based Motive Power Inc. (MPI) . Under the contract, MPI was tasked with designing a unique locomotive specifically for the T,  while also meeting the EPA's tier-3 emissions guidelines. Their result was the HSP-46 locomotive.


Over the past three years the T's order with MPI has been changed quite a bit. In July 2011 a new paint scheme was voted on by the public, the MBTA then added 7 more locomotives to the order in July 2012, and most recently this past April, thirteen more units were added. These changes bring the total order up to 40 locomotives.

Back in 2010, when the contract was granted to MPI , they were given two and a half years to produce a prototype unit and have it sent here to Boston for testing. That date was later pushed back to June of this year.

Well it's June, and the MBTA has yet to sent out any updates on the status of the order.

The T has not released any official statements saying the order is delayed, but sometimes delays do happen with orders like this. Look what happened with the Rotem bi-level order.

F-40 #1004 built in 1978

These new locomotives are vital if the T wants to maintain reliable transportation for Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Currently the MBTA's oldest in-service locomotives date back to 1978. They are loud, unreliable, and highly inefficient. When the 40 new HSP-46 locomotives replace the oldest units in the MBTA's fleet they will be reducing diesel fuel consumption by over 1,700,000 gallons per year, according to GE.

I guess we shall see what the month of June brings. Hopefully we find out that the order is on track and we will see a prototype here in Boston within the next few months.

Marathon Monday: How to Navigate the T

This makes me want to run the marathon!
BTAT file photo: April 2011

     The city of Boston will be abuzz with tourists, runners, and their families next past weekend, as everyone gathers for the 117th annual Boston Marathon. 

It is the oldest annual city race in the world and attracts some 500,000 spectators along the route every year (To give some perspective, the entire population of Boston proper stands at just over 617,000.) Over 20,000 runners participate every year, making this a major event for Boston.

With more people filing into the city, streets, attractions, stores, and YES the MBTA will be much more crowded that usual. 

If you plan on utilizing the MBTA on Monday April, 15 there are a few things that you should know: 


Subway & BRT

• Red, Orange, Green, Blue, and Silver line service will run on a NORMAL weekday schedule and will run at rush-hour levels before and after the race. 

• Copley Station will be CLOSED all day. Customers wanting to get to the Marathon will have to use Hynes Convention Center or Arlington stations. Passengers will only be able to exit from the Boylston Street side of Hynes Convention Center Station. 

• Word of Advice: If you don't have an MBTA Link-Pass make sure you add value to your Charlie Card before Marathon Monday. Lines will become very long at Charlie vending machines.

Commuter Rail:

• ALL MBCR Commuter rail lines will operate on their regular weekday schedules. 

Bus:

• Buses and trackless trolleys will operate on a Saturday schedule.

• The following bus routes will NOT OPERATE on April 15th. 
•  CT1, CT2, CT3, 4, 19, 52, 67, 68, 79, 84, 85, 114, 121, 131, 170, 217, 221, 245, 424, 424W, 428, 434, 439, 448, 449, 451, 456, 459, 502, 503, 505, 554, 556, 558.

Crowds near the Prudential Center
BTAT file photo: April 2011

• Some buses will be rerouted at certain times during the day to prevent disruption of the race. These routes include: 8, 9, 10, 39, 47, 55, 57, 59, 60, 62, 65, 66, 76, 86, 94, 95, 96, 101, 134, 350, 504. 

The MBTA expects that with the dramatically increased ridership and extreme crowds on Marathon Monday passengers should expect delays on different parts of the system throughout the day. (Especially Commuter Rail and the Green Line service) Make sure you check MBTA.com or follow @MBTA_Alerts for up-to-date service alerts.

You can also watch LIVE coverage of the Boston Marathon on the Boston Athletic Association's website: HERE.

Good luck to ALL of the runners!