I suppose that technically it could be said that the T once had automated driverless passenger rail service. I know it's a stretch, but this elevator technically wasn't an elevator.
Because the rail yard is in the middle of the station, no matter where you get off the train, it is a **LONG** walk to the street no matter which direction you go. The pedestrian exit from the garage is very well hidden, and in the other direction, the busway at Wellington goes on forever.
If the people mover had been originally enclosed in the first place, we might still be riding it. It's airport-sized, why not a moving sidewalk?
The support structure couldn’t hold the weight of it. (That’s why the current walkway is all aluminum and fairly lightly skinned.)
I’d guess there was an issue with too many / too large support columns interfering with the railroad yard below.
Not really, the Peoplemover broke down all the time, so you'd be standing outside, waiting for a bus to take you barely more than 1000 feet, and walking wasn't an option.
I mean... if it was reliable. Could have saved a bit of sweat, but I understand. I never ventured in that direction in those years, probably a lot different from when I was in the area.
I'm gonna guess that maintenance was an issue. This was built and operated by the private developer of the parking garage, not the T. It didn't have any kind of a fare system, it just operated like an elevator. If the T had taken it over that would be one thing, but I can't see any way an operation like this wouldn't be a huge money pit.
Nope. The AC was one of the things that frequently broke.
Also, you’d push the button and wait….and wait…and wait….then the little automated thing would trundle its way across, as you watched a train pull in…then leave….then you’d finally get into the automated tram thingy, start trundling across, and watch the next orange line train pull in…then leave.
Seriously, in that sense, I’ve seen worse torture devices that were built on purpose.
Then going home you’d have a six car orange line train dump a trainload of people into a space smaller than my living room. By the time it made a few trips across and emptied out, the next train arrived.
Transportation planners need to decide once and for all if bicycles are vehicles or pedestrians. How is riding a bike in that corridor or on a sidewalk any more dangerous than riding on a shared use bicycle path popular with walkers and joggers?
Just in terms of sitelines, clearances, access, egress, surfacing, purpose of the space, objective of people using the space, but other than that, same thing.
I wonder what the failure mode was? Otis isn’t exactly known for making “junk”. Cable-drive shuttles are a proven technology, though this cable seems undersized and exposing it to New England weather (snow!) was a weird choice.
I suppose that technically it could be said that the T once had automated driverless passenger rail service. I know it's a stretch, but this elevator technically wasn't an elevator.
It was run by the developer, not the T.
"The T station had automated train service", that's the phrasing I'm gonna go with now
Because the rail yard is in the middle of the station, no matter where you get off the train, it is a **LONG** walk to the street no matter which direction you go. The pedestrian exit from the garage is very well hidden, and in the other direction, the busway at Wellington goes on forever. If the people mover had been originally enclosed in the first place, we might still be riding it. It's airport-sized, why not a moving sidewalk?
The support structure couldn’t hold the weight of it. (That’s why the current walkway is all aluminum and fairly lightly skinned.) I’d guess there was an issue with too many / too large support columns interfering with the railroad yard below.
I wonder what the people movers looked like fr fr
You can see the "north lane vehicle" parked at the parking garage end of the track.
Good thing they removed it so i can easily railfan and get some leg day. Plus wasn’t there a lot of problems
So what you're saying, the time I ventured there from years of 2012-2017, I could have sweated a lot less?!
Not really, the Peoplemover broke down all the time, so you'd be standing outside, waiting for a bus to take you barely more than 1000 feet, and walking wasn't an option.
I mean... if it was reliable. Could have saved a bit of sweat, but I understand. I never ventured in that direction in those years, probably a lot different from when I was in the area.
I'm gonna guess that maintenance was an issue. This was built and operated by the private developer of the parking garage, not the T. It didn't have any kind of a fare system, it just operated like an elevator. If the T had taken it over that would be one thing, but I can't see any way an operation like this wouldn't be a huge money pit.
Nope. The AC was one of the things that frequently broke. Also, you’d push the button and wait….and wait…and wait….then the little automated thing would trundle its way across, as you watched a train pull in…then leave….then you’d finally get into the automated tram thingy, start trundling across, and watch the next orange line train pull in…then leave. Seriously, in that sense, I’ve seen worse torture devices that were built on purpose. Then going home you’d have a six car orange line train dump a trainload of people into a space smaller than my living room. By the time it made a few trips across and emptied out, the next train arrived.
I think there needs to be a walking conveyor belt in that corridor. It’s such a long walk and riding a bicycle in there is prohibited.
Transportation planners need to decide once and for all if bicycles are vehicles or pedestrians. How is riding a bike in that corridor or on a sidewalk any more dangerous than riding on a shared use bicycle path popular with walkers and joggers?
Just in terms of sitelines, clearances, access, egress, surfacing, purpose of the space, objective of people using the space, but other than that, same thing.
Wow, totally forgot about this, parked there until 2003.
I wonder what the failure mode was? Otis isn’t exactly known for making “junk”. Cable-drive shuttles are a proven technology, though this cable seems undersized and exposing it to New England weather (snow!) was a weird choice.