So I finally did something I've wanted to do for over 20 years, and that was ride the classic cars on the Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line.

I wish the foliage had been a little further along, but it was still pretty. Glad I finally got to ride on them while they're still in service.

Crusty image quality comes directly from the T. Information comes from 10/15 Audit & Finance Subcommittee meeting: https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/2026-10/2026-10-15-mbta-af-locomotive-procurement-presentation.pdf

Globe

The MBTA will not receive all of its new Red Line trains by 2027 as expected, adding yet another delay to a yearslong, protracted process that T officials say was further complicated by the prolonged federal seizure of new car shells.

T officials disclosed the setback Thursday in response to questions from the Globe. But the agency did not identify a new timeline for getting the 184 Red Line cars still due to the T under a roughly $1 billion contract with the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation.

As of July, 68 of the 252 new Red Line cars had been delivered to the T, according to a presentation officials made Thursday to the MBTA’s audit and finance subcommittee.

Forty cars are currently at the CRRC Springfield factory, while another 10 on the way from China, said Joe Pesaturo, a T spokesperson. CRRC plans to open a second assembly line early next year to accelerate production.

About 40 percent of the more than 200 Red Line cars in service now are new, according to T officials.

The latest delay adds to the saga surrounding the T’s bid to replace decrepit Red Line cars with a sorely-needed fresh fleet.

Its original $567 million deal with CRRC in 2014 dictated that the agency would have all new Red Line cars in hand within a decade. But the contract has been dogged by persistent setbacks and hundreds of millions in cost overruns. In the past, the delivery schedule for both new Orange and Red Line trains has shifted time and time again, because of mishaps inside the CRRC manufacturing facility in Springfield, the COVID pandemic, shipping delays of equipment from China, and tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.

US Customs and Border Protection then detained CRRC’s train car shells in Philadelphia for 10 months starting May 2025 under suspicion they were built using forced labor. They were released in March, perhaps in part because of a nudge from Springfield US Representative Richard Neal.

The development was supposed to mark a return to the norm. Most CRRC factory workers furloughed during the impound returned to the job, and Governor Maura Healey feted the progress in a tour of the facility this summer.

Before the federal government intervened, CRRC was preparing to deliver eight cars per month to the T, according to the agency.

As of now, 152 new Orange Line trains made by CRRC are all in service. The last batch was delivered in December. The T said the line’s new trains average 148,000 miles between failures, as much as five times longer than the previous fleet.

The Orange Line also once again hit its maximum speed of 55 miles per hour last year.

But the T’s troubled partnership with CRRC is a frequent point of scrutiny.

The Beijing-based company, the world’s largest rolling stock and rail transit equipment manufacturer, came into the 2014 bidding process having never done business in the United States. It bid $200 million below the T’s own cost estimate for the work back and lured the support of elected officials with the prospect of providing hundreds of stable jobs in western Massachusetts.

The Globe reported in 2023 that the Springfield CRRC factory was plagued by mishaps, and the early train releases were faulty and repeatedly pulled out of service.

Eventually, seeing delay after delay, T leaders considered scrapping the CRRC deal. But the agency instead chose instead to pay CRRC another $148 million in 2024 for 404 total Orange and Red Line trains, pulling up the total cost of the contract to more than $1 billion.

MBTA general manager Phil Eng said at the time that the T would not receive the last car until 2029 at the earliest if the T had not made a new deal.

The complete delivery timeline for the new trains is now unclear. The project end date for the full CRRC contract is fiscal year 2032, though T officials said Thursday that is not the expected timeline for delivering all the remaining Red Line cars.

Red Line service in general has bounced back from 2023 and 2024, according to data collected by transit advocacy group TransitMatters. The line is facing fewer headline-making accidents, and federal transit officials returned oversight of safety on the T to state regulators in September, ending years of heightened scrutiny.

That said, some Red Line cars built around 1970 are still in use across the T.

In a sprawling agency analysis in 2023, the T estimated that half its vehicles need repair or replacement.

Hi all. I have an unused Interzone 5 ticket.

In need to travel from Zone 4 to South Station next week. Is there any way I can use the Interzone ticket as part of my fare? I unfortunately will not be back in the area until after my Interzone 5 has expired.

Thanks.

Website and MBTA Go app had a track change alert to “board all Franklin/Foxboro Line trains on the outbound platform (Track 1) at Endicott through Norwood Central until further notice today.” We waited on the outbound side at Dedham Corporate Center. The outbound train pulled up on outbound tracks, which confirmed the inbound wasn’t gonna be on the outbound tracks. Glad we had time to cross and get to the correct side.

I can live with the 20+ minute delay because I would have just been walking to pass the time before my timed entry if it were on time. It’s false alerts, or lack of further notice to disregard that alert, or failure to remove the track change alert that got me to send my first complaint through the MBTA site, and post this to alert other Franklin/Foxboro riders. I should have taken the 34E, which was less than ten minutes away when I could have been dropped off there instead of Dedham Corporate Center.

I don’t know any regular Silver Line users. How reliable is it? I’d be picking it up at South Station. I’m not super familiar with it and how well it runs.

Anyone else notice that literally every banner/flag/wall advertisement in South Station is now for some software called "Blitzy"? Literally nothing else

I know not official, but the red line still crawls between Harvard and Central, creeps along into stations, slows down on the bridge between Kendall and Park, and I’m sure others.

And I’m not just talking about curves

Redline has a disabled train at Alewife. Expect big delays.

Hi guys, I've been taking the red line for many years. One thing I've noticed recently is the quality of the ride has deteriorated significantly. Instead of moving forward they are moving backwards.

Every time I'm taking the train northbound to Alewife the train always every single time comes to a stop between Davis and Alewife. And it stops for on average of 5 min. I get that it has to wait for the other trains to clear the platform but can't they manage this better? The whole trip from Davis to Alewife is probably one of the worst because it takes about 10 min...

Hey everyone, last year I found satellite images of 010 and 011 at MPI in Erie PA. As of that last post we have gotten an update from that T that is seems they are looking to trade the locomotives for F40s. Not the news a lot of us wanted, but it is what it is.

Trains holding at JFK now. Disabled train reported at Alewife.

Today, my mom and uncles reiterated claims that the Mattapan Trolley from Ashmont to Cedar Grove was, and still is, free, while the MBTA site says the usual subway price. In my experience since first taking it last month, I’ve noticed the fare boxes weren’t working, and the operator waved me through like bus drivers and Green Line operators at above-ground stops when their fare boxes were broken.

Was this a thing in the ‘80s and ‘90s, when they would have primarily ridden the T, or were they just waved through like the situations I described earlier? I’d also like to add context they said it was included with getting off the Red Line from Ashmont, so it could easily have been the case before CharlieCards were introduced.

I lost my waterbottle after taking the T. It was either stolen from the ball square T station, or I left it on the green line. Please let me know if you see it!! I am very sad to have lost it ☹️☹️☹️. Any help or info or tips are appreciated!! i am planning to go to Cleveland Circle on Friday as well.

Job Hunter here, just applied to a couple admin jobs at the T !

I haven’t been able to find any info on what the expectations for office/remote time might be for non-construction positions— the job descriptions are a bit vague. I’m open to any schedule but kind of want to know what to expect.

Anyone got insights on what the office policy is these days?

I’m on my way to the hospital bc I cannot drive or afford Uber right now. I take the Orange Line daily and I haven’t seen this happen since at least last year. Did I miss an update??

Service had generally been good but when days like today happen, and there is no service alert, it makes me think the T is cooking the books on their on time service metrics.

The train has taken 35 minutes to do a trip that normally takes 15. The train just stops. The only message from the conductor is standing by.

OK - fine - sometimes things happen.

Then post it!

No service alerts.

The T is lying to the public about service today.

PLease stop.

Anyone have any intel on why there are constant signal problems that delay the redline. This happens a lot and I’m just curious what it actually consists of and why it can’t be fixed.

If you commute into oak grove you know how awful the parking is there with the limited spot and the lot being full by 8am. If you are a person who has parked in a non parking spot or outside their designated signs do you get a ticket for that? Just curious if that is something the MBTA is policing on the daily or if they just let it go.

Signal issue on red line between Harvard and porter. Towards alewife

I'm going to a weekday evening event near Alewife T, lasting a couple hours. I know that street parking is likely to be non-existent, so I looked at the MBTA garage.

I could only see day rates ($9) quoted, and only PayByPhone app option for payment. Does anyone know if there is any short-term parking, and if I can pay by credit card on site?