Passenger Trains > MBTA Green Line

Troublesome trolleys to go back in service

by Doug Hanchett
Wednesday, October 16, 2002


The MBTA plans to begin putting its derail-prone Breda Green Line cars back into service on the B Line to Boston College in mid-December, with the hope that new wheel specifications will stave off a $50 million overhaul of the low-floor vehicles.


The last-ditch attempt to make the Italian-made Breda cars work without an expensive redesign involves ``cutting\'\' new wheel profiles, upgrading track and beefing up inspections - an effort that will cost $3.8 million.

``At this juncture, I\'d say we\'re cautiously optimistic,\'\' said T General Manager Mike Mulhern. ``All the information that\'s been given to me indicates we\'re well on our way to solving the problem. If it doesn\'t work . . . it\'s back to the drawing board.\'\'

The T will present its plan to the state Department of Telecommunications and Energy for approval by early November, Mulhern said.

The Breda cars were introduced in 1998, only to be pulled from service in July 2000 after braking problems and a rash of derailments. The T then spent $5 million shoring up the Green Line tracks, only to encounter more derailments. They have been mothballed for the past 14 months.

The Breda cars cost $2.18 million each.

Does this mean a reprieve for the Boeing cars? Maybe also for some PCC\'s?

PCC\'s are only assigned to Ashmont-Mattapan (marketed as the "Red Line" but operationally the "Green Line") so are practically unaffected by whatever happens on the core Green Line branches.

The Boeings have been in reprieve for years now; the Green Line was supposed to be all Type 8 and rebuilt Type 7 by what, 1999? I\'m wondering if I will have moved away from Boston by the time the Type 8\'s (or perhaps a needed redesign) go into full service.

Maltby Turn out.