‘The entire train smells like raw sewage’: Friday brought some interesting issues for commuter rail riders
“A ski car for the rush hour train? You guys are ridiculous. We need SEATS!"
Friday’s commute brought delays from the usual suspects, signal issues and train traffic; in other words, nothing out of the ordinary for regular commuter rail riders.But for some unsuspecting commuters, the morning ride was accompanied by less traditional issues, including one of the smelly variety.That odorous culprit happened to be a train toilet door that was stuck open.“Currently sitting in the dark behind a restroom whose door won’t close,” a Twitter user simply identified as “t” wrote in a tweet, complete with a photo of the offending porcelain throne. “The entire train smells like raw sewage and we are at a snail’s pace heading to North Station.”
https://twitter.com/76t81/status/1215632906749718529
Commuter Rail officials responded, and apologized, promising to report the issue if “t” replied with the train number.
“Train 160 from Newburyport,” t wrote. “It was also late again, if that helps you sort it out.”
This wasn’t the only train with toilet issues, as another Twitter user, identified as “matt kane’s brain,” reported a clogged toilet on a different train. Authorities apologized, again, and said they would report it to the “mechanical department for further handling.”
A couple of commuters raised frustration over a ski car being part of their train, even though they weren’t bound for a skiing trip.
“A ski car for the rush hour train?” wrote Twitter user Jen Heiser. “You guys are ridiculous. We need SEATS! We paid for seats.”
Officials replied with an apology and an explanation.
“When coaches/sets are taken out of service for maintenance, the ski car is usually added to provide additional seating and standing room,” the commuter rail said in a tweet. “Without this coach, the set would be even smaller during use.”
Hi Jen. We are sorry for this inconvenience. When coaches/sets are taken out of service for maintenance, the ski car is usually added to provide additional seating and standing room. Without this coach, the set would be even smaller during use. ^MM
— MBTA Commuter Rail (@MBTA_CR) January 10, 2020
Twitter user Amy Battis snapped a picture of the offending ski car, calling it “another flash of brilliance.”
And in another flash of brilliance, aforementioned epically late train #104 which will be packed to the gills due to excessive tardiness, only has half the seats it needs due to the “ski car”. @MBTA_CR #cantmakethisshitup #$340amonth pic.twitter.com/ZP86xlSj9I
— Amy Battis (@amybatt70) January 10, 2020
Off of the trains themselves, the display boards were down in North Station Friday morning for a brief period, and workers were announcing the platform numbers over the PA system.
North Station display boards Friday morning.
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