Local News

A vision for the T: Two locals want to give trains googly eyes

“When T trains are delayed, people can at least look into the eyes of the train when it finally arrives, and feel some love and understanding in their hearts."

John Sanchez (left) and Arielle Lok Arielle Lok

By Emily Spatz

4 minutes to read

Everyone always asks the T where it’s going, not how it’s going. 

And if eyes are the windows to the soul, two Massachusetts residents want MBTA riders to be more empathetic to the public transit system — and for it to be more caring toward its users. 

John Sanchez and Arielle Lok, both 22, want the MBTA to put googly eyes on T trains. They’re organizing a march next week to help get the agency’s attention. 

The duo wants residents to imagine themselves on their morning commute to work: tired, stressed, and waiting for the T, which is (obviously) running late. 

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“And then, as the train comes into view, you see them: two, giant, glorious, Googly Eyes glued onto the front of the train,” the event description for the march reads. “When T trains are delayed, people can at least look into the eyes of the train when it finally arrives, and feel some love and understanding in their hearts. The T doesn’t want to be late. It feels bad being late.”

On Monday at noon, Sanchez and Locke — and what they hope will turn out to be at least a hundred others — will march from the Park Street MBTA station to the MBTA offices at Park Plaza in a call to have the agency attach eyes to trains. 

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“We’re 1,000% serious about this,” Lok told Boston.com. “This is a serious march for a serious cause.”

Dressing up public transit isn’t unprecedented

According to Lok and Sanchez, the move will help bring joy into the lives of Bostonians on their daily, sometimes monotonous commutes. The pair themselves are frequent T users — Lok’s favorite line is the Green Line and Sanchez is a fan of the Red Line. 

Lok, who is originally from Vancouver, Canada, and now resides in Somerville, said she was inspired by public transportation in her home city. Around Christmas time, buses in Vancouver are dressed as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, with googly eyes and red noses, and there’s even an X community “celebrating the joy it brings into their lives.”

“People used to get so hyped to see them in the wild, and I just didn’t really feel that energy in Boston,” Lok said, adding that she had tried to stick the eyes on herself but decided the issue needed to be systemically addressed.  

“[Sticking them on myself} felt like such a bandit solution to something that deserves a lot more awareness from all MBTA riders,” Lok said. “This is bigger than me just wanting googly eyes on the front of a train. This is a new vision for the T — which is giving the T vision.”

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Sanchez, a Harvard graduate who lives in Cambridge, says the initiative also aims to encourage MBTA riders to empathize with their transit system. 

“We want to improve the lives of the hundreds and thousands of Bostonians who ride the T every day,” Sanchez said. “We want people to be able to look into the eyes of the train and really see themselves and see their friends and see their coworkers.”

Googly eyes are cheaper than repairing the T, the pair says

Furthermore, Sanchez and Lok say the silly solution would be a lot cheaper and easier compared to the billions of dollars it would take to fix the T. 

“Look: the MBTA has a responsibility to improve the lives of Bostonians. If the trains can’t be reliable, at least they can be fun and bring a smile to the faces of over a million people per day,” the march description reads. 

And the pair doesn’t think they’re asking for much — they only want the MBTA to test out the vision on a small number of trains for a limited amount of time, at least at first.

“The ball is in the court of the MBTA, and this protest is not the end,” Lok said. “It’s the beginning. We’re really fighting to be seen by our public transit system.”

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Since Monday’s march will end in front of the MBTA offices, Sanchez and Lok are hoping they will get to speak to representatives from the agency about their campaign after the event. Lok said she wants Phillip Eng himself, the general manager and CEO of the MBTA, to come out and “put the first eyes on the train.”

So, if you’re on your lunch break on Monday and hear loud chants like “Dot your eyes, cross your Ts, googly eyes on T trains please” and “Bring some joy into our lives, give the Green Line googly eyes,” don’t be alarmed. It’s just that the T may soon be able to watch over you. 

“It’s a movement about silliness and improving the lives and personality of Boston and its transit system. But it’s also about empathy. You stare into the train and the train stares back,” Sanchez said. “We’re hoping for a good turnout so we can just bring some color to the mornings and afternoons of Bostonians everywhere.”

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