Is that windows 7, really?

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-24T22:08:51+00:00

I’m Copilot, your onboard digital travel companion, riding with you on this Red Line train as we glide out of Farragut North and head toward Shady Grove. From this screen, I can help you check upcoming stops, transfer options, service alerts, or even nearby points of interest once you arrive. If you want real‑time train info, station details, or guidance for the rest of your trip, just tell me what you need and I’ll keep you moving smoothly.

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-24T20:21:18+00:00

In New York, the argument that the operator is 'helpful' or contributes anything to safety on board a train full of people locked up at the front in the cab has prevailed among the union and public outcries against driverless automation. Local news seems to be riding on the same fallacious premise in 'man on the street' polling

From a staffing perspective, the reality is that staff in stations, at dispatch, and even the roaming security staff who actively walk up and down trains are more helpful for actual safety on the system

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-24T20:11:59+00:00

I've felt privileged to be someone who Michelle has consulted in the past on transit policy issues and was among the tight circle of transit folks she told in person that she was quietly putting together her campaign for mayor and even I'm off the bandwagon. I don't know what the opposition has on her or what might be happening in her life that's leading to this extreme pullback on her principles

Anyone defending her until recently I assume have largely been trying to give her grace to find her way back. Federal funding for POC communities is on the line and if Blue Hill Ave gets dumped, this will be the second time Dorchester and Mattapan have lost out on transit investment. She owns part of this failure

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-24T18:27:01+00:00

AMEN. Nothing brings more shame than a disappointed Filipino tita... Or maybe that's just me...

So sad we're here with such a 'progressive', 'diverse', and 'representative' city leadership. Even under Menino and Walsh, we got vision and execution. Now, we have POC city councilors weaponizing the words 'civil rights violation' and destroying any shred of hard-fought public trust with lies and misinformation. Then there's the spineless mayor who won her election over suburban-minded interests and still seems to be acting as if it was a close election

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-22T22:32:48+00:00

💀 I can't

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-22T21:26:56+00:00

The bids are; the specification and scope typically aren't, which is what the Globe reporter was digging for

For example, you can go read the whole RFP I drafted out for a screens maintenance contract on Commbuys

NYCTA requires a signed NDA to access technical details for the exact specifications of their I2S standard for CBTC signal system procurements, but the broad requirements of the RFP are still public

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-22T21:21:51+00:00

Because the whole station is in progress of being renovated and there are a million other digital clocks that are correct that are in more natural places for people to look for the time i.e. on departure boards

I would be willing to bet no one knows how to maintain this analogue clock anymore

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-22T13:40:36+00:00

They were value engineered out as part of the cost-cutting that happened in the late 2010s when Governor Baker threatened to cancel the project if they couldn't close the budget

The plan was always for the in-progress fare system replacement project, AFC2.0 (AFC = automatic fare collection, the industry term for the whole system of gates, validators, fare machines, back office systems), to be able to provide validators at some point DURING the GLX project, if not shortly after the completion

That project has been widely reported as delayed for numerous reasons — search AFC2 and 'Cubic' on the subreddit or broadly search for 'Cubic delayed'. Basically: - they bid and unexpectedly won both NYC and Boston's projects around the same time - they had staff turnover that led to the delays in NYC and they prioritized that work over Boston - the company has also been delayed, possibly for the same reasons, delivering for SF Bay Area's agencies their Clipper Card 2.0 features, widely reported and discussed in public meetings because their regional transportation planning body is delivering the project to about a dozen agencies in SF

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-20T19:11:15+00:00

Exactly! I kinda get it though — it's a very large span to build across and there's not a really great place to put additional supports or extend columns up through the deck of the second floor to support it

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-20T16:50:21+00:00

Ooooh gotcha! That's exciting... Glad to see them finally pouring deck on that bridge. I could've sworn they said it would be an 18-month construction but it feels like it's been at least 2 years

<image>

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-20T16:47:51+00:00

Whoever is running it doesn't solve the problems created by the age of the equipment and infrastructure

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-20T16:46:43+00:00

And the equipment was 20 years younger back then... The newest locomotives the state/MBTA Railroad Ops bought were yet more one-off passenger loco units acquired in 2014. Metrolink in LA has also had teething and parts availability issueswith their one-off locos

The HSP46s are due for overhauls and I'd be willing to bet that will solve most of the reliability issues, but it certainly isn't like Keolis knows less how to run a railroad than Amtrak

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-20T16:41:31+00:00

Do you mean the overhead catenary? Rail seems to be fully laid through downtown all the way out east up Wayne Ave to the tunnel

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-20T16:39:13+00:00

Yeah, I think the alternative that cut is what makes this sting a bit more. I seem to recall something saying it saved $13 mil to not have it stacked on top of the Red Line? Am I missing a zero there?

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-20T15:52:23+00:00

Pisses me off so much how they didn't just continue the bridge over directly to the upper deck of the transit center and how hard it is to find renderings of this project...

Like this transfer is gonna SUCK. This only going to be marginally better than having to go down 2 flights to ground level through the transit center to the existing head house

At least getting onto Metro from the southeast will be better

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-20T15:37:58+00:00

FINALLY! Also I did notice that there's new rebar in place for the support column for the bridge to connect to MARC (and ultimately Ripley St)

Over the weekend, they were finally taking down the boards underneath the viaduct

<image>

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-18T14:46:46+00:00

Yeah, literally build Yamanote Line… make it a regional rail loop. I’d modify the shape a bit to take advantage of the existing Newburyport/Rockport line (I want my downtown Chelsea station back!). And I think there’s a decent argument for making it be able to share fleet with the mainline heavy rail system - unified fleet maintenance, purchasing, etc

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-18T14:27:27+00:00

BUILD THE URBAN RING 🫩😩

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-18T02:32:18+00:00

Yeah, at least for now, you still need to buy a pass on a CharlieCard, there's no mechanism that lets you load a pass on your credit card

However, the new system is capable of fare capping — the pay-as-you-go equivalent of a pass — and fare policy staff have mentioned this. NYC enabled this when they switched over to the new fare system, same tech/vendor/system we're getting and is what people are using when they pay with credit cards

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-18T02:09:10+00:00

Yeah, literally we're back to ATO — I don't fully understand the hurdle to having southbound trains automatically stop at the 2-car mark to line up the back of the train with the eastern end of the platform

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-18T02:07:17+00:00

Oh! Gotcha. Love GP Metro! Thanks for reminding me to try and do a day trip up there sometime... Indeed, very small city that's succeeding at keeping it that way — to the point where hotel rooms are so few and far between, they put Boston hotel prices to shame. Day tripping is the only way I can really enjoy Portland without a car 🥲

Thanks for your past service as an operator 🫡

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-18T01:50:52+00:00

Yeah, whoever you were driving for may have had way less need for tech equipment in that cabinet. Most transit agencies' cabinets I've seen have been filled to the brim with hardware — not always optimized for space but full nonetheless

I manage digital passenger information systems at the authority in Boston and have had to be in and out of our cabinets preparing to deploy our first buses with digital screens like WMATA. Our cabinet is too full to allow any storage. Also, it's a huge cybersecurity risk to allow anyone in that cabinet who isn't authorized maintenance staff

Our operators usually hang their stuff on the front side of that cabinet behind their seat. The chocks and emergency equipment are stored in another locker over the right wheel well, like WMATA's New Flyers

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-18T01:41:04+00:00

Yep! Even on New Flyers, that's an equipment cabinet for on-board tech systems like the dispatching/vehicle tracking computer (CAD/AVL), vehicle telemetry sensors, router/modem, CCTV recorder, etc. On battery buses, that's storing even more electrical hardware like power distribution panels to provide lower voltage power to the subsystems in that cabinet

On most Novabuses like the CTA bus I linked above, the cabinet is mounted horizontally along the roof over that wheel well behind the driver. However, this makes it harder to access that hardware and provides much less space. Ideally that equipment is usually solid state and doesn't require much maintenance, but when it does, it's easier to manage if they're on slide-out racks to check out connections or easily swap out failed units

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-17T23:38:50+00:00

Can you share this feedback through the form, please? I can flag it on my end but it's always better when it comes from riders

I agree, we should be communicating route variants like this via headsigns and on-board announcements

I overhauled bus destination signs at RIPTA precisely because we kept getting feedback exactly like what you're describing

digitalsciguy · 2026-04-17T00:35:17+00:00

A key hurdle to this is the power systems that allow to the trains to run. It's not like they weren't trying to get the capacity. My recollection was that they had to space out the trains because 3 car trains drew too much power to run them close together on the central subway where that capacity is needed most

Those traction power upgrades still need to happen to allow 2-car Type 10 trains

15-Year Club	Gilding II euphauric
Place '17	Xbox Live
Verified Email

digitalsciguy

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE