On the way to work one morning this week, I had the privelidge to be on one of the ‘disabled trains’. For those not aware, its been more and more commonplace lately that a train will just stop running and won’t move, even after a clean restart. These ‘disabled trains’, as they are called, cause great amounts of backup along the Red Line. I was reading my Metro and turned around when the announcement was made we were disabled. All I could see was water below. Thats comforting. We were lucky enough for the train to stop responding as we paused on the Neponset bridge between North Quicy Station and JFK/UMASS Station. After it was finally determined that we were completely disabled, we had to wait for another train to push us the rest of the way to JFK/UMASS. This entire process probably took about 45 minutes to an hour. Once at JFK/UMASS, everyone had to get off the train and cross over to the platform across the tracks. I exchanged amused glances with a very attractive young woman as I exited the train. After we crossed over to the next platform, the ’empty train’ waiting for us was already full and leaving. I laughed and then got into position for boarding the next one, coincidentally still near the attractive female.
As it turned out, the train behind us that pushed us to the station was forced to empty out as well to push my original train, so now the platform was even more packed than before. Fortunately I was right where the door opened for the next train and got on. Mind you, this train was NOT empty. In fact, there wasn’t much room as it was for more people never mind several hundred more.
The rest of the ride was spent mostly laughing because a girl sitting down next to a little girl was singing every little kid song she could think of to keep the kid engaged. She sang everything from the Tigger song from Winnie the Pooh to the wheels on the bus. She was way more into it than the kid too. Hilarity ensued.
After switching to the green line, it wasn’t so crowded anymore because most people were now delayed by about an hour because of the red line’s disabled train, so they found others ways into the city. I love the subway.
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