Boston's subway system replacing 1890s-era wooden catenary system
29 comments
·December 1, 2025teruakohatu
paleotrope
It's wood, I'm sure the MBTA has a workshop that can build replacement parts.
Odds are the replacement is going to be some custom metal machined overseas and will be basically irreplaceable due to cost and skill issues.
clickety_clack
And being the MBTA, it will be installed in the wrong size and have to be replaced in a couple of months.
phailhaus
It's probably not the same wood since 1890. Requires more repairs and replacements.
SoftTalker
I think there's a good chance it is. Not out in the sun, not in contact with ground/moisture, pretty consistent temperature. Wood can last a very long time under those conditions.
bluGill
It could be. A lot of wood has been around for longer than that. Wood is easier to damage so I expect some has been replaced over the years, but there is no reason to think it wouldn't last in that application.
supportengineer
Once again, promo-driven culture rears its ugly head.
jpmattia
Hold a chain at its ends, and let it hang down naturally. What is that shape called? A catenary and its equation is y = a cosh(x/a).
Maybe you all knew that factoid already, but I learned the name of shape only recently.
vasco
And efficiency of the line depends on the curvature so for a given target efficiency you can calculate how far apart the poles can be. For electrical lines I mean.
vjulian
If only they’d make the T fare free and run more frequently and later into the night. The C line in Brookline has the potential to be extremely convenient, but at present most of the time it’s easier to take an Uber, or drive.
anthonypasq
the MBTA already absolutely bleeds an incredible amount of money. No businesses in Boston are even open late, theres no night life. 90% of the young people in the city are nerds doing Phds.
I loved living right on the red line, but its just not worth it unless we figure out how to make it not cost a fortune.
tapoxi
It's what, $2.40? I don't think they need to make it fare free.
vjulian
Free fares would significantly increase ridership, no?
bluGill
Probably not. For most people cost is not the issue of why they don't ride. Free would increase a little, but most people are not riding because the service isn't there. Service can be one of Frequency, speed, or ability to get to the destination.
Transit needs to: Get you from where you are, to where you want to be, when you want to go, in a reasonable amount of time, for a reasonable cost. If you lack any of those things and transit isn't useful. Generally cost is the only part of transit that is reasonable (but not always) and so it isn't something to focus on.
People who ask for free transit are really saying transit is for the poor and "normal people" should just drive.
pugworthy
Speaking generally, free fairs also provide various benefits to a community such as reduced use of cars and easier access for lower income access to jobs and services.
chollida1
Yes, and reduce its revenue that it needs to properly run and upgrade its existing infrastructure.
Why do you think they charge in the first palce?
mikestew
The part relevant to the editorialized headline:
“The MBTA will perform work in December to replace the wooden overhead catenary wire “trough” in the Green Line tunnel, which is original to the tunnel’s construction in the late 1890s. The trough houses the Green Line’s overhead wires and will be replaced with a modern, more durable, metal trough.”
ttd
It's been a decade+ since I used to catch the Green line at Park St, but at that time it was the noisiest, squealiest station that I regularly used. Not surprising to learn that parts of that station are left over from the 1890s.
beastman82
It's deafening
drob518
The builders should be patting themselves on the back. The fact that some of this infrastructure was built in the 1890s is amazing.
cbm-vic-20
I really like those service diagrams to show which stations are closed and how to get around them.
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jeffbee
Boston subway to replace cable duct that worked for 130+ years
> dates back to the late 1890s and will be replaced with a modern, more durable, metal trough.
I think any infrastructure that has lasted over 130 years is already quite durable.