The recent Green Line extension is under scrutiny as prolonged wait times and inconsistencies disrupt the daily routines of students.
Nonetheless, problems with the Green Line extension have predominantly impacted those using the Riverside route.
“The times shown on the board at the [Chestnut Hill] station are inconsistent and slower than they say they are,” Austin Hsiao ’27 said. “Watching two Union Square trains pass by when the board says your train should’ve arrived before both of them is very frustrating.”
Students have reported upward of a 10-minute additional delay.
“On average, I used to only have to wait for a train for about 5 minutes, but recently I have been waiting for on average closer to 15 minutes,” Zoe Hicks-Dutt ’24 said. “The boards that say when the next train is coming are also not working.”
A recent WBUR article, “Why is the Green Line Extension already so slow?,” raises the same concern—that there are nine distinct zones where the train must reduce its speed to 3 miles per hour. The primary reason cited for these slow zones is the narrow width of the tracks, which prevents trains from operating at their maximum speed.
According to Mass Transit Magazine, the new Green Line extension underwent a $2.3 billion budget.
Students who use the train also report arriving home later, with less time to do homework and other activities.
While the MBTA is still trying to get to the root issue, for now, there is no “end of the tunnel” for the train speed improvement.
