Also mentioning, the oldest train operator in the world operates the blue line. Her name is Helen Antenucci and she is 82 years old. Such a doll! She works mornings. I hear her on the speaker sometimes because I live near wonderland.

I was a touch confused when you mentioned the Blue was “under construction” as I remember taking it in 1972. Nice to know I’m not losing it completely.

One more unique thing about the Blue Line that is worth mentioning. Did you notice the door opening buttons on the train? That is because entire trains do not fit on the inbound platform at Bowdoin. Therefore, it is the only station in Boston, and probably the only heavy rail rapid transit station in the US, where you have to press a button to open the train doors like what is commonplace in Europe.

I sincerely hope the Blue Line is extended to Charles/MGH and eventually up to Lynn. Peter Eng has been a massive savior of the MBTA.

A cool fact about Blue Line rolling stock: While the 700-series cars you rode were built by Siemens and first entered revenue service in 2008 (it was first scheduled for delivery in 2004 but was delayed to 2007 due to manufacturing issues), the 600-series that came before them were built by the former Hawker Siddeley Canada, and were a PA3-type, so it's based on the same model for the former PA-3s on PATH in New Jersey! This is the same model as the old MBTA Orange Line rolling stock as well. Blue Line Hawkers were narrower and shorter than the Orange Line rolling stock since as mentioned, what's now the Blue Line was once for streetcars. The PATH PA3s entered service in 1972, while the Blue Line 600-series and Orange Line 1200-series entered service in 1979 and 1980 respectively. The PATH PA3s retired from service between 2009 and 2011. In 2009, a set of 600-series cars were sent to the Seashore Trolley Museum. Most Blue Line 600-series were retired by 2011 due to severe corrosion from the salty ocean air, and in 2012, a set was placed in the former Broadway streetcar tunnel for use during emergency training. The last 1200-series Orange Line cars exited service in August 2022, began to be sent for scrap the next month, all were processed to remove hazardous materials and be recycled, two were offered to the Seashore Trolley Museum who declined them, and the last pair was hauled away in July 2024. Besides working on rolling stock for PATH and MBTA, Hawker Siddeley Canada also built the former H-series subway cars for Toronto, National Railways of Mexico passenger coaches, the former automated Expo-Express for Expo 67 in Montreal (connected Cité du Havre where Habitat 67 is to La Ronde; trains carried 1,000 each and ran every 5 minutes), Tempo coaches built for Canadian National and once used by Via Rail and the Ski Train, and GO Transit bi-level coaches Series I to II.

And as others have mentioned, the doors on the Blue Line rolling stock have buttons because of Bowdoin. Only 4 cars of a 6-car train can platform on the originating outbound platform at Bowdoin, and so this stop is the only place where push to open door buttons on the sides of Blue Line trains are ever used to facilitate not opening doors into an empty tunnel. Bowdoin station and Bowdoin Street above it is named after Governor James Bowdoin II, who was the second governor of MA from 1785 to 1787. He authored a big report on the 1770 Boston Massacre, which was extremely influential in shaping public opinion in the colonies. Bowdoin was also a scientist prominent in physics and astronomy. He wrote several papers, including one on electricity with Benjamin Franklin. From 1775 to 1777, he served as president of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress's executive council, the de facto head of the Massachusetts government. He first ran for governor in 1780, losing to John Hancock. After Hancock resigned in 1785, James became governor. Due to large debts incurred from the Revolution, Bowdoin ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility. During his two years in office, the combination of poor economic conditions and his harsh fiscal policy laid down by his government led to Shays' Rebellion. Bowdoin personally funded militia forces that were instrumental in putting down the uprising. His treatment of the rebels contributed to his loss of the 1787 election, when populist Hancock returned to office.

The CTA Yellow line used to have mixed power, but was converted to all third rail to simplify logistics

I have taken these trains my entire life and I’ve never noticed that there’s no third rail at Wood Island and that the overhead line actually lowers at the Airport Station! Wow

The "Sumner tunnel is closed" poster is extremely on brand.

In a couple of years, the blue line will be the only heavy rail train in the US to have pantographs. The only other trains here that do that currently is the Red Line in Cleveland, but those are being replaced by light rail

Used to ride Blue Line to the airport when I lived in Boston.

4:56 Hong Kong, Shenzhen uses OHL too

Hell yeah MBTA

I took the Blue Line from Wonderland to the city every day I was in Boston last June.

You would LOVE the Kennebunkport Trolley museum. So much old rolling stock from boston!

3:17 — I didn’t know that Siemens made some of the Blue Line trains! My Dad retired from Siemens-Bosch as a Senior (Mechanical) Engineer in 2009. He worked on plastics injection molding machines, not trains, but he may have worked indirectly on trains since they use a lot of molded plastic parts, like the seat covers.

I live in Boston on the Green B, and used to live in Lynn - took the blue line all the time. Good job!

Watching this video while on the Blue Line. Shout-out to Maverick, my home stop!

YAY! blue line finally! My favorite mbta line!

The switch between modes used to happen at Maverick in the 1970s, and the train would go dark for a couple seconds. Sometime since the '80s or '00s this was moved to Airport Station, and the new trains keep the lights and ventilation going during the process. Visiting my grandfather's boatyard in Winthrop in the 1970s we'd pass the Orient Heights yard, and there were a number of much older dark blue, rusty cars from 1928 or 1940s stored at the outer end. My great aunt in Winthrop had a short segment of the old narrow-guage right of way in her back yard (nothing to see but saplings and fallen leaves).

I ride the T to Bowdoin every time I visit my parents, but never knew about the switch between third rail and overhead power. Interesting!