The Breda's Back

Bad news on the C line, folks.

The awful Breda cars are back.

I'd seen them running along the tracks, without people in them, apparently to make sure they don't topple over. I can't say I didn't see it coming, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. These trains suck even when I'm not on them. I live on a part of the C line that the trains going inbound go downhill into an intersection, so when the light is red the Breda cars do that squealy breaking thing that I can clearly hear in my room. The older trains rumble, but that noise doesn't carry as well as the squealing does. These cars ruin my day when I'm getting ready for bed.

I think I need to live further off Beacon Street. You can't beat the access to the T, but the noise from the trains, cars and drunk people stumbling past my apartment isn't great. There are some places further off Beacon Street that seem like bucolic scenes in comparison. The happy calls of one child to another. The yips of small dogs walking along. Less drunk people. Sadly, most of these places are condos, so I'm out of luck until I marry rich. Or win the lottery. Or publish a bestseller.

The Breda cars do have one advantage-- people seem more willing to get out of the doors when you're trying to exit the train since it's a small step down. Unfortunately, this is offset by the fact that people who get on later clog the vestibule of the train, so you have to shove through twenty people in grey wool coats to get to the open door. I miss the way the seats were set up on the old train cars--it fits Boston quite well. Very few seats face each other. T commuters aren't there to meet people or chat. We want to get where we're going, iPods cranked, our faces buried in books or the Metro. The idea of trying to chat somebody up at 8:30am is not appealing.