The Oak Grove MBTA Orange Line station. (Kendall Buhl/WBZ NewsRadio)
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — How far would you go to get a seat on the train in the morning?
We heard that some MBTA Orange Line riders found their trains so crowded for their a.m. commute into Boston, they started riding in the opposite direction—to Oak Grove, at the end of the line—just to find a train coming back into the city with open seats.
WBZ NewsRadio's Kendall Buhl spoke to several riders who ride outbound to get inbound.
One rider, Joe, said it's a useful trick that doesn't add too much time to his commute, and makes a big difference.
"It's getting so busy, I might as well be comfortable and enjoy it while i'm heading into Boston," Joe said. "A lot of people say it's extra time, but it's really only like five, maybe six minutes. If you don't have the extra five or six minutes a day, I'm not really sure what to tell you."
Maria, another Orange Line rider, does the same thing.
"I just like a seat, I like to sit and read, I don't want to stand up and read," she said. "I adjusted my schedule. It's worth it for me!"
Maria added that she hopes the new trains coming to the Orange Line will alleviate the crowding.
In fact, MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo says that's the plan.
"That's precisely why the MBTA is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in new Orange Line trains and significant upgrades to the Orange Line signal system," Pesaturo told WBZ NewsRadio. "These investments will allow the MBTA to provide Orange Line riders with more capacity and more frequent service."
The first new Orange Line trains are slated to arrive later this spring.
WBZ NewsRadio's Kendall Buhl (@KBuhlWBZ) reports