In Service? Out of Service? Which is It?

Riding public transit can be frustrating enough with the signal snafus, police actions and other unexpected delays that can throw your morning commute into a tailspin. Working trains with non-working signs shouldn't be the source of any added aggravation.

But they are, unfortunately, especially for D line rider Garth Olaf Bruen. He's had enough. He is tired of the routine of trolleys pulling into Brookline Village station with their destination boards reading "No Service" -- only to find out from T workers that the vehicles really are in service but someone was too lazy to flip the switch or fix the sign.

"You have to take a leap of faith and get on the train to ask the conductor where it's going and they're usually annoyed at having to answer the question. I have asked supervisors many times about this and nothing ever comes of it," Garth wrote me in an email last month, when he sent the first of several pictures of in-service, "No Service" trolleys.

This is a picture of something I see nearly every day on the Green Line, cars with "NO SERVICE" posted as the destination. (Taken) at 8:15AM, D line inbound. Train was packed with passengers.

Just happened again ! D-Line inbound 8:30 a.m. at Brookline Village...This sign was displayed all the way to Government Center.

Today he sent me a picture of another annoying sign malfunction, this time it was downtown:

Here is a train with a BLANK destination on the westbound platform of Government Center last night. This is far worse than the inbound trains not having a sign - at least you know which direction it's going! When this happens at Government Center (and it happens often) it causes mass confusion and frustration.

I asked a supervisor what was going on and he said it was "probably broken" like I was an idiot for asking. He didn't investigate or take down the car number.


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