Universal Hub talked to Joe Pesaturo and found that the MBTA still needs to finish some work on the inbound rail ties on the Longfellow Bridge tonight and tomorrow night. Service into Boston should progress "full speed ahead" starting Wednesday. The outbound tracks, however, still need more work, which will happen the weekends of July 12 and 19. Guess we'll be crawling into Cambridge for a while yet.......

Turns out Green Line service is down between Government Center and Lechmere. Here's the T Alert that was sent out: Green Line - Due to a wire problem at North Station. A substitute bus shuttle is operating between Government Center and Lechmere making all local stops. Passengers should utilize Orange Line service to make connections for Haymarket, North Station or Back Bay (for Copley area). Please allow extra time for your commute. 2/28/2008 11:01 AM......

MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas is on vacation in Thailand, which is in itself not a crime. However, the Herald is reporting that Grabauskas left for vay-cay as an Amtrak strike looms. But is it a story? Rarely do we defend the MBTA, but Joe Pesaturo at the MBTA noted that the earliest time a strike can take place is January 30. Then again, a possible strike would be a "giant snowball of crappiness" for......

The drawbridge between Beverly and Salem has been stuck as wide open as Elly May's top blouse button since 7:15 this morning. MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo says the bridge's gearbox aint right no more and they need to rustle up a new one. Salem/Rockport Line Commuter Railers must load up the truck and head to Beverly until further notice. That means a dreaded shuttle bus home for y'all tonight. Dang! Update: Joe Pesaturo sent along......

A 17-year-old from Roslindale was arrested for stealing a gun from an MBTA agent at the Chinatown stop last night. The surveillance photos provided by the MBTA show Nelson Otuechere of Roslindale accosting a T agent to get her sidearm. Joe Pesaturo at the MBTA said that all MBTA revenue agents carry sidearms. (This Bostonist did not realize.) Another agent leapt into the fray and stopped the teenager, who was promptly arrested by MBTA......

An outbound Green Line trolley struck an MBTA supervisor this morning. The AP reports that the supervisor was there to check out an unauthorized tree-cutting near Reservoir on the D line. The incident happened at about 10:20 am, the Globe reports. Joe Pesaturo at the MBTA said the supervisor hurt his left arm. Bostonist isn't superstitious, nor do we believe in ghosts, but today's incident gives rise to the question--what is happening on the Green......

Some Bostonists found out about this the hard way--by actually being on the green line and having our drivers announce "last stop Government Center"--but the Green Line is closed between Park Street and Kenmore Square this morning after two trolleys collided at Boylston. One trolley rear-ended a stopped trolley, and one car derailed, according to the Globe. Not only were legions (including some Bostonists) made late for work, but the Globe reports nine people complained......

--Surprise snow! --A local kid figured out something to do with bubble wrap other than pop it. [WCVB] --Did you get stuck on the Red Line for a while today? A "very small trash fire" at Andrew Station shut down the Red Line this afternoon for 15 minutes. [Joe Pesaturo at the MBTA] --Doctors believe they have successfully reattached the lip of the child whose father bit it off over the weekend. [WBZ] --Cambridge can't......

The T announced that it is going to order 10 more of the infamous Breda cars for the Green Line. We wondered why the T would order more cars that don't work. The T's problems with Italian company AnsaldoBreda go waaay back: The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority signed a $222 million contract in 1995 with an Italian company now known as AnsaldoBreda to provide the trains. The company was supposed to deliver 100 "Breda" cars,......

It's Miller Time, but you might not be getting to the bar as quickly as you'd like. We heard from a tipper at 4:45 pm that trains were dumping all their passengers off at Park Street and that it was mighty hot and mighty crowded. In a Boston Community Live Journal post that appeared at noon, littlestarletta noted that a communications center at High Street lost the ability to communicate with all trains and buses.......

From today's Globe, we learn that the MBTA has actually caught on to the fact that it's a royal pain in the ass to have two non-compatible fare systems operating in the same system at the same time. What is the T doing to let us know they get it? They're actually requesting money from their board of directors to finish the switch-over to the CharlieTicket system. Bostonist can only wonder what will happen if......

The MBTA has announced that to help reduce their budget deficit liquor will be sold in subway stations. With the growing population of panhandlers who collect money in the subway stations then leave to go purchase alcohol the MBTA can increase profits by selling spirits within the stations. MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said "We are hoping that the alcoholics and students of the Boston area will take advantage of this new service." Beer and pint......