Celtics & MBTA team up to announce new Green Line technology

Boston, Massachusetts - Encouraging fans to take public transportation to TD Garden this season, Boston Celtics’ first round draft pick Kelly Olynyk (Gonzaga 2013) and Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Richard Davey (Gonzaga Law 1999) took the Green Line to North Station this afternoon. Their trip began at Kenmore Station, where the MBTA activated electronic message boards, displaying information about which Green Line trains will be the next to arrive at Kenmore Station.

“For the first time in the 100-year history of the Green Line, customers on the outbound platform will no longer have to guess which train is coming next,” said Secretary Davey. The new system will continually display the destinations of the next two trains approaching Kenmore. The message boards will always let customers know if the next trains are bound for Riverside (D line), Cleveland Circle (C line) or Boston College (B line).

The Green Line customer information system is the next phase in Secretary Davey’s comprehensive plan to enhance the public transit experience through the use of high-tech innovations at minimal cost to the MBTA. A year after the first signs were activated, countdown signs are now found on every platform along the Red, Orange, and Blue Lines, and smartphone apps put real-time information in the palms of customers’ hands.

The MBTA is pleased to offer the “Next Train” information, while technical staff continues to work diligently to bring a more sophisticated vehicle tracking system to the Green Line. The MBTA is in the process of obtaining the tracking technology necessary to monitor the train movements, both above and beneath the earth’s surface. A schedule for installation of this technology will be available in the coming months.

“The MBTA is very proud to be the operators of the nation’s first subway,” said MBTA General Manager Dr. Beverly Scott. “But being 116 years old doesn’t mean we have to act it! We are equally proud of our record of integrating the latest technology into the system, and we intend to keep building on that record.”

The Celtics open their pre-season schedule at home on October 7th versus Toronto.