Join the discussion on the following article:
MBTA closes subway stations in preparation for Boston Marathon
My guess would be that officials wanted to limit the number of access points which have to be staffed to search incoming spectators.
Same thing happens in DC when there’s a big event on the mall. People are urged to use the subway then stations on and near the mall are closed.
Why exactly were the 5 stations closed?
Officials encouraged folks to use public transit and closed subway stations. Why doesn’t this make sense?
Boston is where the public transit debacle occurred during the Democratic National Convention in 2004. A great, accessible location (above North Station) was then isolated for “security purposes”, with this busy commuter station closed, all Amtrak service to Maine cancelled, and all nearby subway stations closed for days, and even the nearby interstate closed for several hours at a time. The impact was felt for hundreds of miles around (think medical appointments, etc). Closing public transportation is one of the more short sighted things we do, and we are doing it with increasing frequency… This really isn’t about safety–it is about crowd control, and misconceptions about the bigger picture of safety, of which mobility is a big piece.
Copley and Arlington Stations are underground, over 90 years old and not equipped to handle huge crowds. Copley is at the finish line and Arlington near the Common, where runners’ buses depart. The other three are above ground and along the marathon route. In all cases there are nearby stations remaining open with a 5-10 minute walk, not an inconvenience at all. This is a small, compact city.
To all those who questioned why should have those stations be closed. Think about the bombings in London as well as Spain.