(The following article by Shawntaye Hopkins was posted on the Boston Globe website on June 29.)
BOSTON — MBTA officials unveiled yesterday a commuter rail coach equipped with 39 bike racks that will make two round trips from Boston to Rockport on Saturdays, Sundays, and some holidays.
Half of the coach’s seats were removed to make way for the racks, leaving 42 seats.
The new coach will begin running Sunday during the 47th Annual Fitchburg Longsjo Classic race, hosted by the Fitchburg Cycling Club.
“We wanted something to serve the bike community,” said Will Shannon , deputy chief mechanical officer for the T.
T General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas said that while bikes are allowed on the commuter rail, riders often have trouble getting them on and off. There are no plans to convert any more coaches.
Yesterday, T officials also toured the first commuter rail coach completed in a $23.5 million refurbishing program. T workers are installing new air conditioning units, replacing the 17-inch windows that are now waxy and scratched, adding emergency lighting, and repairing or replacing coach connections and leaky pipes. About eight coaches will be fixed per month and 162 total.