Update

Here you see one of the new electronic signboards at South Station. It’s a standard ruggedized 1080p display. When the commuter rail or Amtrak train starts boarding, it switches to a listing of the stops and timing.

I was going to title this post “Lipstick on a pig” but on reflection I realized there’s a more subtle point to be made here. These signs were replaced because the old LED-dot ones (installed in the late 80s) were dated bespoke technology, basically untouched except for repairs for 30 years, and no doubt increasingly expensive to maintain. It made me think: this is probably what *all* the technological components of the T are like. No wonder it’s going to take years and billions of dollars to put things right.