title: Oriana Fallaci

text: Fallaci received criticism as well as support in Italy, where her books have sold over one million copies. At the first European Social Forum, which was held in Florence in November 2002, Fallaci invited the people of Florence to cease commercial operations and stay home. Furthermore, she compared the ESF to the Nazi occupation of Florence. Protest organizers declared, "We have done it for Oriana, because she hasn't spoken in public for the last 12 years, and hasn't been laughing in the last 50".


title: Oriana Fallaci

text: In 2002, in Switzerland, the Islamic Center and the Somal Association of Geneva, SOS Racisme of Lausanne, along with a private citizen, sued Fallaci for the allegedly racist content of "The Rage and the Pride". In November 2002 a Swiss judge issued an arrest warrant for violations of article 261 and 261 bis of the Swiss criminal code and requested the Italian government to either prosecute or extradite her. Italian Minister of Justice Roberto Castelli rejected the request on the grounds that the Constitution of Italy protects freedom of speech.


title: Oriana Fallaci

text: In May 2005, Adel Smith, president of the Union of Italian Muslims, launched a lawsuit against Fallaci charging that "some of the things she said in her book "The Force of Reason" are offensive to Islam". Smith's attorney cited 18 phrases, most notably a reference to Islam as "a pool that never purifies". Consequently, an Italian judge ordered Fallaci to stand trial in Bergamo on charges of "defaming Islam". The preliminary trial began on 12 June, and on 25 June, Judge Beatrice Siccardi decided that Fallaci should indeed stand trial beginning on 18 December. Fallaci accused the judge of having disregarded the fact that Smith had called for her murder and defamed Christianity.


title: Oriana Fallaci

text: In France, some Arab-Muslim and anti-defamation organisations such as MRAP and "Ligue des Droits de l'Homme" launched lawsuits against Oriana Fallaci, charging that "The Rage and the Pride" and "The Force of Reason" ("La Rage et l'Orgueil" and "La Force de la Raison" in their French versions) were "offensive to Islam" and "racist". Her lawyer, Gilles William Goldnadel, president of the France-Israel Organization, was also Alexandre del Valle's lawyer during similar lawsuits against del Valle.


title: Oriana Fallaci

text: On 3 June 2005, Fallaci had published on the front page of the "Corriere della Sera" a highly controversial article titled ""Noi Cannibali e i figli di Medea"" ("We cannibals and Medea's offspring"), urging women not to vote for a public referendum about artificial insemination that was held on 12 and 13 June 2006.


title: Oriana Fallaci

text: In her 2004 book "Oriana Fallaci intervista sé stessa – L'Apocalisse", Fallaci expressed her opposition to same-sex marriage, arguing that it "subvert[s] the biological concept of family" and calling it "a fashionable whim, a form of exhibitionism", and also against parenting by same-sex couples, declaring it a "distorted view of life". She also asserted the existence of a "gay lobby", through which "the homosexuals themselves are discriminating against others".


title: Oriana Fallaci

text: In the June 2006 issue of "Reason", American libertarian writer Cathy Young wrote: "Oriana Fallaci's 2002 book "The Rage and the Pride" makes hardly any distinction between radical Islamic terrorists and Somali street vendors who supposedly urinate on the corners of Italy's great cities." Christopher Hitchens, writing in "The Atlantic", called the book "a sort of primer in how not to write about Islam", describing it as "replete with an obsessive interest in excrement, disease, sexual mania, and insectlike reproduction, insofar as these apply to Muslims in general and to Muslim immigrants in Europe in particular".


title: PlayStation TV

text: The PlayStation TV (abbreviated to PS TV), known in Japan and other parts of Asia as the PlayStation Vita TV or PS Vita TV, is a microconsole, and a non-handheld variant of the PlayStation Vita handheld game console. It was released in Japan on November 14, 2013, and Europe and Australia on November 14, 2014.


title: PlayStation TV

text: Controlled with either the DualShock 3 or DualShock 4 controllers, the PS TV is capable of playing many PlayStation Vita games and applications, either through physical cartridges or downloaded through the PlayStation Store. However, not all content is compatible with the device, since certain features in the PS Vita such as the gyroscope and microphone are not available on the PS TV. Nevertheless, the PS TV is able to emulate touch input for both the Vita's front and rear touchpads using the PS3 and PS4 controller.


title: PlayStation TV

text: In Japan, "PlayStation TV" was the name given to PlayStation 3 retail kiosks from 2006 to 2014, which consisted of a PS3 unit, an LCD monitor and a number of controllers.


title: PlayStation TV

text: The system was released in Japan on November 14, 2013. The device on its own sold for 9,954 yen tax inclusive (about US$100), whilst a bundle version with an 8 GB memory card and DualShock 3 controller retailed for 14,994 yen (about US$150).


title: PlayStation TV

text: Andrew House, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, explained that Sony hoped to use the PS Vita TV to penetrate the Chinese gaming market, where video game consoles have previously been prohibited. The PS Vita TV was released in five other Southeast Asian countries and the special region of Hong Kong on January 16, 2014. At E3 2014, the system was announced for North America and Europe, under the name PlayStation TV, for release in Q3 2014. Final release dates for the western release were announced at Gamescom 2014.


title: PlayStation TV

text: System software update 3.15 was released on April 30, 2014, which enabled PS4 remote play functionality for the PS Vita TV. In October 2014, the system was updated so that it could be used with PlayStation Network accounts originating from outside the original launch territories of Japan and Asia following the release of system software firmware version 3.30 update, which also renames the PS Vita TV system to PS TV within the system menus.


title: PlayStation TV

text: Open beta trials for PlayStation Now functionality on the PS TV began on October 14, 2014 in North America, the same day that PS TV was released there.


title: PlayStation TV

text: By the end of March, in Europe, Sony has dropped the price of PlayStation TV by 40% with the new price of €59.99. That same week the sales had increased by 1272%.


title: PlayStation TV

text: On February 28, 2016, Engadget reported that Sony has stopped shipping the PlayStation TV in Japan. Sony confirmed shipments were discontinued in Americas and Europe at the end of 2015, however will continue in Asia contrary to reports.


title: PlayStation TV

text: Instead of featuring a display screen, the console connects to a television via HDMI. Users can play using a DualShock 3 controller (with functionality for DualShock 4 controllers added with the 3.10 firmware update released on March 25, 2014), although due to the difference in features between the controller and the handheld, certain games are not compatible with PS Vita TV, such as those that are dependent on the system's microphone, camera, or gyroscopic features. The device is said to be compatible with over 100 PS Vita games, as well as various digital PlayStation Portable, PlayStation, and PC Engine titles, along with a selection of PlayStation 3 titles streamed from the PlayStation Now service. The device is technically referred to by Sony as the VTE-1000 series, to distinguish it from the handheld PCH-1000/2000 series PS Vita models.


title: PlayStation TV

text: According to Muneki Shimada, Sony Director of the Second Division of Software Development, the original PCH-1000 series PlayStation Vita already includes an upscaler that supports up to 1080i resolution, however it was decided that the idea for video output for the original Vita was to be scrapped in favor for releasing the PlayStation Vita TV as a separate device for television connectivity. The in-built scaler has been removed from the PCH-2000 series PlayStation Vita model.


title: PlayStation TV

text: The system supports Remote Play compatibility with the PlayStation 4, allowing players to stream games from the PlayStation 4 to a separate TV connected to PS Vita TV, and also allows users to stream content from video services such as Hulu and Niconico, as well as access the PlayStation Store. PS4 Remote Play functionality for the PS Vita TV gained full support with the release of the 1.70 PS4 firmware update. The device includes the software features of the PS Vita, such as the Web browser and email client. There are future plans for media server and DLNA support for remote video streaming and image/audio file transfer.


title: PlayStation TV

text: It is powered with (and ships with) the same model/type of power adapter that was used for the original PlayStation Portable.


title: PlayStation TV

text: "PC World" called the device an amazing invention, praising the opportunity to play Vita and PSP games on the big screen. IGN said the console "may be one of Sony's most exciting new products and could provide a critical edge for the PS4."


title: PlayStation TV

text: Various commentators have compared the device to set-top boxes—including media streaming devices (such as Apple TV and Chromecast) and other microconsoles, such as the Ouya. "Time" said the console could compete well against set-top box competitors with a quality library of games. At launch however, the game library was limited to a subset of PS Vita games, which negatively impacted early reviews.


title: PlayStation TV

text: The PlayStation TV, along with the PlayStation 4, won the 2014 Good Design Award from the Japan Institute of Design Promotion.


title: PlayStation TV

text: The PlayStation TV sold 42,172 units during its debut week of release in Japan. The PlayStation TV was heavily marketed alongside "God Eater 2" which was released on the same day as the device, and placed at the top of the Japanese software sales charts for that week.


title: PlayStation TV

text: Journalists criticized the platform's lack of compatibility with the Vita's overall software library. Sam Byford of The Verge commented: "Vita TV’s most egregious failure was that it failed at being a Vita. Many games’ reliance on dubious Vita features like the rear touchpad came back to haunt Sony, as vast swathes of the system's library was rendered incompatible with a regular gaming controller. And even some games that should by rights have worked just didn't, for whatever reason."


title: PlayStation TV

text: Andrew Hayward of IGN wrote: "Sadly, anyone with a large Vita library will surely find the incredibly massive holes in the PlayStation TV's compatibility list quite quickly. The 140+ compatible Vita games as of this writing represent a rather small chunk of those released in North America, and the omissions are baffling." The omissions included some of the Vita's heavy hitters such as "", "Wipeout 2048", "", "", "Tearaway", "Gravity Rush", "Borderlands 2", "The Sly Collection" and others. Hayward also reported: "It's possible to navigate menus in games with a cursor via the DualShock 4's touch pad, so why didn't Sony enlist its studios and third-party partners to make sure the biggest and best Vita games were patched and ready to play on day one? That's not the kind of thing to ignore or worry about down the line." Richard Leadbetter of Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry shared these sentiments, arguing that games such as "Wipeout 2048" didn't need to be blacklisted, as it only used the touchscreen for the menus and could be accessed using the DualShock 4's touch pointer emulation: "Life as a PlayStation TV owner can be pretty frustrating - especially when a vast array of mobile Vita titles that should work just fine on the under-utilised micro-console fail to load at all, blocked by their lack of inclusion on Sony's whitelist of approved titles." Sean Hollister of Gizmodo complained that even ports of PlayStation 3 games didn't work on the PS TV, including "Sound Shapes", "Flower" and "Guacamelee".


title: PlayStation TV

text: In 2015 and 2016, hackers found ways to overwrite the PS TV's Whitelist to allow any Vita game to load. But while all games will load, compatibility issues persist in certain Vita games reliant on touch and motion controls. For example, "" is playable up until any mini game prompting the player to tilt the Vita side to side in order to balance Nathan Drake as he crosses a log. But for the most part, the Whitelist hack was well received by journalists, as many other games were playable from start to finish. Kyle Orland of Ars Technica reported: "some enterprising hackers have apparently gone a long way toward fixing this problem by increasing the PlayStation TV's software compatibility with a simple hack." Joel Hruska of "ExtremeTech" reported that "a full 30 additional titles" from his collection of Vita games were compatible with PS TV Whitelist hack. J.C. Torres confirmed that "", "", "", "" and "Gravity Rush" were among the titles compatible with the hack. He also reported: "Interestingly, Netflix also becomes compatible with this hack. Netflix is a curious case for the PS TV, as the app, which worked for the Vita, remains broken for the mini console. A tragedy for a set-top box device." Leadbetter rejoiced: "For the first time, you can play non-approved games like "Wipeout 2048" and the "Metal Gear Solid HD Collection" on your handheld, then continue playing them at home on the big screen." He also felt "this exploit opens up some delicious gaming opportunities." Marliella Moon of Engadget even joked about the incompatibility of a stock PS TV in her review of the Whitelist hack: "If you have a PlayStation TV collecting dust in a cabinet somewhere, this might make it useful again."


title: Carnac stones

text: The Carnac stones () are an exceptionally dense collection of megalithic sites near the south coast of Brittany in northwestern France, consisting of stone alignments (rows), dolmens (stone tombs), tumuli (burial mounds) and single menhirs (standing stones). More than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones were hewn from local granite and erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany and form the largest such collection in the world. Most of the stones are within the Breton municipality of Carnac, but some to the east are within neighboring La Trinité-sur-Mer. The stones were erected at some stage during the Neolithic period, probably around 3300 BC, but some may date to as early as 4500 BC.


title: Carnac stones

text: Although the stones date from 4500–3300 BC, modern myths associated them with 1st century AD Roman and later Christian occupations. A Christian myth associated with the stones held that they were pagan soldiers in pursuit of Pope Cornelius when he turned them to stone. Brittany has its own local versions of the Arthurian cycle. Local tradition similarly claims that the reason they stand in such perfectly straight lines is that they are a Roman legion turned to stone by Merlin.


title: Carnac stones

text: In recent centuries, many of the sites have been neglected, with reports of dolmens being used as sheep shelters, chicken sheds or even ovens. Even more commonly, stones have been removed to make way for roads, or as building materials. The continuing management of the sites remains a controversial topic.


title: Carnac stones

text: According to Neil Oliver's BBC documentary "A History of Ancient Britain", the alignments would have been built by hunter-gatherer people ("These weren't erected by Neolithic farmers, but by Mesolithic hunters"). That would place them in a different category from Stonehenge in England, which has been claimed to be the work of Early European Farmers. The question of which people Carnac stones are to be attributed to is still debated.


title: Carnac stones

text: There are three major groups of stone rows"Ménec", "Kermario" and "Kerlescan". They may have once formed a single group but have been split up as stones were removed for other purposes.


title: Carnac stones

text: The standing stones are made of weathered granite from local outcroppings that once extensively covered the area.


title: Carnac stones

text: Eleven converging rows of menhirs stretching for . There are what Alexander Thom considered to be the remains of stone circles at either end. According to the tourist office there is a "cromlech containing 71 stone blocks" at the western end and a very ruined cromlech at the eastern end. The largest stones, around high, are at the wider, western end; the stones then become as small as high along the length of the alignment before growing in height again toward the extreme eastern end.


title: Carnac stones

text: This fan-like layout recurs a little further along to the east in the "Kermario" ("House of the Dead") alignment. It consists of 1029 stones in ten columns, about in length. A stone circle to the east end, where the stones are shorter, was revealed by aerial photography.


title: Carnac stones

text: A smaller group of 555 stones, further to the east of the other two sites. It is composed of 13 lines with a total length of about , ranging in height from to . At the extreme west, where the stones are tallest, there is a stone circle which has 39 stones. There may also be another stone circle to the north.


title: Carnac stones

text: A much smaller group, further east again of Kerlescan, falling within the commune of La Trinité-sur-Mer. These are now set in woods, and most are covered with moss and ivy.


title: Carnac stones

text: There are several tumuli, mounds of earth built up over a grave. In this area, they generally feature a passage leading to a central chamber which once held neolithic artifacts.


title: Carnac stones

text: Three exceptionally large burial mounds are known from the Carnac and Morbihan area, dating from the mid-5th millennium BC and known collectively as 'Carnacéen tumuli': Saint-Michel, and . Each of these tumuli contained a megalithic burial chamber, containing the burial of only one individual, along with numerous large polished stone axeheads, stone arm-rings, and jewellery made from callaïs. Scientific analyses have shown that many of the axeheads are made of jadeitite from the Italian Alps, whilst the callaïs was imported from south-western Iberia. Archaeological evidence indicates that the callaïs was brought from Iberia by boat, across the Bay of Biscay, rather than along the coast or overland. Some of the Carnacéen jade axeheads are up to 46 cm in length and may have taken over a thousand hours to produce, on top of the time required to quarry the material and transport it to Carnac. The extraordinary nature of these burials, the scale of the tumuli, the distant exchange networks and effort involved, all indicate that these were the burials of extremely important elite individuals, that some researchers have described as "divine kings". The large-scale effort and organisation involved in the construction of megalithic monuments further suggests the existence of rulers or kings in the Carnac and Morbihan region. A similar situation has been described for the later megalithic culture in Ireland, which shows some close similarities to the megalithic culture in Brittany. Based on archaeological, DNA and ethnographic evidence it has been suggested that an elite male buried in the Newgrange passage grave, c. 3200 BC, may have been a "god-king" and part of a "dynastic elite". Similarities have also been noted with the Michelsberg culture in northeastern France and Germany (c. 4200 BC), which featured large tumulus burials within fortified settlements and the use of Alpine jade axes, all associated with the emergence of "high-ranking elites".


title: Carnac stones

text: The Carnacéen tumuli were contemporary with the rich burials of the Varna culture in Bulgaria (c. 4500 BC), which contained more gold than all excavated sites from the rest of the world combined in the 5th millennium BC. The Varna burials attest to the existence of powerful elites in southeastern Europe at the same time as they appear in Carnac. Grave 43 of the Varna necropolis, which contained a single male buried with a sceptre and numerous gold ornaments, also contained an Alpine jade axehead.


title: Carnac stones

text: The tumulus of Saint-Michel was constructed between 5000 BCE and 3400 BCE. At its base it is , and is high. It required of stone and earth. Its function was a tomb for the members of the ruling class. It contained various funerary objects, such as 15 stone chests, large jade axes, pottery, and callaïs jewellery, most of which are currently held by the Museum of Prehistory of Carnac. It was excavated in 1862 by René Galles with a series of vertical pits, digging down . Le Rouzic also excavated it between 1900 and 1907, discovering the tomb and the stone chests.


title: Carnac stones

text: A chapel was built on top in 1663 and was rebuilt in 1813, before being destroyed in 1923. The current building is an identical reconstruction of the 1663 chapel, built in 1926.


title: Carnac stones

text: The tumulus of Tumiac is located in Arzon, in the Rhuys peninsula, south of the Gulf of Morbihan. It is also known as 'Caesar's mound' because, according to local legend, it served as an observatory for Julius Caesar during his war against the Veneti in 56 BC.


title: Carnac stones

text: The site was excavated in 1853. The crater visible at the top of the tumulus corresponds to the vertical hole made at the time for its exploration. It was the subject of new excavations and work in 1934, which brought to light several secondary burials.


title: Carnac stones

text: The tumulus, circular/elliptical in shape, is made up of layers of clay. It measures 50m in diameter and 15m in height. It contains a central rectangular burial chamber 4.40m long, 2.40m wide and 1.75m high. This chamber is made up of three monolithic supports and is covered with a quartz slab 4.80m long. It had a wooden floor and two engraved side slabs. The funerary chamber contained rich furniture consisting of 11 jadeite axes, 26 fibrolith axes and 249 callaïs beads. These objects are kept in the Archaeological Museum of Vannes. According to carbon-14 dating, the tumulus of Tumiac was erected between 4790 and 4530 BC.


title: Carnac stones

text: The Tumulus of Mané-er-Hroëk (also known as the "Tumulus du Ruyk" is located in Locmariaquer, Morbihan, immediately west of the hamlet of Er-Hroueg and about 1 km northeast of the Pierres Plates dolmen.


title: Carnac stones

text: The tumulus comprises a rectangular burial vault of about 5m by 3m, covered with two roofing slabs, supporting a mound about 100m long and 60m wide. The tumulus rises to approximately 15m above sea level, or almost 8m above the natural ground. The current entrance, with a staircase, is a modern addition. An engraved stele, found broken into three pieces, stands next to the entrance.


title: Carnac stones

text: The tumulus was excavated in 1863 by the . These excavations led to the discovery of the vault and stele and brought to light 106 precious stone axes (the largest of which measures 46cm), 49 callaïs beads and 9 callaïs pendants. These objects were subsequently deposited in the Archeological Museum of Vannes. The tumulus has been classified as a historical monument since 1889.


title: Carnac stones

text: Also known as Er Mané, it is a chamber tomb long, wide, and high. It has a dolmen at the west end, and two tombs at the east end. A small menhir, approximately high, is nearby.


title: Carnac stones

text: There are several dolmens scattered around the area. These dolmens are generally considered to have been tombs; however, the acidic soil of Brittany has eroded away the bones. They were constructed with several large stones supporting a capstone, then buried under a mound of earth. In many cases, the mound is no longer present, sometimes due to archeological excavation, and only the large stones remain, in various states of ruin.


title: Carnac stones

text: A large dolmen measuring , with a long broken capstone. It is named after the nearby Chapelle de La Madeleine, which is still used.


title: Carnac stones

text: A rare dolmen still covered by its original cairn. South of the Kermario alignments, it is wide, high, and has a small menhir on top. Previously surrounded by a circle of small menhirs out, the main passage is long and leads to a large chamber where numerous artifacts were found, including axes, arrowheads, some animal and human teeth, some pearls and sherds, and 26 beads of a unique bluish Nephrite gem. It has some Megalithic art carved on its inner surfaces in the form of serpentines and a human-sized double-axe symbol carved in the underside of its main roof slab. In ancient cultures, the axe and more precisely the bi-pennis used to represent the lightning powers of divinity. It was constructed around 4600 BC and used for approximately 3,000 years.


title: Carnac stones

text: A roughly rectangular mound, with only one capstone remaining. It is aligned east-to-west, with a passage entrance to the south.


title: Carnac stones

text: (Pixies' mound or "Grotte de Grionnec"):A group of three dolmens with layout unique in Brittany, once covered by a tumulus. Whereas most groups of dolmens are parallel, these are arranged in a horseshoe. The largest of the three is at the east, .


title: Carnac stones

text: A "classic" dolmen, with a , tablestone resting on pillars roughly high. Prior to 1900, it was connected by a passage making it long.


title: Carnac stones

text: There are some individual menhirs and at least one other formation which do not fit into the above categories.


title: Carnac stones

text: An arrangement of stones to form the perimeter of a large rectangle. Originally a "tertre tumulus" with a central mound, it is long, and aligned to east of northeast. The quadrilateral is wide to the east, but only wide at the west.


title: Carnac stones

text: Near the quadrilateral is a single massive menhir, now known as the "Giant". Over tall, it was re-erected around 1900 by Zacharie Le Rouzic, and overlooks the nearby Kerlescan alignment.


title: Carnac stones

text: From the 1720s increasing interest was shown in these features. In 1796, for example, La Tour d'Auvergne attributed them to druidic gatherings. In 1805, A. Maudet de Penhoët claimed they represented stars in the sky.


title: Carnac stones

text: Englishmen Francis Ronalds and Alexander Blair made a detailed survey of the stones in 1834. Ronalds created the first accurate drawings of many of them with his patented perspective tracing instrument, which were printed in a book "Sketches at Carnac (Brittany) in 1834".


title: Carnac stones

text: The first extensive excavation was performed in the 1860s by Scottish antiquary James Miln (1819–1881), who reported that by then fewer than 700 of the 3,000 stones were still standing. Towards 1875, Miln engaged a local boy, (1864–1939), as his assistant, and Zacharie learnt archaeology on the job. After Miln's death, he left the results of his excavations to the town of Carnac, and the "James Miln Museum" was established there by his brother Robert to house the artifacts. Zacharie became the director of the Museum and, although self-taught, became an internationally recognised expert on megaliths in the region. He too left the results of his work to the town, and the museum is now named "Le Musée de Préhistoire James Miln – Zacharie le Rouzic".


title: Carnac stones

text: In 1887, H. de Cleuziou argued for a connection between the rows of stones and the directions of sunsets at the solstices.


title: Carnac stones

text: Among more recent studies, Alexander Thom worked with his son Archie from 1970 to 1974 to carry out a detailed survey of the Carnac alignments, and produced a series of papers on the astronomical alignments of the stones as well as statistical analysis supporting his concept of the megalithic yard. Thom's megalithic yard has been challenged.


title: Carnac stones

text: There are also general theories on the use of the stones as astronomical observatories, as has been claimed for Stonehenge. According to one such theory, the massive menhir at nearby Locmariaquer was linked to the alignments for such a purpose.


title: Carnac stones

text: The "Musée de Préhistoire James Miln – Zacharie le Rouzic" is at the centre of conserving and displaying the artefacts from the area. It also contains the "world's largest collection [of] prehistoric[al] exhibits" with over 6,600 prehistoric objects from 136 different sites.


title: Carnac stones

text: The monuments themselves were listed and purchased by the State at the start of the 20th century to protect them against quarrymen, and while this was successful at the time, in the middle of the century, redevelopment, changes to agricultural practices and increasing tourism bringing visitors to the stones led to rapid deterioration. The "Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication" (Heritage Ministry) re-examined the issue starting in 1984, and subsequently set up the ‘Mission Carnac’ in 1991 with the aim of rehabilitating and developing the alignments. This involved restricting public access, launching a series of scientific and technical studies, and producing a plan for conservation and development in the area.


title: Carnac stones

text: As with the megalithic structure of Stonehenge in England, management of the stones can be controversial. Since 1991, the main groups of stone rows have been protected from the public by fences "to help vegetation growth", preventing visits except by organised tours. They are open during winter, however.


title: Carnac stones

text: When James Miln studied the stones in the 1860s, he reported that fewer than 700 of the 3,000 stones were still standing, and subsequent work during the 1930s and 1980s (using bulldozers) rearranged the stones, re-erecting some, to make way for roads or other structures. In 2002, protesters invaded the site, opening the padlocks and allowing tourists free entry. In particular, the group "Collectif Holl a gevred" (French and Breton for "the everyone-together collective") occupied the visitor centre for the Kermario alignment, demanding an immediate stop to current management plans and local input into further plans.


title: Carnac stones

text: In recent years, management of the site has also experimented with allowing sheep to graze among the stones, in order to keep gorse and other weeds under control.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: The Deutsche Eishockey Liga (for sponsorship reasons called "PENNY Deutsche Eishockey Liga") (; English: "German Ice Hockey League") or DEL, is a German professional ice hockey league and the highest division in German ice hockey. Founded in 1994, it was formed as a replacement for the Eishockey-Bundesliga and became the new top-tier league in Germany as a result. Unlike the old Bundesliga, the DEL is not under the administration of the German Ice Hockey Federation. The DEL is regarded as one of Europe's premier ice hockey divisions behind leagues in Sweden, Finland and Switzerland. Three German clubs represent the DEL on the European stage each season in the Champions Hockey League, although no German club has yet won this competition.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: In the 2016–17 season, the league was the second-best supported ice hockey league in Europe, behind the Swiss National League A, with an average attendance of 6,198 spectators per game. Fifteen different teams comprise the league, playing their home games in a diverse mix of venues, including a few large, modern arenas (e.g. in Berlin, Mannheim, Cologne, and Düsseldorf) and older, smaller venues (e.g. in Bietigheim, Schwenningen, and Straubing). Kölner Haie (English: Cologne Sharks), Düsseldorfer EG, and Eisbären Berlin (Berlin Polar Bears) all regularly attract over 15,000 fans for home games. Adler Mannheim (Mannheim Eagles) also regularly attract over 12,000 fans per home game with each of their home games in the 2019 DEL Playoffs, including all three games in the final series against EHC Red Bull München, selling out. Despite attracting some of the biggest crowds in the DEL, and hosting NHL teams in preseason games, Kölner Haie have not won a championship since 2002.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: In the DEL Winter Game, similar to the NHL Winter Classic where matches are played in larger outdoor venues, Cologne and Düsseldorf have played in front of crowds in excess of 40,000, notably in 2019 as Düsseldorf won in overtime in rival Cologne's RheinEnergieStadion. The DEL Winter Game traditionally takes place every two years; four editions have been played since 2013, including games in Cologne and at the home of TSG Hoffenheim, with each attracting over 30,000 spectators. Following a 2021 postponement due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the DEL Winter Game is set to return in December 2022 with Cologne hosting Mannheim in the RheinEnergieStadion.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: The DEL is known for its game-day atmosphere, as well as producing NHL talents including Dominik Kahun of EHC Red Bull München. Many of the German national team that took silver at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang played in the DEL, while EHC Red Bull München became the first German team to reach the Champions Hockey League final in 2019, losing to the Swedish team Frölunda HC. EHC Red Bull München followed this up by reaching the semi-finals in the 2021-22 Champions Hockey League. Ice hockey is growing as a sport in Germany and is seen as a popular alternative to football or handball, building upon the Olympic success in 2018.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: A new system of promotion and relegation with the DEL2 began with the 2021–22 season, in which the last-placed DEL club will be replaced by the DEL2 champions. SC Bietigheim Steelers joined the DEL for the 2021-22 DEL season as DEL2 champions ahead of the first promotion/relegation to DEL2. Following the conclusion of the 2021–22 season, Bietigheim retained their place in the top flight while Krefeld Pinguine were relegated after finishing bottom of the table. Löwen Frankfurt (Frankfurt Lions) will be promoted as DEL2 champions for the 2022–23 season.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: The DEL Playoffs determine the season champions in a similar format to the NHL. Each team plays 52 regular-season games to determine the regular-season champions before the top 10 teams are seeded and qualify for the playoffs. The top 6 teams receive a bye to the quarter-finals while the teams ranked 7–10 compete in the pre-playoff (wildcard) round. The seedings are re-calculated after each round in a straight knockout system. The DEL Finals, held in late April or early May, is a best-of-seven games format, similarly to the NHL where the top seed remaining holds home-field advantage in a Game 7 scenario.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: For the 2021–22 season and 2020–21 season, a shortened version of the DEL playoffs was used in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Eisbären Berlin won the 2022 Finals against EHC Red Bull München 3-1 in a best-of-5 format. Berlin also won the title in 2021, defeating Wolfsburg 2-1 in a best-of-3 series following a North/South regional league split during the 2020/21 season due to the pandemic.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: The Eisbären Berlin and Adler Mannheim are the most successful DEL clubs and have won the last three editions between them (Mannheim 2019, Berlin 2021 & 2022). Mannheim have enjoyed a lot of success in recent years (2015 and 2019 Champions, 2021 Regular Season Champions) although EHC Red Bull München won three consecutive titles between 2016 and 2018 and also made the 2019 final, losing to Mannheim in five games. München were also top of the 2020 standings before the season was curtailed. ERC Ingolstadt (2014 Champions as the 9th seed) and Grizzlys Wolfsburg (2021 runners-up) have also enjoyed deep playoff runs in the last decade.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: Some of the league's biggest rivalries include Kölner Haie and Düsseldorfer SG, Cologne and Adler Mannheim, and Eisbären Berlin and EHC Red Bull München. The Bavarian Derbies between München, ERC Ingolstadt, Augsburger Panther, Straubing Tigers, and Nürnberg Ice Tigers are also fiercely contested. Due to geography, Nürnberg/Straubing and Augsburg/Ingolstadt are notable rivalries although Munich/Augsburg has become a stronger rivalry following their epic 2019 semi-final series. München won that series in the deciding game 7 which also included the longest match in DEL history, won by Augsburger Panther after 104 minutes of action in game 3, as two matches required three overtimes to determine a winner.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: The Eishockey-Bundesliga was formed in 1957 as the elite hockey competition in the Federal Republic of Germany, replacing the "Oberliga" in this position. It was in turn replaced by the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, which now also carries the name 1st Bundesliga in its logo.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: The DEL was founded in the 1994–95 season, consisting of teams from the Eishockey-Bundesliga's 1st and 2nd divisions. The condition of these earlier leagues had become intolerable. Many 1st and 2nd division teams were heavily in debt. The 2nd division attracted few sponsors and spectators. As a result, many clubs were forced to fold or withdraw to the lower leagues. Fans and corporate sponsors focused on the 1st Bundesliga teams, forcing the elite teams to invest heavily in players to avoid relegation. This increased budgets 25 percent over the previous two years.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: In the final Bundesliga season, 1993–94, only 11 teams wanted to play in the "2nd Bundesliga". Furthermore, two teams folded during and after the season. Ice hockey's reputation in Germany was heavily tarnished. This made it difficult to attract serious sponsorship. In January 1994, 20 out of the remaining 21 1st and 2nd Bundesliga teams voted for creating a new entity, the DEL.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: Upon founding, the "DEL Betriebsgesellschaft mbH" was the first German professional sports league managed by an organization whose members were incorporated as well. The goal behind the DEL was to create a league, based on the model of the North American NHL, in which teams could play consistently without relegation concerns and create a stable league. Clubs in the DEL were required to conform to rules, which were designed to ensure long-term viability. Twelve clubs from the old "1st Bundesliga", and six from the "2nd Bundesliga" came together as founding members. The new league immediately attracted corporate sponsorship with the Krombacher Brewery, which was prominently featured on the new league logo.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: The hope of avoiding the troubles of the old "Bundesliga" by stricter financial controls did not materialize. During DEL's initial season, on 18 December 1994, the "Bundesliga's" final champion, the renamed "EC Hedos München", folded. This was controversial, as DEL's president Franz Hofherr had approved their license and certified their finances. Hofherr was Mad Dogs former president and it was alleged that he must have known about their desperate financial situation.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: The Bosman ruling, a 1995 decision of the European Court of Justice regarding the movement of labor in soccer, had profound influence on the league. The old Bundesliga had national character with German clubs competing for the German title using mostly German players. After the ruling European Union players were excluded from the "foreign" player quota. In the 1995–96 season following the decision, the DEL teams employed 97 EU players. This lowered costs significantly, enabling smaller teams to compete more effectively. However, frequent player moves were not viewed positively by the fans, resulting in smaller attendance numbers.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: Following an agreement with the DEB the league renamed itself as "DEL – Die 1. Bundesliga" in the 1999–2000 season, while reintroducing relegation and promotion to/from the 2nd Ice Hockey Bundesliga.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: The 2004–05 season was significant due to the NHL lockout. 26 NHL players came to play the season in the DEL, including Jamie Langenbrunner, Erik Cole, Stéphane Robidas, Doug Weight, Mike York and several German national team players – Jochen Hecht, Olaf Kölzig, and Marco Sturm.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: The DEL is an independently run league, fully owned and operated by its 14 member teams. Each team must fulfill the "DEL's" basic requirements to remain in the league:


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: The DEL can only admit one 2nd Bundesliga team per season to the league, unless the league strength falls below fourteen, in which case two clubs can be admitted. Since the 2006–07 season, no DEL team can be automatically relegated, a team can only lose its league status through non-compliance with the leagues regulations (see above).


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: The "ESBG" guarantees to admit any DEL team wishing to step down to the lower 2nd Bundesliga or Oberliga. The team, however, has to purchase a license (licensing fees for the 2nd Bundesliga are currently set at €100,000.00).


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: To regulate the relationship between the DEL, the "DEB" and the "ESBG" (2nd Bundesliga), a so-called "Kooperationsvertrag" exists. This "cooperation contract" was signed in December 2005, and was valid until 2011. This contract ended years of dispute between the three organizations over competencies and financial issues.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: In November 2007, the DEL announced another change in policy. The league expanded to allow 16 teams beginning in the 2008–09 season, resulting in direct promotion for the 2nd Bundesliga league champions, should they fulfill all requirements and be interested in joining the DEL. Should this not be the case, or a current DEL team resigns from the league, a selection process would determine the club, or clubs, who would be eligible to join in order required to achieve 16 teams. "(Note: Füchse Duisburg resigned before the 2009–10 season and was not replaced until the following season.)"


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: For that season, it was also mandated that each DEL club would be allowed to have no more than ten non-EC players under contract.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: Additionally, a new format for the game schedule will limit the number of regular-season games to 52 for each team. This is achieved by each team playing four games against eleven others and two games against the remaining four. To determine which teams play, the final standings of the previous season are used.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: The DEL would also reintroduce promotion once more. The first- and second-lowest ranked teams will play a best-of-seven series to determine which team faces the 2nd Bundesliga champion for a place in the league. There is, however, an ongoing dispute about those games as second division teams may only have five foreign players on contract and therefore face a handicap in comparison to the DEL teams with twelve import players each. For now, the "ESBG" has declared that no team from the 2nd Bundesliga would take part in these matches and therefore no promotion/relegation with the DEL will take place.


title: Deutsche Eishockey Liga

text: 33 clubs have played in the DEL since founding, with 15 currently playing. The 1994 standing represents the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga.


title: Egg tart

text: The egg tart (; ) is a kind of custard tart found in Chinese cuisine derived from the English custard tart and Portuguese pastel de nata. The dish consists of an outer pastry crust filled with egg custard. Egg tarts are often served at dim sum restaurants, bakeries and "cha chaan tengs" (Hong Kong-style cafes).


title: Egg tart

text: The egg tart started being sold in the early 20th century in Guangzhou (Canton), Guangdong province, inspired by some kinds of European custard tart. Guangzhou's status as the only port accessible to European foreign traders led to the development of Cantonese cuisine having many outside influences. As Guangzhou's economy grew from trade and interaction with European powers, pastry chefs at the Western-style department stores in the city were “pressured to come up with new and exciting items to attract customers”. So egg tart varieties, inspired by those from Europe, featuring a lard-based puff pastry crust and a filling similar to steamed egg pudding (), were then created by department stores and appeared as a "Weekly Special". Nowadays, there are two main varieties of egg tart in China. One that appeared around 1927 in Guangzhou’s Zhen Guang Restaurant (真光酒樓) is close to the egg tarts popular in Guangzhou and Hong Kong today. The other one is from Macau and is influenced by the pastel de nata as Macau was then a Portuguese colony.


title: Egg tart

text: Egg tarts were introduced to Hong Kong via Guangzhou in the 1940s but initially could only be found in higher-end Western-style restaurants. In the 1960s, "cha chaan tengs" began to serve egg tarts, popularizing the pastry with the working-class Hong Kong population.


title: Egg tart

text: Hong Kong egg tarts are typically smaller and served in twos or threes, in contrast to the original Guangzhou egg tarts which were larger and could be served as a single item. The custard filling may be flavored with chocolate, green tea, or bird's nest, and the outer shell may be made with pastry.


title: Egg tart

text: In June 2014, the technique of egg tart production was formally included in the Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory of Hong Kong.


title: Egg tart

text: In 1989, British pharmacist Andrew Stow and his wife Margaret Wong opened Lord Stow's Bakery in Coloane, where they sold a Macau-style egg tart that attempted to recreate the pastel de nata. This variation is referred to as "Portuguese tart" in Chinese (). In 1999, Wong sold the recipe to KFC, which then introduced the Macau-style pastel de nata to other parts of Asia, including Singapore and Taiwan.


title: Egg tart

text: In contrast to the Hong Kong-style egg tart, the Macau-style egg tart features a caramelized browned top.


title: Samsung Galaxy A73 5G

text: The Samsung Galaxy A73 5G is a mid-high range Android-based smartphone developed and manufactured by Samsung Electronics as a part of its Galaxy A series. The phone was announced on 17 March 2022 at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event alongside the Galaxy A33 5G and Galaxy A53 5G.


title: Samsung Galaxy A73 5G

text: The smartphone is similar in design to its predecessor, but as in the Samsung Galaxy A33 5G and Samsung Galaxy A53 5G, the rear panel is now completely flat, and the transition between the rear panel and the camera unit is smoother. The Galaxy A73 5G, unlike the Samsung Galaxy A72, does not have a 3.5 mm audio jack. The smartphone also has protection against moisture and dust according to the IP67 standard.


title: Samsung Galaxy A73 5G

text: Below are the USB-C connector, speaker and microphone. Depending on the version, there is a slot for 1 SIM card and a microSD memory card up to 1 TB or a hybrid slot for 2 SIM cards or 1 SIM card and a microSD memory card up to 1 TB and a second microphone. On the right side are the volume buttons and the smartphone lock button.


title: Samsung Galaxy A73 5G

text: Samsung Galaxy A73 5G is sold in 3 colors: green (Awesome Mint), gray (Awesome Gray) and white (Awesome White).


title: Samsung Galaxy A73 5G

text: The Galaxy A73 5G is a smartphone with a slate-type factor form, which is 159.6 × 74.8 × 8.1 mm in size and weighs 189 grams.


title: Samsung Galaxy A73 5G

text: The device is equipped with GSM, HSPA, LTE and 5G connectivity, Wi-Fi 802.A/b/g/n/ac/ax dual-band with Bluetooth 5 Wi-Fi Direct support and hotspot support.0 with A2DP and LE, GPS with BeiDou, Galileo, GLONASS and QZSS and NFC. It has a USB-C 2.0 port and no 3.5 mm audio jack input. It is resistant to water and powder with IP67 certification.


title: Samsung Galaxy A73 5G

text: It has a 6.7 inch diagonal touchscreen, Super AMOLED+ Infinity-O, rounded corners and FHD+ resolution of 1080 × 2400 pixels. The screen supports a 120 Hz refresh rate. For screen protection it uses Gorilla Glass 5.


title: Samsung Galaxy A73 5G

text: The chipset is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G with an octagonal CPU (4 cores at 2.4 GHz + 4 cores at 1.8 GHz). UFS type 2 internal memory. 1 is 128/256 GB expandable with microSD up to 1 TB, while the RAM is 6 or 8 GB (depending on the version chosen).


title: Samsung Galaxy A73 5G

text: The rear camera has a 108 MP main sensor with an f/1 opening.The D-SLR-Focus is equipped with a PDAF, OIS, HDR mode and a flash LED mode, capable of recording up to 4K to 30 photograms per second, while the front camera is a single 32MP camera with a recording capacity of up to 8 mm.


title: Nightwish discography

text: The discography of the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish consists of nine studio albums, one extended play, six live albums, seven compilations, eighteen music videos and twenty-two singles. The band was formed in 1996 by songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former vocalist Tarja Turunen; Nightwish's current line-up has six members although Turunen has been replaced by Anette Olzon and later by Floor Jansen, and the original bassist, Sami Vänskä, has been replaced by Marko Hietala, who also took over the male vocalist part.


title: Nightwish discography

text: Although Nightwish has been popular in Finland since 1997 when they released their debut album, "Angels Fall First", they did not achieve worldwide fame until the release of the albums "Oceanborn", "Wishmaster" and "Century Child", which were released in 1998, 2000 and 2002, respectively. The 2004 album, "Once", had sold more than one million copies by the end of 2005 and allowed the band to host the "Once Upon a Tour", concluded in Finland on October 21, 2005, when they played their last concert with Turunen on vocals and also when the "End of an Era DVD" was recorded. In May 2007, former Alyson Avenue frontwoman Anette Olzon was revealed as Turunen's replacement, and the album "Dark Passion Play" was released on September 26 after the singles "Eva" in May and "Amaranth" in August.


title: Nightwish discography

text: The next Nightwish single, "Storytime", was released on November 9, 2011, and the seventh studio album, "Imaginaerum", was released on November 30 of the same year. It accompanied a movie of the same name, directed by Stobe Harju, who previously directed Nightwish's "The Islander" music video. The band started the "Imaginaerum World Tour" in the United States city of Los Angeles on January 21, 2012, at the Gibson Amphitheatre.


title: Nightwish discography

text: As of 2012, Nightwish has sold over 9 million records worldwide, including about 900,000 in Finland, over 1 million in Germany and over 500,000 in the U.S.


title: Sweet Charity (film)

text: Sweet Charity (full title: Sweet Charity: The Adventures of a Girl Who Wanted to Be Loved) is a 1969 American musical comedy-drama film directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse in his feature directorial debut, written by Peter Stone, and featuring music by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields.


title: Sweet Charity (film)

text: The film stars Shirley MacLaine and features John McMartin, Sammy Davis Jr., Ricardo Montalbán, Chita Rivera, Barbara Bouchet, Paula Kelly and Stubby Kaye. It is based on the 1966 stage musical of the same name – also directed and choreographed by Fosse – which in turn is based on Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano and Tullio Pinelli's screenplay for Fellini's film "Nights of Cabiria" ("Le Notti di Cabiria", 1957). Whereas Fellini's film concerns the romantic ups-and-downs of an ever-hopeful prostitute, the musical makes the central character a dancer-for-hire at a Times Square dance-hall.


title: Sweet Charity (film)

text: Charity Hope Valentine works as a taxi dancer along with her friends, Nickie and Helene. She longs for love, but has bad luck with men, first seen when her married boyfriend, Charlie, pushes her off Gapstow Bridge in Central Park and steals her life savings of $427. The Fandango Ballroom and its sleazily erotic setting are introduced by the song "Hey, Big Spender". Charity shares her disappointment and hopes with her co-workers Nickie and Helene in several scenes throughout the film.


title: Sweet Charity (film)

text: Somewhat later, Charity meets famous movie star Vittorio Vitale, just as he breaks up with his girlfriend Ursula. Charity goes to a nightclub, where the guests perform the "Rich Man's Frug," and later has dinner with Vittorio at his apartment. When Vittorio leaves the room momentarily, Charity celebrates what seems to be her good fortune with the song "If They Could See Me Now". Right after, however, Ursula comes back to Vittorio, and Charity is forced to spend a humiliating night in a closet while Vittorio and Ursula make love and sleep together. Charity again returns to the Fandango, where she, Nickie, and Helene commiserate on the building's rooftop with "There's Got to Be Something Better Than This".


title: Sweet Charity (film)

text: Looking for a more respectable and rewarding line of work, Charity goes to an employment agency, but she is forced to admit that she has no special skills and has to leave when she admits her status. In the building's elevator, though, Charity meets shy and claustrophobic Oscar Lindquist, and the two are attracted to each other when the elevator halts, trapping them together for hours. The two go out together several times, including a visit to an alternative church presided over by a preacher named Big Daddy and "worshiping" with the song "The Rhythm of Life".


title: Sweet Charity (film)

text: Although Charity has not told her background to the reserved and respectable Oscar, he proposes marriage and professes to be broadminded when she does finally tell him. Charity's hopes are once again lifted, celebrated in the huge production number "I'm a Brass Band". Oscar meets Charity's friends at the Fandango when they throw a party for her. However at the marriage license bureau Oscar tells her that he has tried to accept her past but is unable to go through with the marriage.


title: Sweet Charity (film)

text: Charity returns to the bridge in Central Park where she first appeared in the film and seems ready to throw herself off it, but a passing group of young hippies singing about love and peace hand her a flower, lifting her spirits.


title: Sweet Charity (film)

text: An alternate ending, included on the Laserdisc, DVD and Blu-ray releases, picks up after Oscar leaves Charity. Oscar starts to go crazy in his apartment and, feeling suffocated, goes for a walk in the park. He sees Charity on their bridge in Central Park and thinks she is going to jump. Racing to rescue her, he trips and falls in the water. Charity jumps in after him, but can't swim so Oscar rescues her. Oscar realizes Charity is the only breath of fresh air in his life, proposes again, and she accepts. Fosse thought the ending was too corny, but filmed it anticipating that the studio would demand a happy ending. In the end, they agreed with Fosse and kept the original ending from the stage version.


title: Sweet Charity (film)

text: Shirley MacLaine, a friend of Fosse and his wife and partner Gwen Verdon, had suggested the adaptation to Lew Wasserman, the head of Universal Pictures. Verdon, who had starred as Charity in Fosse's original Broadway musical, had wanted to play the lead again but endorsed MacLaine to star in the film since she was a recognizable movie star. Verdon did contribute to the film, without credit, as the assistant choreographer. Chita Rivera and Paula Kelly, who had appeared in a London stage production of the play, have supporting roles in the film. John McMartin was the only lead actor from the Broadway version to reprise his role.


title: Sweet Charity (film)

text: During production, Fosse had conflicts with his original producer, Ross Hunter, who was replaced by Robert Arthur. I.A.L. Diamond, who had written the screenplays for "The Apartment" and "Irma la Douce", both starring MacLaine and co-written and directed by Billy Wilder, was originally hired as screenwriter, but he too quit after disagreements with Fosse and was replaced by Peter Stone. Filming took place in studios in and around Los Angeles and New York City.


title: Sweet Charity (film)

text: Critical reception of the film at release was mixed. While some praised Fosse's innovative approaches to the staging of some numbers and Shirley MacLaine's performance, others found it overlong, most of the songs ineffective, and the storyline ineffectively engaging. Reviewers familiar with the stage version were especially critical. Vincent Canby in the New York Times was especially harsh, disparaging the film as "so enlarged and so inflated that it has become another maximal movie: a long, noisy and, finally, dim imitation of its source material," and complaining that although MacLaine "often looks like Miss Verdon, she never succeeds in re-creating the eccentric line that gave cohesion to the original". The film has been reappraised over the years and has been reviewed positively. "Sweet Charity" has an 83% "Fresh" rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes based on 6 reviews, with an average rating of 6.40/10.


title: Sweet Charity (film)

text: The actual cost of the film's production has been disputed, amidst conflicting accounts by Universal Pictures, reports in "Variety", and claims by Fosse himself, but estimates range from more than $20 million to just $8 million. Regardless of the actual cost, the film's returns were a huge disappointment for the studio. By January 1970, the film had made only $1.1 million, just a bit more than the cost of Shirley MacLaine's salary. By 1976, according to "Variety", the film earned rentals of $4,025,000 in the US and Canada.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: The MBTA Commuter Rail system serves as the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's transportation coverage of Greater Boston in the United States. Trains run over of track to 141 different stations, with 58 stations on the north side and 83 stations on the south. It is operated under contract by Keolis, which took over operations on July 1, 2014, from the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR).


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of , making it the sixth-busiest commuter rail system in the U.S., behind the three New York-area systems, the Chicago-area system, and the Philadelphia-area system. The line's characteristic purple-trimmed coaches operate as far south as North Kingstown, Rhode Island, and as far north as Newburyport and as far west as Fitchburg, both in Massachusetts.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: Trains originate at two major terminals in Boston—South Station and North Station—with both transportation hubs offering connections to Amtrak, local bus, intercity bus via South Station Bus Terminal, and subway lines. Currently the only rail infrastructure "directly" connecting them is a single track that is only used to move equipment; however, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has studied the possibility of an underground tunnel to unite the two halves, the North-South Rail Link.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: The system consists of twelve lines – four of which have branches – radiating from downtown Boston. Eight "southside" lines terminate at South Station, with four (Framingham/Worcester, Needham, Franklin/Foxboro, and Providence/Stoughton) also running through Back Bay station. Four "northside" lines terminate at North Station. The Kingston Line and Middleborough/Lakeville Line are often grouped together as the Old Colony Lines. The lines vary in length from the Fairmount Line to the Providence/Stoughton Line, with typical lengths in the range. The system's routes span about and cover roughly the eastern third of Massachusetts and the northern half of Rhode Island.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: Most lines do not share trackage outside the Boston terminal areas, with several exceptions. The Providence/Stoughton Line and Franklin/Foxboro Line both use the Northeast Corridor between and South Station, with the Needham Line also sharing the tracks between and South Station. The Old Colony Lines and the Greenbush Line all use the Old Colony mainline between South Station and . The Haverhill Line and Newburyport/Rockport Line share tracks between North Station and near . A small number of Haverhill Line trains use the inner Lowell Line and the Wildcat Branch, while a small number of Franklin/Foxboro Line trains use the Fairmount Line rather than the Northeast Corridor. Several Amtrak intercity routes run on MBTA tracks: the and over the Providence/Stoughton Line, the over the Framingham/Worcester Line, and the over portions of the Lowell and Haverhill lines. Private companies also operate freight service over much of the system (see ).


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: , there are 133 active stations – 53 northside and 80 southside. Five additional stations (, , , , and ) are indefinitely closed, and one () temporarily closed, due to service cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three stations (, , and ) are temporarily closed due to structural deterioration. Seven additional stations are under construction, including six as part of the South Coast Rail project; several other stations are planned. South Station, North Station, and Back Bay all have MBTA subway and Amtrak connections; nine other stations have subway connections, and six others have Amtrak connections.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: Stations range in size from small platforms like to the sprawling downtown terminals. Most stations outside downtown Boston have one or two side platforms or a single island platform. Standard MBTA platforms are about long – enough for a nine-car train – and a minimum of wide for side platforms and wide for island platforms. 107 active stations are accessible, including all terminals and all stations with rapid transit connections; 26 are not. The MBTA uses -high platforms for accessible level boarding, as is standard in the northeastern United States. Some accessible stations have full-length high platforms for accessible boarding on all cars; others only have "mini-high" platforms about long – which allow for level boarding on two cars – with the rest of the platform length not accessible. , the MBTA is designing a temporary accessible platform that can be added to stations pending full reconstructions.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: The MBTA Commuter Rail system is operated by Keolis Commuter Services – a subsidiary of French company Keolis – under contract to the MBTA. The MBTA owns all passenger equipment and most stations. Most trackage is also owned by the MBTA. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (parent agency of the MBTA) owns several portions of the Framingham/Worcester Line as well as the Grand Junction Branch, which is used for non-revenue equipment moves between the northside and southside lines. Pan Am Southern owns the section of the Fitchburg Line between and Wachusett, while Amtrak owns the section of the Northeast Corridor (used by the Providence/Stoughton Line) in Rhode Island.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: Most lines operate on regular headways, though some have additional service at peak hours. Service levels vary by lines: the Greenbush and Kingston lines have 13 round trips on weekdays, while the Providence/Stoughton Line has 36. Running times vary from 30 minutes on the Fairmount Line to nearly 120 minutes for some Providence/Stoughton Line trips, with 60–75 minutes typical. Most trains stop at all stations on the line; some peak-hour express trains operate on the Framingham/Worcester and Providence/Stoughton lines. Several lines additionally have some short turn service. The CapeFlyer, a seasonal weekend-only service to Cape Cod, operates using MBTA equipment over the Middleborough/Lakeville Line plus the Cape Main Line (which is not otherwise used by the MBTA). Special express service to Foxboro station is operated during New England Patriots home games and some other events at Gillette Stadium. It runs from South Station via the Franklin Line, and from Providence via the Providence/Stoughton Line. During the winter, one "ski train" round trip of the Fitchburg Line operates with a bicycle car on weekends and Wednesday evenings, with a shuttle bus to Wachusett Mountain.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: All MBTA commuter rail service is provided by push-pull trains powered by diesel locomotives (see ). Maximum speed for trains is , though some lines have lower limits. The entire system is signalled and operates with Positive Train Control using the Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System. The southside lines have cab signals for automatic train control; cab signals will be placed in service on the northside lines in 2023. The MBTA is a member of the Northeast Operating Rules Advisory Committee (NORAC) and uses its operating rules. Most portions of the system operate under NORAC rules 261 and 562, which allow bidirectional train movements on every track (such as an express train passing a local train in the same direction). Portions of the Fitchburg, Haverhill, and Newburyport/Rockport lines operate under NORAC rule 251, which allow trains to run only in a single direction on each track. Most lines are either double track, or single track with passing sidings; portions of the Northeast Corridor have three or four tracks.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: Freight service is operated over most of the MBTA Commuter Rail system by several private railroads. CSX Transportation operates freight on most southside lines, of which the outer portion of the Worcester Line has the most freight traffic. Massachusetts Coastal Railroad operates south of Middleborough on the Middleborough/Lakeville Line, as well as on future South Coast Rail trackage. The Fore River Railroad operates between Braintree Yard and East Braintree on the Old Colony mainline and the Greenbush Line. The Providence and Worcester Railroad shares tracks with Providence/Stoughton Line trains between Providence and Wickford Junction; it uses a freight-only track between Providence and Central Falls. No freight operates on the Needham Line, the Northeast Corridor between Readville and Back Bay, the Old Colony mainline between Boston and the Greenbush Line junction in Braintree, the Plymouth/Kingston Line, and most of the Greenbush Line.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: CSX also operates on most northside lines; prior to its 2022 purchase by CSX, Pan Am Railways operated over these lines. Pan Am Southern (planned to be replaced by the Berkshire and Eastern Railroad) operates over the Fitchburg Line west of Ayer. Their combined Freight Main Line between Mechanicville, New York, and Mattawamkeag, Maine, shares tracks with sections of the Fitchburg, Lowell, and Haverhill lines. No freight service is operated over the Newburyport/Rockport Line north of Salem.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: Weight limits and loading gauge vary across the system. The full Framingham/Worcester line is rated for car weights of , sections of lines that are part of the Freight Main Line for , and other lines for lower weights. The western portion of the Framingham/Worcester Line and the southern section of the Providence/Stoughton line can accommodate cars up to (AAR Plate H or Plate K). The Fitchburg Line west of Ayer can accommodate cars up to (AAR Plate J), while most of the other northside lines can accommodate up to (AAR Plate F). The inner Fitchburg and Newburyport/Rockport Lines, and the southside except for the outer Framingham/Worcester Line, have height restrictions smaller than Plate F.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: MBTA Commuter Rail uses a zone fare system, with fares increasing with distance. Zone 1A includes the downtown terminals and other inner core stations up to about from downtown. Ten additional zones, numbered 1 through 10, extend outwards from Boston. Each zone is about 5 miles, with most outer terminals in zones 6 through 8. Only two stations use further zones: in Zone 9, and in Zone 10. Zone 1A fares are identical to MBTA subway fares (though subway passes on CharlieCards are not accepted, except for Fairmount Line stations that have CharlieCard validator machines). , one-way fares within Zone 1A are $2.40, while fares between further zones and Zone 1A range from $6.50 for Zone 1 to $13.25 for Zone 10. Trips that do not enter Zone 1A have less expensive interzone fares; , these range from $2.75 for travel within a single zone to $7.25 for travel between Zone 1 and Zone 10.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: Fares can be purchased on the MBTA mTicket app, at automatic vending machines located at major stations, from businesses near some stations, or from conductors on board trains. Discounted passes include monthly passes (with or without free transfer to other MBTA services), "flex passes" valid for five 24-hour periods, and $10 passes offering unlimited travel on a single weekend. As with other MBTA services, discounted fares and passes are available for several groups including disabled passengers, passengers over age 65, and students attending certain schools. Foxboro special event services and the CapeFlyer have separate fares; regular MBTA fares and passes are not valid. Fares are collected by train conductors; while fare evasion is explicitly illegal under state law, it is not criminal. Faregates have also been installed at North Station, with plans for installation at Back Bay and South Station. The second-generation MBTA fare collection system, planned for completion in 2024, will standardize fare media across modes and allow uses of CharlieCards for all commuter rail trips.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: Eight intercity mainlines radiating from Boston opened between 1834 and 1855: the Boston and Worcester Railroad (B&W) in 1834–35, Boston and Providence Railroad (B&P) in 1834–35, Boston and Lowell Railroad (B&L) in 1835, Eastern Railroad in 1838–1840, Fitchburg Railroad in 1843–45, Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) in 1845, Old Colony Railroad and Fall River Railroad in 1845–46, and Norfolk County Railroad in 1849–55. Commuter rail service allowing suburban residents to work in Boston began with the B&W in 1834; by the 1860s, commuting was possible on the eight mainlines and a number of branch lines. Mergers prior to the 1880s were primarily acquisitions of branch lines and consolidations with connecting lines: the B&A merged with the Western Railroad in 1874 to become the Boston and Albany Railroad (B&A), the Fall River Railroad and several other lines merged into the Old Colony Railroad, and the Norfolk County Railroad eventually became part of the New York and New England Railroad (NY&NE). The narrow gauge Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad (BRB&L) opened in 1875, competing with the inner portion of the Eastern Railroad. Unlike the other lines, it never built rails into downtown Boston, and instead relied on a ferry connection from East Boston.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: The B&M obtained control of the Eastern in 1883, the B&L in 1887, and the Fitchburg in 1900, giving it a near-monopoly on rail service north of Boston. North Union Station was built in 1893 to provide a union station for northside service; it was replaced by North Station in 1928. The Old Colony obtained control of the B&P in 1888; the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad acquired the Old Colony in 1893 to obtain access to Boston. The New Haven also acquired the New England Railroad (successor to the NY&NE) in 1898. South Station opened in 1899 as a union station for the southside lines (New Haven and B&A). The New York Central and Hudson River Railroad – which later became the New York Central) (NYC) – leased the B&A in 1900; this brought all Boston commuter service save the BRB&L under the control of three large multi-state railroads.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: The three railroads all planned electrification of some suburban lines in the early 20th century. The New Haven tested electrification on small parts of the Old Colony system, but never followed through on its plans to electrify South Station and the inner section of the ex-B&P. Despite a study to electrify the mainline to plus the Highland branch, the NYC only electrified the short Lower Falls Branch. Quadruple-tracking and electrification of part of the ex-Eastern Railroad was planned by the B&M around 1910 when it was briefly under control of the New Haven, but this fell through when they separated. Service levels on the three major railroads peaked around 1910 and began to decline from streetcar and later auto competition in the 1910s. The independent BRB&L electrified its mainline and single branch line in 1928 and increased service to near-rapid transit levels. Two Old Colony branches were converted to an extension of Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) rapid transit in the 1920s.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: Service levels declined more significantly during the 1930s; the 88 stations case resulted in the New Haven closing dozens of suburban stations and several lines in 1938. The BRB&L ceased all operations in 1940. Ridership increased during World War II but decreased soon afterwards, prompting further cuts. The railroads converted from steam to diesel in the 1950s. All three purchased substantial fleets of Budd Rail Diesel Cars, which lowered operating costs – but not enough to save most branch lines. A 1945–47 state report proposed suburban extensions of the rapid transit system, largely using railroad rights-of-way, with the expectation that most commuter rail service would be cut back to the rapid transit terminals or abandoned entirely. Prompted by the report, part of the BRB&L was reactivated as rapid transit in 1952–54 by BERy successor Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), and the Highland branch was converted to a rapid streetcar line in 1958–59.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: The three railroads all made major cuts to suburban service in 1958–1960 as commuters began using new expressways. The B&M became unprofitable in 1958 and moved to shed its money-losing passenger operations. Four branch lines were cut that May, and most stations in the MTA service area were closed; three more branches closed in 1959. The New Haven experimentally increased Old Colony Division service for several years in the 1950s, but new management soon sought to reduce costs. Service to and was cut in 1958; a one-year state subsidy was given for the remaining Old Colony service, which ended in 1959 after the Southeast Expressway opened. The inner portion of the B&A was reduced from four to two tracks in 1959 for construction of the Massachusetts Turnpike, with several inner stations closed; all local stops west of Framingham were closed in 1960. The New Haven filed for bankruptcy for the last time in 1961. Faced with the imminent threat of losing what service remained, public opinion began to support subsidies for commuter rail.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: The state Mass Transportation Commission (MTC), formed in 1959 to coordinate transportation and land use, held a series of a experiments to determine how fares and service levels affected ridership. This included a trial on the MTA bus network, as well as a $4 million test from January 1963 to March 1964 on New Haven and B&M lines. (The NYC, uninterested in its commuter service, declined to participate.) The MTC found that higher frequency was most important to attract additional ridership; lower fares would attract additional riders, while even higher fares would not result in the services becoming profitable. At the recommendation of the MTC, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) was created on August 3, 1964, with a 78-municipality funding and service district. The MBTA was to build rapid transit extensions (as planned in 1947) along some lines, with the others to be subsidized or allowed to be discontinued. Most remaining lines ran to points outside the funding district; those outlying municipalities were expected to reach their own subsidy agreements with the railroads.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: On December 14, 1964, the MBTA reached a subsidy agreement with the B&M. The agreement only covered in-district services; on January 5, 1965, the B&M discontinued interstate service except for single commuter round trips from Dover and Concord, New Hampshire; Portsmouth service was cut back to a single round trip. Subsidies began for six lines on January 18; all out-of-district service to , , , , and was discontinued except for three single round trips. Agreements were reached to restore most out-of-district service; after delays due to a lawsuit by the competing Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway, full service returned to , Lowell, Ipswich, and Rockport on June 28. On June 30, 1967, the B&M discontinued the Concord trip; the Dover trip was cut back to Haverhill with local subsidies. In 1969, the B&M averaged 24,000 weekday passengers, with a yearly deficit of $3.2 million (equivalent to million in ). The single daily trip on the Central Mass Branch ended on January 26, 1971.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: On July 28, 1965, the MBTA signed an agreement with the New Haven Railroad to purchase of the former Old Colony mainline from Fort Point Channel to South Braintree in order to construct a new rapid transit line along the corridor. The line was expected to be completed within two years. The agreement also provided for the MBTA to subsidize commuter service on the railroad's remaining commuter rail lines for $1.2 million (equivalent to million in ) annually. Subsidies for the Needham, Millis, Dedham, and Franklin lines began on April 24, 1966, as the New Haven had Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) permission to discontinue them otherwise. Three out-of-district stations were cut, while Franklin subsidized its station. The Millis and Dedham lines were discontinued on April 21, 1967. The NYC and the Pennsylvania Railroad merged to form Penn Central on February 1, 1968; the New Haven joined at the end of the year. Penn Central declared bankruptcy in 1970. Amtrak took over most intercity passenger service in the US on May 1, 1971, including New York–Boston trains.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: The state agreed in December 1971 to purchase of Penn Central rights of way to prevent them being sold off in bankruptcy. The MBTA purchased the lines effective January 27, 1973. They included almost all the lines with passenger service: the Attleboro Line and Stoughton Branch, Franklin Branch, Needham Branch, and the –Framingham portion of the Worcester Main Line. (The inner section of that line was already owned by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.) The purchase also included several freight-only or abandoned lines, including the Old Colony mainline between Braintree and Brockton. Subsidies began for the Framingham Line in January 1973, for and stations in June 1973, and all Providence/Stoughton Line service on September 28, 1976. The MBTA purchased the B&M Western Route between Somerville and Wilmington Junction in September 1973 for construction of the Haymarket North Extension


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: From 1967 to 1973, a series of state appropriations covered 90–100% of outside-of-district subsidy. This was reduced to 50% in January 1974, substantially increasing the cost of these municipalities. This resulted in several cuts as municipalities refused the higher subsidies: Ayer service was cut to on March 1, 1975; the single Newburyport trip ended on April 1, 1976; and the single Haverhill trip ended on April 2, 1976 (North Andover and Andover having previously ended subsidies.) The single round trip to , never subsidized, was cut to Framingham on October 27, 1975. Amtrak began running the "Lake Shore Limited" over that route four days later, restoring rail service to Worcester. State subsidies were increased back to 75% in June 1976 to prevent further cuts.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: Rapid transit extension was slower than expected; by 1971, the only extension in service was the first portion of the Red Line Braintree Branch on the Old Colony mainline. In 1972, as part of a funding shift from highways to transit, Governor Francis Sargent initiated a Commuter Rail Improvement Program. On October 8, 1974, the MBTA began using purple to represent the commuter rail system, as had been done in 1965 with the rapid transit lines. MBTA maps began showing the B&M and Penn Central lines as a single system. Penn Central became Conrail on April 1, 1976; the MBTA purchased most of their commuter rolling stock at that time. After delays due to the B&M bankruptcy, the MBTA purchased the B&M commuter equipment, maintenance facility, and of right of way on December 27, 1976. This included all lines with passenger service, as well as a number of freight-only or abandoned lines. This also marked the start of a five-year contract for the B&M to operate the service, replacing a series of one-year contracts. After acquiring the B&M and Penn Central rolling stock, the MBTA painted it with purple, yellow, silver, and black to create a visual identity.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: Federal subsidies allowed MBTA subsidies to Penn Central to remain the same until March 1977, when a large increase was expected. Since it owned the tracks and equipment, the MBTA bid out the operating contract, which was won by the B&M. The B&M began operating the southside lines on March 15, 1977; for the first time, all Boston commuter service was operated by one entity. Although all operation was subsidized by this time, a small number of cuts took place. The lightly-used Lexington Branch closed after a snowstorm on January 10, 1977. Declining subsidies from Rhode Island resulted in off-peak service being cut back to in April 1979, with peak service cut on February 20, 1981. Woburn Branch service ended on January 30, 1981, amid state budget cuts.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: However, the energy crises of the 1970s and the formation of regional transit authorities prompted some expansions and improvements. $70 million in reconstruction work (equivalent to million in ) on the Franklin Line and several northside lines, partially funded by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration, began in 1977 under the Commuter Rail Improvement Program. Service to Haverhill resumed on December 17, 1979, and to and on January 13, 1980. Federally-funded experimental service to Nashua, Manchester, and Concord, New Hampshire ran from January 28, 1980, to March 1, 1981. Little-used stations continued to be closed until the 1980s, but several infill stations were opened, including in 1981, in 1982, in 1984, and in 1985. The MBTA also began replacing the aging Rail Diesel Cars and other equipment; 18 EMD F40PH diesel locomotives and 60 passenger cars arrived between 1978 and 1980.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: Several major disruptions occurred in the mid-1980s. On January 20, 1984, a fire destroyed the wooden approach trestles to the North Station drawbridges. The four northside lines used temporary terminals with rapid transit connections while the trestles were rebuilt. Another bridge fire between Beverly and Salem on November 16, 1984, isolated part of the Ipswich/Rockport Line from the rest of the system. Service to North Station resumed on April 20, 1985; service to Ipswich and Rockport resumed on December 1, 1985.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: Guilford Transportation Industries purchased the B&M in 1983. This did not initially affect commuter rail operations. Guilford's attempts to regain profitability, which included reducing employee headcount and pay, soon soured labor relations. This resulted in two strikes by Guilford employees; the first shut down the commuter rail system from March 21 to May 12, 1986. Local media was critical of Guilford during the strike; the company did not bid for a renewal of the commuter rail operating contract, which expired at the end of 1986. Amtrak won the contract for commuter rail operations and took over the system on January 1, 1987. Gardner service was cut back to Fitchburg at that time due to a dispute between Amtrak, Guilford, and the MBTA.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: The late 1980s saw the beginning of substantial expansion of the system. The Southwest Corridor project was completed in 1987 with a new below-ground alignment for commuter rail, Amtrak, and Orange Line trains. Back Bay and stations were completely rebuilt as transfer stations, and opened to serve the growing Longwood Medical Area. The Needham Line, closed since 1979 for construction, was reopened. The Attleboro and Franklin lines had been diverted over the previously freight-only Dorchester Branch during construction; after they returned to the Southwest Corridor, a shuttle service was retained as the Fairmount Line. Peak-hour service to Providence resumed in 1988 (with off-peak and weekend service later added); was added in 1990 as a park-and-ride station to replace . The Franklin Line was extended to in 1988; infill stations in that era included in 1988 to serve Boston Red Sox games at Fenway Park, and in 1990.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: Massachusetts had state accessibility laws since 1977 – prior to 1990 federal legislation. At times, the MBTA clashed with state regulators: several stations including West Natick and Chelsea were built without accessible platforms despite state rules; the latter resulted in fines from the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (MAAB). The opening of South Attleboro was delayed by the MAAB because of the MBTA's refusal to build full-length high-level platforms. However, the MBTA did slowly increase accessibility of the system. Most Ipswich/Rockport line stations were made accessible during the 1984–85 closure, and renovations followed at other stations. South Station was made accessible in the late 1980s, Back Bay during the Southwest Corridor project, and North Station in the early 1990s, providing accessibility at the main downtown Boston stations. By 1992, 44 commuter rail stations were accessible.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: In 1991, the state agreed to build a set of transit projects as part of the settlement of a lawsuit by the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) over auto emissions from the Central Artery/Tunnel Project (Big Dig). Among these project were extensions of the Framingham Line to Worcester and the Ipswich/Rockport Line to Newburyport, restoration of the Old Colony Lines, and addition of 20,000 park and ride spaces outside the urban core. Peak-hour service to Worcester began in 1994, followed by off-peak and weekend service; four intermediate stations were added in 2000 and 2002. Service on the Old Colony Lines (Middleborough/Lakeville Line and Kingston/Plymouth Line) began in 1997. and opened in 1998. The MBTA Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility, which replaced the ex-B&M Boston Engine Terminal, was completed in 1998.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: Two tenders were submitted in 2003, one from GTI and another from the newly formed Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR), a partnership between Connex (later Veolia), Bombardier Transportation and Alternate Concepts, Inc. MBCR won the contract, and took over the MBTA Commuter Rail operation from Amtrak in July 2003. The MBCR contract originally expired in July 2008 but had an additional five-year option; it was later extended three years to July 2011 and then another two to July 2013. After concerns about on-time performance, the 2011 extension increased the fine for late trains from $100 to $300.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: In August 2012, MBCR and Keolis were the two bidders for the contract. On January 8, 2014, the MBTA awarded Keolis the contract for $2.68 billion over eight years, with the possibility of two two-year extensions that could bring the total price to $4.3 billion. Keolis took over the operations on July 1, 2014. Keolis lost $29.3 million in its first year of operation. In June 2020, the MBTA extended the contract through at least 2025.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: Free Wi-Fi internet service was piloted in January 2008 on the Worcester Line, where 45 coaches were fitted with routers which connected to cellular data networks. This was the first Wi-Fi available on a commuter rail service in the United States. The program was considered successful; in December 2008, the MBTA announced that Wi-Fi would be available on all trains by mid-2009. In July 2014, the MBTA announced that a private company would be building a new network by 2016 to replace the 2008-built network. The MBTA would not pay for the new network; the company would have a two-tier model with a fee for higher bandwidth. The MBTA canceled the plan in August 2017 due to local opposition to the erection of 320 monopoles, each tall, as well as the need to focus on more critical projects like the Green Line Extension. By that time, the 2008-built system was largely unusable to the decommissioning of 3G networks.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: Positive Train Control was implemented on the entire system per a federal mandate, which required installation by the end of 2018 with the possibility of a two-year extension. Construction began in 2017. The final segment of the system to have Positive Train Control activated was the inner Worcester Line on August 15, 2020. Most of the southside lines already had cab signals for automatic train control (ATC) prior to PTC implementation, but the northside lines did not. Cab signals on the southside were completed in 2020; cab signals on the northside will be completed in 2023. Temporary bus replacements for several lines took place between 2017 and 2022 during PTC and ATC construction and testing.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: Weekday service was substantially cut on March 17, 2020, due to reduced ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 22, service was increased to 85% of normal weekday levels. Changes effective November 2 reduced peak service and increased off-peak service, providing more consistent midday headways on some lines; Foxboro pilot service was suspended.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: In November 2020, as part of service cuts during the pandemic, the MBTA proposed to close six low-ridership stations. On December 14, the MBTA Board voted to enact a more limited set of cuts, including indefinitely closing five stations. That day, temporary reduced schedules were again put into place, with four of the five stations (, , , and ) not served.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: On January 23, 2021, reduced schedules based on the December 14 vote went into place, with no weekend service on seven lines. Service changes on April 5, 2021, increased midday service on most lines as part of a transition to a regional rail model. Weekend service on the seven lines resumed on July 3, 2021. Ridership dropped substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic, with daily boardings just 12,800 during the first quarter of 2021. Ridership rose to 47,100 average weekday boardings in the first quarter of 2022, and 85,000 (69% of 2018 ridership) in October 2022.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: All MBTA commuter rail service is provided by push-pull trains powered by diesel locomotives with a cab car on the opposite end. The locomotive is usually on the end facing away from Boston so that diesel exhaust does not enter the passenger concourses at North Station and South Station. Trains typically have four to eight coaches (with six the most common) and seat between 400 and 1,400 passengers. Approximately 65 trainsets are needed for weekday service.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: The primary heavy maintenance facility is the MBTA Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility, located in the Inner Belt District in Somerville. It is also used for midday and overnight storage of trains on the northside lines. Southampton Street Yard and the Readville Interim Layover facility are used for light maintenance and layover service. Various other layover facilities are used for midday and overnight storage; most are located near the outer ends of the lines. Some maintenance and storage of MBTA equipment is contracted out to the Seaview Transportation Company in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: Several additional yards are under construction or planned. Two layovers are under construction for South Coast Rail, with completion planned for late 2023, and the Haverhill Line layover at is proposed for relocation later in the 2020s. A new midday layover yard at the former Beacon Park Yard is planned to be constructed by 2032 as part of the realignment of I-90. A large midday and overnight layover yard, which would support expanded service including regional rail and electrification, is planned at Widett Circle near South Station. The MBTA also plans to construct a southside maintenance and layover facility at in 2023–2028, replacing the existing layover yard there, as the Grand Junction Branch will be closed for several years during the I-90 project.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: , the MBTA owned 110 locomotives. Of these, 89 were in active passenger service and two used for work service. Twelve were undergoing rebuild, three awaiting repairs, and four retired and awaiting disposition. All passenger locomotives are equipped with head end power. Rebuilding of 37 F40PHM-2C and F40PHM-2C locomotives to F40PH-3C class by MotivePower (MPI) began in 2017; other older locomotives are also being rebuilt by MPI or in-house.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: , the MBTA owned 475 coaches. Of these, 399 were in active service, nine being repaired or overhauled, 16 leased to the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT)for use on the Hartford Line, and 51 pending disposition or reuse. Coaches whose designations start with BTC (Blind Trailer Coach) are conventional coaches, while those starting with CTC (Control Trailer Coach) are cab cars. Coaches acquired before 1990 were single-level cars with 88 to 127 seats; those since are bilevel cars with 173 to 185 seats. Some coaches are equipped with electronic doors for use on the Old Colony Lines and Greenbush Line, which have full-length high-level platforms at all stops. All BTC-3, CTC-3, BTC-4C, and BTC-4D coaches have restrooms. During winter months, a Ski Train serving Wachusett Mountain runs on the Fitchburg Line, using a coach car which is equipped for carrying bicycles or skis. Three converted coaches – a bike car and two cafe cars – are reserved for the CapeFLYER.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: The agency issued a $279 million contract (total project cost of $345 million) for 80 additional Rotem bilevel coaches in September 2019, with delivery expected from September 2022 to June 2024. The contract was later modified to 83 coaches, of which 43 are cab cars. The first four of the 83 bilevel cars arrived in June 2022; they are expected to enter service in late 2022. An additional procurement of 100 bilevel cars, to be delivered from 2024 to 2027, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: As the MBTA assumed control of the commuter rail during the 1970s, it inherited various equipment from predecessor railroads. The 1976 purchase of B&M and Penn Central equipment included 94 Budd Rail Diesel Cars (RDCs) – 86 from the B&M and eight from Penn Central – plus 116 Penn Central coaches and 25 Penn Central E8 and GP9 diesel locomotives. Although the MBTA purchased some new equipment in 1978–1980, large locomotive and coach fleets were not purchased until the late 1980s, so the first decade of combined operations used a variety of secondhand equipment in addition to that acquired in 1976:


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: Most of the secondhand and inherited equipment was retired between 1979 and 1989. 33 ex-B&M RDCs were converted to locomotive-hauled coaches (designated BTC-2 and CTC-2) in 1980 and 1982; they were retired by 1989. This left all MBTA service operated by locomotives and coaches purchased new by the MBTA. At several points since, the MBTA or its contract operator has temporarily leased locomotives when needed. Some passenger equipment acquired new by the MBTA has been retired:


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: The MBTA plans to convert the system from diesel-powered commuter rail – which is primarily designed for Boston-centric trips at peak hours – to an electric regional rail system with frequent all-day service. Initial steps were taken in fall 2020 when some peak service was moved to midday, and in April 2021 when 9 of the 15 lines were moved to clock-face scheduling. A previous attempt at regional rail was made in 2013–2014 with a procurement for diesel multiple units for the Fairmount Line, new Track 61 service, and several other lines with the new service being labeled as the Indigo Line. The DMU procurement as well as the Indigo Line proposal was canceled in 2015.


title: MBTA Commuter Rail

text: In 2021, the MBTA indicated plans to pilot electric multiple units on Providence service (on the Northeast Corridor, which is already electrified for Amtrak service) in 2024, with the Fairmount Line and the inner section of the Newburyport/Rockport Line electrified later in the decade. Several preliminary projects, including planning for a new layover facility, are scheduled for fiscal years 2023 to 2027 – but not actual electrification. By 2022, lawmakers and environmental advocacy groups had criticized recent MBTA proposals for not adhering to previously set rail initiatives.