Description

The MBTA uses an EDACS ProVoice trunked system for their subway and bus operations. EDACS allows the T to have up to 2048 "channels" (called talk groups on a trunked system) while only using a handful of frequencies. ProVoice is a digital system voice, which means this system has the benefits of a conventional digital voice system. EDACS is an outdated system, having largely been replaced by P-25. The MBTA has plans with L3-Harris to upgrade their system to a larger P-25 system within the next decade.

Frequencies

Channels in bold are control capable channels (LCN)

• 851.1750 (01)

• 851.2250 (02)

• 851.4250 (03)

• 851.4750 (04)

• 851.9375 (05)

• 851.9875 (06)

• 852.1760 (07)

• 852.2500 (08)

• 853.6625 (09)

• 853.7250 (10)

• 853.9000 (11)

• 851.0625 (12)

• 851.4500 (13)

• 851.9625 (14)

• 853.9250 (15)

Talkgroups

All are in AFS (Agency, Fleet, Subfleet)/decimal

Busses 

04-020/528 - Bus Announcement

04-021/529 - Bus Southeast

04-022/530 - Bus Southwest

04-023/531 - Bus Northeast

04-024/532 - Bus Northwest

04-025/533 - Bus Central

04-026/534 - Bus Diversion Shuttles

04-027/535 - Inspectors South

04-030/536 - Inspectors North

04-031/537 - Inspectors Silver Line

04-041/545 - Bus Maintenance South

04-042/546 - Bus Maintenance North

08-027/1047 - Bus Maintenance Shop

Trains

02-021/273 - Red Line Road

02-030/280 - Red Line Cabot Yard

02-041/289 - Orange Line Road

02-050/296 - Orange Line Wellington Yard

02-061/305 - Green Line Road

02-070/312 - Green Line Riverside Yard

02-073/315 - Green Line Reservoir Yard

02-074/316 - Green Line Inner Belt Yard

02-081/321 - Blue Line Road

02-090/328 - Blue Line Orient Height Yard

Misc / Unidentified

"?" means suspected use

02-022/274 - Unknown Use (RL?)

02-035/285 - Unknown Use (RL?)

02-042/290 - Unknown Use (OL?)

02-045/293 - Unknown Use (OL?)

02-052/298 - Unknown Use (OL?)

02-062/306 - Unknown Use (GL?)

02-063/307 - Unknown Use (GL?)

02-075/317 - Green Line Transit Ambassadors ?

02-080/320 - Unknown Use (BL?)

02-087/327 - Unknown Use (BL?)

02-091/329 - Unknown Use (BL?)

04-020/528 - Unknown Use (Bus)

04-061/546 - Unknown Use (Bus)

08-083/1091 - MoW / Signal Maintainers

08-084/1092 - Unknown (Maintenance?)

08-101/1105 - Radio Techs

Radio IDs

Dispatchers*

101 - Busses South

102 - Busses

103 - Busses

104 - Busses

105 - Busses Central 

110 - Red Line

113 - Blue Line

114 - Orange Line

115 - Red Line

117 - Red Line

118 - Green Line

119 - Green Line

120 - Green Line

*IDed only. Specific divisions TBD

Busses

1+*4-Digit-Vehicle-Number* 

Ex. bus 1312 has ID 11312

Rail 

2+*4-Digit-Vehicle-Number* 

Ex. RL 1618 has 21618, GL 3712 has 23712, BL 742 has 20742.

Portables

4-Digit-Numbers. No obvious order, and not related to call sign (i.e. "portable *number* is never ID *number*). Unless otherwise stated, trailing letters are additional supervisors at the location(i.e. during a Fenway game, there will often be a 916, 916B, and 916C, where the 916 is in charge)

Known Call signs (not the same as Radio IDs):

Blue Line

0-99

Red Line

100-199

Orange Line

200-299

Southampton:

400 - Southampton Desk

401 - Southampton Pullouts

402 - South Station

403 - World Trade Center

404 - Courthouse

405 - Temple Place

406 - Nubian Station

407 - Forest Hills Station

408 - Silver Line Way

409 - Back Bay

410 - Chelsea station

411 - Bellingham Square

412 - Box District

413 - Eastern Ave

414 - Airport

Green Line:

900 - Medford/Tufts

901 - North Station (GL)

902 - Gov't Center (GL)

903 - Park Street East (GL)

904 - Park Street West (GL), Chief Inspector

905 - Boylston

906 - Arlington

907 - Copley

908 - Prudential/Symphony

909 - Kenmore

912 - Beacon Street (Mobile Chief Inspector)

913 - Cleveland Circle (Crossback Operator)

914 - Reservoir / Upper Yard

915 - Newton Highlands

916 - Fenway

917 - Commonwealth Ave (Mobile Chief Inspector)

918 - Riverside

920 - Huntington Ave (Mobile Chief Inspector)

921 - Mattapan

922 - Upper End Comm Ave (Mobile Chief Inspector)

925 - Ashmont

926 - Reservoir/Cleveland Circle Yardmaster

927 - Riverside Yardmaster

928 - Inner Belt Yardmaster

950 - Union Square

951 - Inner Belt Yard Official

952 - Lechmere

953 - GLX (Mobile Chief Inspector)

63, 66 - Supervisors

Emergency Codes

Code 1 - Fire or Smoke

Code 2 - Person under a Train or Bus

Code 3 - Derailment

Code 4 - Call Police (When a vehicle needs Police)

Code 5 - Send Ambulance

Code 6 - Unusual Occurrence**

Code 7 - Bomb Threat

Code 8 - Civil Disorder and Unrest

Code 22 - Service stoppage & Mass Evacuation of Stations and Vehicles

** For any incidents on or near MBTA property (such as a car crash not involving the MBTA), anything that could be unsafe to passengers/employees, or anything impacting service.