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 EDACS is an outdated system, having largely been replaced by P-25.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.

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Frequencies

Frequency (LCN), Bold are control capable channels.

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)

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Talkgroups

AFS/DEC – Description

Buses

04-020/0528 - Bus Announcement
04-021/0529 - Bus Southeast
04-022/0530 - Bus Southwest
04-023/0531 - Bus Northeast
04-024/0532 - Bus Northwest
04-025/0533 - Bus Central
04-026/0534 - Bus Diversion Shuttles
04-027/0535 - Inspectors South
04-030/0536 - Inspectors North
04-031/0537 - Inspectors Silver Line
04-041/0545 - Bus Maintenance South
04-042/0546 - 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

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

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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

Buses

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.

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Portable Radio IDs

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)

Blue Line

0-99

Red Line

100-199

Orange Line

200-299

Southampton (Bus)

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
907 - Copley
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
952 - Lechmere
953 - GLX (Mobile Chief Inspector)
63,6466 - Supervisors

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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.