The evening rush hour is underway as an ex-PRR E8 accelerates a Providence-bound Penn Central commuter train out of South Station past Boston Terminal Tower 1. This area is completely changed today, with catenary and a bus terminal/parking garage built over the tracks, and the tower is now a computer terminal inside the station.
The three biggest passenger carriers - Pennsylvania, New York Central, and New Haven - merged to create the ill-fated Penn Central, whose passenger losses and poor service led to the formation of Amtrak and state-owned commuter lines.
