Some Boston Subway Trains Now Have Googly Eyes

BOSTON (AP) — Boston subway riders are playing their own game of “Where’s Waldo?” But instead of looking for a cartoon character in a red-and-white striped top, they’re looking for subway cars with googly-eye stickers attached to the front.

The transport service official said that these whimsical stickers are affixed to a handful of trains and are meant to bring a smile to the faces of passengers.

Phillip Eng, general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, said a small group of transit enthusiasts contacted the agency with the unusual request to install googly eyes on trains. The group even dropped off a package of plastic googly eyes at MBTA headquarters in Boston.

“When I saw it, it made me laugh,” Eng said. “I thought we could do something like that for a little fun.”

The MBTA, which oversees the nation’s oldest subway system as well as commuter rail, bus and ferry services, has come under scrutiny in recent years for a series of security issues This led to a federal review and orders to address the problem.

The country is also plagued by slowdowns, delays in the delivery of new vehicles and staff shortages, although T officials say the slowdowns are being phased out.

Instead of plastic googly eyes, which Eng feared would come loose and fly off, injuring passengers, the MBTA opted for stickers, giving the trains a cheerful facial expression.

The agency has put them on just five trains: four on the MBTA’s Green Line and one commuter rail line.

“When we talked about it, it was like having Charlie back,” he said. “It gave us all a laugh and it gave the people who use our service a good laugh.”