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MBTA operator Karen Krouson says Green Line assignment felt 'like coming home'
Summary
Karen Krouson, an MBTA streetcar motorperson, told a public forum that an internal lottery placed her on the Green Line — a route she grew up riding on Beacon Street and Cleveland Circle — and that operating it feels like "going down memory lane."
Karen Krouson, a streetcar motorperson for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, said being assigned to the Green Line after an internal lottery felt "like coming home."
"My name is Karen Krouson," she told the forum, adding, "I have been employed with the T for 8 years now." Krouson said she had submitted her name to a lottery and "then I found out that it was servicing for the Green Line."
Krouson described a deep personal connection to the route: "I grew up on the Green Line," she said, recalling childhood rides along Beacon Street and the Cleveland Circle line. "For me it was just going down memory lane every day from my childhood and as a rider and passenger for several years, it felt good."
She explained what she values about the operator role: "Favorite thing about being an operator is even though the route may be the same, it's always different every day, whether it be people and environment." Outside of work she identified herself as a mother and wife and said she sees part of her job as customer-facing: "your friendly operator who usually greets people and say hello with a smile and just want to get you from point A to point B in a safe manner."
Krouson closed by reiterating the personal significance of the assignment: "I grew up on the T. It just feels like home."
