Post Super Bowl Commute

I was quite bleary eyed this morning as I was in Rhode Island at a Super Bowl party last night and didn't get home until quite late. What an exciting game though!

My commute was right on time this morning, the p508 actually arrived to South Station at 8:22 AM (so a minute ahead of schedule). So, we're one for one with on time commutes so far in February.

In MBTA news, commuter rail trains will be getting AED (automated external defibrillators) devices and staff will be trained in how to use them. I'm not sure if you recall that in 2002, a passenger from Wellesley died of a heart attack on the Worcester/Framingham line as he was unable to get medical attention.

Also, the Boston Globe reports that MBTA set a record for ridership in 2008. Spurned on mostly by gas prices above $4 a gallon, ridership across the subway, buses, commuter rail and boats rose 4.3% last year, averaging approximately 1.3 million riders per day. The article did say that ridership declined slightly in December, but MBTA general manager Dan Grabauskas attributed the decline to the economy, unemployment and lower gas prices. He also mentioned that 2009 would be a year to concentrate on improving the overall service provided by the MBTA. Let me tell you, I look forward to that! You can read the full article here.