I'm fighting a slight fall cold. As a result of taking some medicated NyQuil last night, I overslept this morning and missed my train. So I drove into Boston. The Mass Pike was a cluster yet again. Honestly, any time I've driven on the Pike during rush hour, the traffic has been just horrible. From my perspective, I can't really see how they're "suffering" and losing money. It is jammed pack during morning and evening drive-times.
Things seem to be pretty quiet on the news front. I've seen a lot of editorials against Question #1. The editorials cite funding to the MBTA as one of the reasons to vote against this ballot initiative. Also, I would like to thank everyone for their feedback regarding the parking increase and the need for more express trains on the Worcester-Framingham line. You can read comments here and here.
Today's Brockton Enterprise had an article about the town of Abington. Abington selectmen have asked the federal Railroad Administrative to study noise levels at MBTA/MBCR crossings in their town to see if quieter whistles can be used.
Showing posts with label Boston. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boston. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Zippy Commute
Here's a midday post, due in part to conference calls and webinars.
My morning commute was good. It seemed to zip by, probably because I was engrossed in reading my latest book The House at Riverton. The P508 arrived to South Station at 8:21 a.m.
I will be working from home tomorrow. I have an overnight webinar with clients in a time zone far, far away. So I'm hoping my return trip home this evening will be as zippy and pleasant as this morning's commute.
Before I wrap up this post, I did want to comment on the "Free rides for MBTA workers" article from this morning's Herald that Commute-a-holic posted. Along with sharing how MBTA workers use a T-supplied vehicle 24/7, I would like to know how many parking spaces on main streets here in Boston are reserved for "city" officials? And are "city reserved" parking spaces only used by vehicles owned/operated by the City of Boston, or do agencies like the T get to park their cars in these special spots. I'm just curious about this, as I see a lot of these spots all over the city.
My morning commute was good. It seemed to zip by, probably because I was engrossed in reading my latest book The House at Riverton. The P508 arrived to South Station at 8:21 a.m.
I will be working from home tomorrow. I have an overnight webinar with clients in a time zone far, far away. So I'm hoping my return trip home this evening will be as zippy and pleasant as this morning's commute.
Before I wrap up this post, I did want to comment on the "Free rides for MBTA workers" article from this morning's Herald that Commute-a-holic posted. Along with sharing how MBTA workers use a T-supplied vehicle 24/7, I would like to know how many parking spaces on main streets here in Boston are reserved for "city" officials? And are "city reserved" parking spaces only used by vehicles owned/operated by the City of Boston, or do agencies like the T get to park their cars in these special spots. I'm just curious about this, as I see a lot of these spots all over the city.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Boston #1 in Basketball, #8 for Worst Commutes
How about those Celtics, huh? Their 17th Championship scored on June 17th. Sweet.
While Boston may be on of America's top sports cities, we are also tops on a notorious list. Inrix, a company that produces traffic systems, just came out with a ranking of the Top 10 worst commutes in the United States.
Los Angeles may not be tops in basketball, but they are #1 for having the worst commutes. Boston came in at #8.
Here is the list of the most congested areas in the US:
I'm actually surprised that Houston and Atlanta aren't higher on the list. And I had no idea that Seattle had horrible congestion. Every time I've been there, driving has seemed a lot easier than navigating through Boston.
According to a report on the Today show this morning, the worst commute in the US is a strip of road outside of Honolulu, HI from 6 to 7 p.m. on Fridays. This 20 mile stretch can take 2 hours to drive through. Yikes.
Inrix also provided a best/worst day for commuting list. Here it is:
While Boston may be on of America's top sports cities, we are also tops on a notorious list. Inrix, a company that produces traffic systems, just came out with a ranking of the Top 10 worst commutes in the United States.
Los Angeles may not be tops in basketball, but they are #1 for having the worst commutes. Boston came in at #8.
Here is the list of the most congested areas in the US:
1. Los Angeles, CA
2. New York, NY
3. Chicago, IL
4. Washington D.C.
5. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
6. San Francisco, CA
7. Houston, TX
8. Boston, MA
9. Seattle, WA
10. Atlanta, GA
I'm actually surprised that Houston and Atlanta aren't higher on the list. And I had no idea that Seattle had horrible congestion. Every time I've been there, driving has seemed a lot easier than navigating through Boston.
According to a report on the Today show this morning, the worst commute in the US is a strip of road outside of Honolulu, HI from 6 to 7 p.m. on Fridays. This 20 mile stretch can take 2 hours to drive through. Yikes.
Inrix also provided a best/worst day for commuting list. Here it is:
- Worst Traffic Day: Friday
- Worst Week Day Commute: Friday PM
- Worst Commuting Hour: Friday 5-6 PM
- Worst Morning Commute: Wednesday AM
- Best Week Day for Traffic: Monday
- Best Week Day Commute: Friday AM
- Best Week Day Commuting Hour: Friday 6-7 AM
- Best Week Day Afternoon: Monday PM
The Boston Globe published their own list of worst bottlenecks in the Boston area. The list basically focused on traffic tie-ups that occur inside the Rt. 128 loop.
Happy trails indeed, huh?
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
When Gas Gets Expensive, Americans Use Public Transportation
So it looks like our first heat wave of 2008 might have broken. It feels a lot better today than it has over the past few days.
How did everyone's commutes go last night in the horrendous heat?
Due to a post-work meeting tonight, Train Rider did not take the commuter rail into Boston this morning.
At the risk of dating myself, I would like to reference the 1992 movie "Singles." In this movie, about a bunch of 20-somethings living in Seattle in the early 90s, actor Campbell Scott portrayed Steve Dunne. Steve worked as a transportation architect and he was pitching the idea of adding a monorail line to the city of Seattle. The city decided they didn't want to add a monorail line.
Now if "Singles" were real life and Seattle still decided to pass on funding a monorail line in the early 1990s, I bet if they could roll back the clock and fund it now, they would. Because guess what, Americans not only want mass transit, they're using it. And our municipalities are having a tough time funding our transportation systems and keeping up with the demands of new riders.
With the rising cost of gas, it seems like public transportation is becoming an emerging issue. Too bad so many metropolitan areas never made public transportation an important service. That is probably because tax payers didn't see the need to fund it. MSNBC ran an interesting article this morning about "Jammed transit systems running on fumes."
Boston/Massachusetts was mentioned in this article.
According to the American Public Transportation Association, mass transit ridership is at its highest point in 50 years. Why? It has become too expensive to drive. This is a trend that is happening coast-to-coast. For the first three months of 2008, Americans took 85 million more trips via bus, subway, commuter rail, and light train rail than during the same period in 2007.
The American Public Transportation Association is concerned that our nation's public transportation systems may not be handle the rising amount of passengers.
While some metropolitan areas have been investing in their public transportation infrastructure, other areas have not. Now that there is an increased demand for public transportation, the infrastructure to provide it might not be there.
The rising cost of gas can impact public transit in another way beyond more additional riders. Many transit systems are funded through gasoline taxes. If fewer drivers are filling up, that could mean less money for transportation systems. Some states are increasing their gas tax to help fund their public transit operations. Plus, with more riders, it costs more money to fuel the buses, trains, etc. that the public is using.
How did everyone's commutes go last night in the horrendous heat?
Due to a post-work meeting tonight, Train Rider did not take the commuter rail into Boston this morning.
At the risk of dating myself, I would like to reference the 1992 movie "Singles." In this movie, about a bunch of 20-somethings living in Seattle in the early 90s, actor Campbell Scott portrayed Steve Dunne. Steve worked as a transportation architect and he was pitching the idea of adding a monorail line to the city of Seattle. The city decided they didn't want to add a monorail line.
Now if "Singles" were real life and Seattle still decided to pass on funding a monorail line in the early 1990s, I bet if they could roll back the clock and fund it now, they would. Because guess what, Americans not only want mass transit, they're using it. And our municipalities are having a tough time funding our transportation systems and keeping up with the demands of new riders.
With the rising cost of gas, it seems like public transportation is becoming an emerging issue. Too bad so many metropolitan areas never made public transportation an important service. That is probably because tax payers didn't see the need to fund it. MSNBC ran an interesting article this morning about "Jammed transit systems running on fumes."
Boston/Massachusetts was mentioned in this article.
According to the American Public Transportation Association, mass transit ridership is at its highest point in 50 years. Why? It has become too expensive to drive. This is a trend that is happening coast-to-coast. For the first three months of 2008, Americans took 85 million more trips via bus, subway, commuter rail, and light train rail than during the same period in 2007.
The American Public Transportation Association is concerned that our nation's public transportation systems may not be handle the rising amount of passengers.
While some metropolitan areas have been investing in their public transportation infrastructure, other areas have not. Now that there is an increased demand for public transportation, the infrastructure to provide it might not be there.
“We’re seeing it in a lot of other metropolitan areas where there just [aren’t] viable transit options — places like Indianapolis, Orlando or Raleigh,” said Robert Puentes, a transportation and urban planning scholar with the Brookings Institution, a public policy association in Washington. “They haven’t put the money into it. They haven’t put the resources into it.”“There are major challenges in most of the older, established transit systems, places like New York or Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston — places that are really starting to show their age,” he said.
The article even mentioned that Washington, DC's Metro system (which I think is one of the best transit systems in this country), is one of the systems showing its age.
For the first time since 1980, the number of miles driven last year fell. This is the point of public transportation - to get cars off the roads.The rising cost of gas can impact public transit in another way beyond more additional riders. Many transit systems are funded through gasoline taxes. If fewer drivers are filling up, that could mean less money for transportation systems. Some states are increasing their gas tax to help fund their public transit operations. Plus, with more riders, it costs more money to fuel the buses, trains, etc. that the public is using.
It all adds up to a conundrum for government officials — high fuel prices send passengers to mass transit but drive down tax revenue and strain fuel budgets.Answers aren’t expected any time soon, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said. He added:
“We need a dramatically different energy policy for our country, and that’s not going to happen overnight.”
Wow!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Rising Cost of Gas May Break MBTA's 2001 Ridership Record
Today's The Boston Globe ran two separate cover stories on the effects that the rising cost of gas in the greater Boston area.
One article focused on how more commuters are turning to mass transit options in lieu of driving. The MBTA is on course to break the ridership record of 354.1 million riders set in 2001.
The second article was about the issues owners of gas guzzling vehicles are facing. I know that we all have individual choices, but I've never understood why so many people in my suburban community own large pick up trucks. These same folks pay someone to do their yard work, so it isn't like they're using their truck to haul stuff around.
When gas is pushing $4.00 a gallon, I'm happy that I have a short commute!
One article focused on how more commuters are turning to mass transit options in lieu of driving. The MBTA is on course to break the ridership record of 354.1 million riders set in 2001.
The second article was about the issues owners of gas guzzling vehicles are facing. I know that we all have individual choices, but I've never understood why so many people in my suburban community own large pick up trucks. These same folks pay someone to do their yard work, so it isn't like they're using their truck to haul stuff around.
When gas is pushing $4.00 a gallon, I'm happy that I have a short commute!
Friday, February 1, 2008
P510 Inbound Broke Down - Still On the Train
Today will most likely be my last inbound commute for a few weeks. I'm slated to be traveling for business. Right now, my trip is on. But there is a chance it could get postponed due to the Internet outage plaguing some parts of the world including the Middle East and India. I guess a transcontinental cable got cut when a boat's anchor was dropped on it.
Back to my real time commute this morning on the Worcester-Framingham line. I'm still on the train.
The P510 inbound train (which originates in Framingham and hits every station between Framingham and South Station except for Yawkey Way) broke down. Since I took the P512 (which runs express from Framingham to Back Bay Station), my train became a local train and we have been stopping at every station between Framingham and Boston.
I'll write more about this morning's commute later. The train is packed!
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Device
Back to my real time commute this morning on the Worcester-Framingham line. I'm still on the train.
The P510 inbound train (which originates in Framingham and hits every station between Framingham and South Station except for Yawkey Way) broke down. Since I took the P512 (which runs express from Framingham to Back Bay Station), my train became a local train and we have been stopping at every station between Framingham and Boston.
I'll write more about this morning's commute later. The train is packed!
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Device
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
For the Sake of Commuter Rail Riders, Amtrak Can't Strike
First the Hollywood writers decided to go on strike. This has interrupted my evening television viewing and it led to the cancellation of the Golden Globes Awards. The Globes may be shallow, they may be absurd, but they're fun to watch on a winter's evening.
Next came word that Amtrak was going to go on strike. Then word came out that Amtrak was going to try to avoid striking. Now it appears that there is an ominous possibility that Amtrak will go on strike.
Ai Caramba! Train Rider will not be happy if Amtrak goes on strike.
So here is the run down on the strike rumors:
The CBS-affiliate out of Providence, RI posted an Associated Press story to their website yesterday afternoon. The AP article noted that 17,000 riders rely on commuter rail service between Providence and Boston.
Also, "the MBTA says any contingency plan could only accommodate 25% of the 47,000 passengers a day who use South Station." I don't know why North Station passengers weren't factored into this equation. Maybe the North Station-bound trains don't ride on Amtrak rails? Maybe the towns that rely on service to North Station are too far for a Rhode Island TV station to care.
Boston Magazine's "Boston Daily" published a tongue-in-check article about the pending strike that basically contained most of the information from the AP story.
Even the Harvard Crimson got in on the action (that the Boston Globe, MetroWest Daily News, and Worcester Telegram & Gazette, not to mention the Boston TV stations all seem to be ignoring). The Crimson's "Updating Amtrak" article noted that in the past 36 years, Amtrak has never gone on strike. This well reported article provides some details as to why Amtrak workers are thinking about waging a strike.
Finally, The Boston Herald outlined some of the cities that will be impacted by the strike. This strike will not be pretty - here is a run down on the cities that will be impacted:
Next came word that Amtrak was going to go on strike. Then word came out that Amtrak was going to try to avoid striking. Now it appears that there is an ominous possibility that Amtrak will go on strike.
Ai Caramba! Train Rider will not be happy if Amtrak goes on strike.
So here is the run down on the strike rumors:
The CBS-affiliate out of Providence, RI posted an Associated Press story to their website yesterday afternoon. The AP article noted that 17,000 riders rely on commuter rail service between Providence and Boston.
Also, "the MBTA says any contingency plan could only accommodate 25% of the 47,000 passengers a day who use South Station." I don't know why North Station passengers weren't factored into this equation. Maybe the North Station-bound trains don't ride on Amtrak rails? Maybe the towns that rely on service to North Station are too far for a Rhode Island TV station to care.
Boston Magazine's "Boston Daily" published a tongue-in-check article about the pending strike that basically contained most of the information from the AP story.
Even the Harvard Crimson got in on the action (that the Boston Globe, MetroWest Daily News, and Worcester Telegram & Gazette, not to mention the Boston TV stations all seem to be ignoring). The Crimson's "Updating Amtrak" article noted that in the past 36 years, Amtrak has never gone on strike. This well reported article provides some details as to why Amtrak workers are thinking about waging a strike.
Finally, The Boston Herald outlined some of the cities that will be impacted by the strike. This strike will not be pretty - here is a run down on the cities that will be impacted:
- Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority/Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail - TrainRider would be among the 47,000 daily passengers affected.
- New Jersey Transit - 218,000 daily trips.
- Long Island Rail Road - 85,000 passengers out of 100,000 customers. Basically anyone who needs to go into Penn Station.
- Metro-North (New York City Area and Connecticut) - not affected.
- Shore Line East (Connecticut) - 2,000 passengers who travel between New Haven and New London. This line actually has a contingency plan!
- Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority - 5 out of the 13 SEPTA lines run on Amtrak tracks and a 6th line runs on both Amtrak and SEPTA tracks.
- MARC (Maryland) - 19,000 riders who rely on the Penn line between Baltimore and Washington, DC. Two other lines will be able to run, but would need to terminate before reaching Union Station in DC.
- Virginia Railway Express - this line would be completely shut down because it is operated by Amtrak employees. 15,000 riders would be impacted.
- METRA (Chicago) - 80,000 riders because Union Station would be closed.
- Caltrain (California) - Service between San Francisco and San Jose would be shut down, impacting 36,000 riders.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Monday Outbound to Grafton
I drove into Boston this morning.
The train home last night was about 20 minutes behind schedule. I was on the 5:30 train, so I should have arrived to the Grafton station at 6:45 p.m. Instead I got there at 7:05 p.m., which is only about 10 minutes earlier than if I took the 6:05 p.m. train (assuming that the 6:05 train actually left at 6:05).
South Station was a nightmare last night. ALL the trains were late. I didn't hear an announcement, but someone in my office said that they were told that the commuter rail line was waiting for conductors.
I wonder what the MBTA/MBCR "he said, she said, let's point fingers at everyone" story is on last night's performance? Gee, the story is either (1) union issues with the employees or (2) equipment issues.
So annoying.
Now that we're 18 days into December, I wonder what the Worcester-Framingham commuter rail line's on-time performance rate is? Will it be better than November's 58.1% on-time performance rate?
We're at the half-way point for the month, with the Christmas and New Year's holiday approaching. I've got to believe that there will not be a lot of commuters taking the train into town the week of 12/24.
So the Worcester-Framingham line just might generate a decent December on-time performance rate.
Of course, the Q4 performance rate for this line is shot, thanks to its dismal performance in October (a mere 48.4% on-time rate) and December.
The train home last night was about 20 minutes behind schedule. I was on the 5:30 train, so I should have arrived to the Grafton station at 6:45 p.m. Instead I got there at 7:05 p.m., which is only about 10 minutes earlier than if I took the 6:05 p.m. train (assuming that the 6:05 train actually left at 6:05).
South Station was a nightmare last night. ALL the trains were late. I didn't hear an announcement, but someone in my office said that they were told that the commuter rail line was waiting for conductors.
I wonder what the MBTA/MBCR "he said, she said, let's point fingers at everyone" story is on last night's performance? Gee, the story is either (1) union issues with the employees or (2) equipment issues.
So annoying.
Now that we're 18 days into December, I wonder what the Worcester-Framingham commuter rail line's on-time performance rate is? Will it be better than November's 58.1% on-time performance rate?
We're at the half-way point for the month, with the Christmas and New Year's holiday approaching. I've got to believe that there will not be a lot of commuters taking the train into town the week of 12/24.
So the Worcester-Framingham line just might generate a decent December on-time performance rate.
Of course, the Q4 performance rate for this line is shot, thanks to its dismal performance in October (a mere 48.4% on-time rate) and December.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Lt. Governor Tim Murphy Said Worcester Train Line Announcement Forthcoming
Lt. Governor Tim Murphy is quoted in an article that ran in today's Worcester Telegram & Gazette that "an announcement about improved Worcester commuter service will be made in the a few days. "
I can't wait to hear what this announcement will be all about. I hope that they will (1) guarantee that trains will run according to schedule and (2) increase the number of inbound and outbound trains on the Worcester - Framingham - Boston commuter rail line.
The article was mainly about efforts from some Fitchburg and Leominster elected officials regarding improved commuter rail service to those communities. It sounds like the Fitchburg line riders face much of the same issues that impact the Worcester line - mainly extremely long commutes into Boston because of numerous train stops.
Fitchburg and Leominster are located west of Boston and they are very close to Massachusetts/New Hampshire border. Beyond the commuter rail, Route 2 is the main travel route into Boston for Massachusetts residents who live in the Fitchburg/Leominster area.
I hope my elected state officials (Jennifer Callahan and Richard Moore) will be advocating for improved service on the Worcester line!
I can't wait to hear what this announcement will be all about. I hope that they will (1) guarantee that trains will run according to schedule and (2) increase the number of inbound and outbound trains on the Worcester - Framingham - Boston commuter rail line.
The article was mainly about efforts from some Fitchburg and Leominster elected officials regarding improved commuter rail service to those communities. It sounds like the Fitchburg line riders face much of the same issues that impact the Worcester line - mainly extremely long commutes into Boston because of numerous train stops.
Fitchburg and Leominster are located west of Boston and they are very close to Massachusetts/New Hampshire border. Beyond the commuter rail, Route 2 is the main travel route into Boston for Massachusetts residents who live in the Fitchburg/Leominster area.
I hope my elected state officials (Jennifer Callahan and Richard Moore) will be advocating for improved service on the Worcester line!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Outbound - Inbound
I took the 6:05 p.m. Boston - Framingham - Worcester outbound train last night. When I arrived at South Station, the 5:30 p.m. train was still sitting there. So while I got to ride home on the normal 6:05 p.m. train, this wasn't a good thing. Instead of the 6:05 p.m. being a normal express train (meaning it doesn't stop at Yawkey, Newtonville, West Newton, Auburndale, Wellesley Farms, Wellesley Hills, Wellesley Square, and Natick), it turned into a local train and stopped at these eight stations. Instead of my commute being a 1-hour train ride, it turned into a 1 hr., 15 min. train ride. Not fun.
The good news about this morning's commute - the conductors collected fares and checked passes. But the train reverted back to only opening a few doors.
I'll be submitting a reimbursement for last night's extra long train ride.
The good news about this morning's commute - the conductors collected fares and checked passes. But the train reverted back to only opening a few doors.
I'll be submitting a reimbursement for last night's extra long train ride.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Welcome
Perhaps there isn't a better day to launch a blog about the trials and tribulations of commuting by commuter rail in Massachusetts than on the busiest travel day of the year.
I've been commuting into Boston on the Worcester-Framingham-Boston Commuter Rail line for close to five years. And I'm tired of the delays. I'm tired of paying $250 a month for what amounts to second class service. If I could only get paid back the time and the money spent traveling into Boston on the Pike, sitting in traffic - perhaps I wouldn't have to commute into Boston anymore.
This morning I read two articles that have angered me and inspired me. The Boston edition of the Metro confirmed what I have known for months - that the commuter rail employees are actively waging a silent strike (http://www.metrobostonnews.com/us/article/2007/11/21/02/5337-72/index.xml).
The second article, from today's Boston Globe, published yet another article on commuter rail delays (http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/11/21/commuter_rail_delays_are_worst_in_a_year/).
I'm tired of waiting on delayed trains or sitting in traffic in my attempt to get into work. I'm motivated to take action and I hope I can inspire some of my fellow commuters to engage in a conservation that will improve commuter rail service in Massachusetts.
Happy Thanksgiving and here's to finding a blissful commute.
Train Rider!
I've been commuting into Boston on the Worcester-Framingham-Boston Commuter Rail line for close to five years. And I'm tired of the delays. I'm tired of paying $250 a month for what amounts to second class service. If I could only get paid back the time and the money spent traveling into Boston on the Pike, sitting in traffic - perhaps I wouldn't have to commute into Boston anymore.
This morning I read two articles that have angered me and inspired me. The Boston edition of the Metro confirmed what I have known for months - that the commuter rail employees are actively waging a silent strike (http://www.metrobostonnews.com/us/article/2007/11/21/02/5337-72/index.xml).
The second article, from today's Boston Globe, published yet another article on commuter rail delays (http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/11/21/commuter_rail_delays_are_worst_in_a_year/).
I'm tired of waiting on delayed trains or sitting in traffic in my attempt to get into work. I'm motivated to take action and I hope I can inspire some of my fellow commuters to engage in a conservation that will improve commuter rail service in Massachusetts.
Happy Thanksgiving and here's to finding a blissful commute.
Train Rider!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
