Summer in the City

Hope everyone has a chance to get outside today ... it is gorgeous out. I work in the Seaport area and it's especially nice down here with the breeze coming off of the water.

Today's commute on the P508 was right on time again ... we arrived at 8:21 AM.

Not sure if you have heard about the massive power outage that impacted subway riders today. A system-wide power outage stopped MTBA service for upwards of 40 minutes, trapping riders in subway cars. The outage affected all four subway lines and caused delays across the system.

Apparently communication was poor regarding the cause of the outage and people were quite frustrated. I think that's the crux of the problem, we understand that there are delays, the problem is when you have no idea as to what is going on ... you're just left in the dark. All riders want is an update about the situation. If power was out and thus radios were not working, post handwritten signs or have T employees talk to passengers about the issue. It's just common sense.

For those of you taking off early for the holiday weekend ... enjoy!!!

Red Line Woes; New Garage in Worcester

Yikes! There was a three-hour delay during yesterday's morning rush hour on the Red Line. Due to issues related to the Longfellow Bridge, the Red Line can only cross the Charles River at 10 miles an hour.

Here is what The Boston Globe had to say:

The service delays and confusion come as the T is experiencing significant growth as a result of rising gas prices. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority managers have acknowledged they need good customer service and reliability to keep new passengers and accommodate the larger crowds.

Yesterday's delay was caused when a piece of track-aligning equipment being used for overnight maintenance malfunctioned on the Longfellow, said Lydia Rivera, a T spokeswoman.

Delays lasted from 5 a.m., when the T opened, until just after 8 a.m., forcing commuters onto shuttle buses between Park Street and Harvard stations.

The delays can be attributed to some construction work on the Longfellow Bridge. The T is performing regular track maintenance work overnights and on the weekend. The Department of Conservation and Recreation is trying to fix some structural changes on the bridge. The structural issue is the reason that the Red Line has to travel across the bridge at a reduced speed. Combined, these events have increased one-way trips on the Red Line by 3 to 4 minutes, but other things can cause the delays to go up to 5 to 6 minutes.

Commuters are concerned at the increased amount of delays on the Red Line. Some commuters were quoted that they've been late to work anywhere from 6 to 12 times this summer. Hopefully employers understand.

In other news, the new Union Station garage opened in Worcester this week. I read about it last night in yesterday's Telegram & Gazette. If you have a monthly commuter rail pass, parking will be $42 a month. It is $100 a month without a commuter rail pass. The garage will be open from 5:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. There is a $2 per hour rate for a maximum charge of $8.

I noticed the garage on Friday night, after leaving KJ Baaron's Friday Night wine tasting. It looks like a nice garage.

Finally, The Eagle-Tribune published an editorial today about the proposed Northern Massachusetts-NH commuter rail line extension. I agree with the sentiments - the rail extension should not occur if New Hampshire does not contribute to its funding. We have areas within Massachusetts that would like to see mass transit. Why should the Commonwealth fund a system that would directly benefit New Hampshire if NH doesn't end up make a relevant contribution?

In the News - Teen Struck, WiFi, New Worcester Schedule and Lots More

Why oh why do people still walk on the train tracks? Yesterday another fatality occurred, when a 15 year old was struck and killed by a train on the Needham line. This was a pure accident, but it touches so many people. The teen's family, the conductor at the helm of the train, the passengers. Just stay off the tracks - they are not a short cut to get somewhere quicker unless you're actually riding a train.

Train Stopping extends their sympathies to the teen's family and to the train staff involved with the accident.

On to some lighter news. The MBTA has annouced that WiFi will now be available on the commuter boats. There are 11 commuter boats that travel to Boston, Logan Airport, Quincy, Hingham and Hull. Along with the commuter boats, the WiFi is currently available on the Worcester-Framingham commuter rail line.

So it looks like the T has extended the WiFi program to the commuter boats because there has been a decrease in the number of commuters using the boats. In the WiFi article published in today's The Boston Globe, Dan Grabauskas was quoted as saying:

Wireless Internet, is a "difference-maker," Grabausaks said, adding that he hopes new riders will enjoy the wireless enough that they continue to take the boats if gas prices fall. The boats cost passengers between $6 and $12 each way. Monthly passes cost at least $198.

It cost between $1,300 and $1,500 to outfit each of the 11 boats for wireless, Grabauskas said. He said he hopes to expand the wireless service to other commuterlines by the end of the year.

Hey Dan, here's an idea - just provide reliable service and people will consider public transportation as an alternative to driving. The bells and whistles might make a nice press event, but is that really the best way for a cash strapped agency to be spending its budget?

So in this time of high gas prices, why are the commuter boats transporting fewer people? WickedLocal Hingham says that the Greenbush line has taken passengers away from the commuter boats. I know we harp on this topic a lot, but why did our state let the Greenbush commuter rail extension get built, when the towns immediately south of Boston had numerous options for getting into Boston, including the Red Line and the commuter boats? I remember in the early '90s when people in Hingham and other towns were fighting the state over this extension. This is an example of public transportation strategy run amok. The money used to build Greenbush could have been spent in other parts of the state. Right now, people are looking favorably to public transportation as gas prices continue to climb. But it is still a hard sell.

Since the T can't admit failure, the "positive" story about the Greenbush line is that it has seen its passenger growth increase from "the hundreds to 2,000 daily riders." That is pathetic. OK, I'm done ranting for now.

In other news, the Telegram & Gazette finally ran an article this morning about the "new" weekend schedule on the Worcester-Framingham commuter rail line. This schedule will impact Central Mass residents who consider using the commuter rail to get into Boston for Red Sox games at Fenway and other events. The new schedule is "realistic," just like the weekday schedule that went into effect in February. However, though it is more realistic, it won't be able to adjust for heat delays that often occur in the summer.

This is what the T&G had to say:

Transportation officials say the schedule change will reflect what already occurs. “Most changes to arrival and departure times are within a few minutes of the prior schedule, and have been made to accurately account for travel times,” states a press release from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and its contractor, MBCR.

Earlier this year MBCR listed several reasons why trains are slower than they used to be. Ridership has increased at least 40 percent since the line opened in 1995, causing the trains to linger a few extra minutes at each of the 17 stations between Worcester and Boston.

The combination of recent federal regulations and restrictions from CSX Corp., which owns the track from Worcester to Framingham, also has forced trains to slow down on some stretches of the line. Commuter trains share the track with freight trains.

More updates about the Amtrak bridge replacement project going on in Connecticut.

Finally, yesterday's nasty thunderstorms caused delays on the Fitchburg line. A tree fell near the West Concord commuter rail station, causing both the eastbound and westbound trains to literally stop in their tracks.

Late, Late, I Can't Be Late

It figures. The one morning that I absolutely, positively need to be in the office by a specific time, I'm not. I took the P508 train in this morning. Instead of arriving to South Station for 8:23 a.m., we didn't pull in until 8:32 a.m. I hope this isn't the start to a long summer of delays.

I don't know what is going on, but there seem to be some signal issues occurring on the Worcester line this week. I can understand how Monday's and Tuesday's hot, hot, hot weather could impact the trains. But the temperature today is near perfect.

Of course, the one day I really need to get to the office, I wasn't there. Argh!!!!

My Status Quo P508 Commute This Morning

I can't believe this is the last day in April. Where did the month go? It seemed to completely zip by.

I took the P508 train in this morning. A totally uneventful commute. The train arrived in Grafton at 7:11 a.m. We were one double-decker car short this morning. In lieu of the normal double-decker car, we had a single car at the end of the train. We were at South Station for 8:21 a.m. It was a nice morning to walk from South Station to my office.

One of my co-workers lives in Canton and takes the Providence-Stoughton line into work. She said that her train has been delayed by at least one hour every morning this week so far. That would drive me crazy.

I think I would also be going crazy if I had to rely on the Franklin Forge line. Commute-a-holic told me that this train has had delays every day this week . Well at least according to the SmarTraveler updates which air on WCVB-TV Channel 5 each morning. I wonder if the MBTA/MBCR are planning on changing schedules for either of these lines? I also wonder if the Providence delays are due to Amtrak rail work - I know that Amtrak announced rail work last month.

Here's to some better commmutes for the Providence-Stoughton line and Franklin line commuters.

Monday Morning Commuting Rail Blues

You know it is going to be a bad commute on the MBTA/MBCR commuter rail's Worcester-Framingham line when . . .

... the train crawls through most of the stops on your route (even prior to the slow zone of Ashland).

... you have to go to the MBTA website from your Blackberry to determine what the problem is with the delay, as opposed to hearing it from the conductors themselves.

My P508 train finally got to South Station at 8:43 a.m., 20 minutes after the scheduled arrival time of 8:23 a.m.

The conductors finally made an announcement around Southborough. I mean, I could tell something was wrong the minute we left Grafton! The problem is ... if there was an announcement on the message board, I never saw it because it's located at the opposite end of the platform from where I stand.

As anyone who has been to the Grafton station knows, the stop is pretty desolate and the platforms are very long. The inbound track is across from the parking lot - you have to walk across a long bridge to get to the inbound track's platform.

There really should be more than one message board at stops such as the Grafton station.

And, as I expected, the train was PACKED this morning. It was the first Monday back since the end of the February public school vacation.

Good times!

Inbound Train - Only 25 Minutes Late

I'm finally at work.

My train into South Station at 9:23 a.m., so about 25 minutes late ... but not enough to request reimbursement. The on-time service guarantees stipulate that a train needs to be a 1/2 hour late. Blah!

My business trip is on. So Commute-a-holic will be posting any news articles about either the MBTA, MBCR or commuter rail service in Massachusetts. Commute-a-holic will also be monitoring comments, so please come in and visit and post about your daily commutes.

Snow Delays Commuter Rail Train

After a day of working from home because of yesterday's snow storm, I was back riding the rails this morning.

This morning's inbound commute on the P508 train was fine. Although the train didn't get to South Station until 8:40 a.m. The scheduled arrival time for this Worcester-Framingham "express" train is supposed to be 8:23 a.m. The train is "express" because it does not stop atthe stations Wellesley Square through Yawkey.

It's so irritating to be sitting outside of the station waiting for a train bay to open!

While the Worcester-Framingham line apparently ran OK during yesterday's storm, commuters on North and South of the city were not so lucky. Riders of the Haverhill, Gloucester, and Dedham lines were all impacted by delays. Here is the article round-up:

• Boston Herald "Hub weathers first '08 Storm"
• Gloucester Daily Times "Storm packs a punch"
• BostonNOW "A whole lot better than the last time . . . "

In other commuter rail-related news, Norton residents are going to be asked their opinions tonight on possible routes for the commuter rail line extension from Boston to New Bedford, also known as the "South Coast Rail" project. Here is a link to an article about the "South Coast Rail" project from The Enterprise.

It is amazing that New Bedford and Fall River, two fairly large urban areas, do not have rail service to Boston. Why the state had to restore rail service to Hingham, Cohasset and Scituate is beyond me, especially since those communities have a plethora of commuting options.

Commuter Rail Delays = Not Just Because of the Weather

"Springtime in January" is how best to describe today's weather.

What does the weather have to do with the commuter rail trains? Well, usually most of the delays are because of the weather . . . too hot, too cold, too rainy, too windy, too snowy.

Well, for some riders on the Middleborough/Lakeville inbound train this morning, the weather had nothing to do with the delay (just to prove that crappy train delays aren't always caused by the weather).

My manager's train caught on fire this morning and they had to be moved to another train, which then broke down and then had to be pushed into Boston. Talk about a commute from hell.

Fortunately, I have yet to experience a fire on the Worcester-Framingham line. But the Middelborough/Lakeville peeps had a pretty lousy way to start their day.

Today's Worcester-Framingham Line's P512 Commuter Rail Virtually On Time, But the P500 Was Not

I'm back in the office today and back on the train.

I took the P512 train into Boston this morning. My train was fairly on time today. We got to Boston at 9 a.m. (the train is supposed to pull into South Station at 8:59 a.m., so we were close enough).

But I guess the early trains on the Worcester-Framingham line were not so punctual. I noticed a comment posted to the UniversalHub's blog about the P500 train. This train is a local train that just goes from Framingham to Boston. Check out this:

"Commuter Rail Framingham/Worcester #500 (6:05am inbound) experiencing over 60-70 minute delay. #502 (6:06a inbound from Worcester) will tack on to #500 and push to Boston, resulting in 40-45 minute delay for #500. All other inbound trains will be delayed 35-45 minutes 1/10/2008 8:13 AM"

Well I guess whatever situation that caused the early trains to be delayed was rectified by the time I boarded the P512 in Grafton. I can't believe I lucked out so much and didn't get stuck on a delayed train.

Worcester-Framingham Line Commuter Rail Stories

I happened to find a post titled "AJ Presents: The MBTA" on a blog this morning. This is yet another horror story about the Worcester-Framingham commuter rail line.

I hate to dwell on the negative, but why oh why do those of us who ride the Worcester-Framingham line have so many horror stories to share? If the MBTA's/MBCR's commuter rail system were a reality show, I think the Worcester-Framingham riders would find their main competition for "horror stories" would come from the Franklin line and perhaps the Fitchburg line.

Haven't we all thought this:

"We're sorry for the delay and thank you for your patience." You're sorry? You're sorry? You can stuff your sorrys in a sack! There is no way you're sorry! Sorry people make an effort to change. Not them. And FYI, no one is patient with you anymore. Everyone has had enough. The amount of incompetence is ASTOUNDING! It's to the point their offer of free tickets for delays of more than a half hour (which is also a joke by the way. You submit a claim, and in 6-8 weeks, either tickets arrive at your door or they don't) is meaningless. It's gone beyond that. I don't want money back anymore, I want you to fix whatever it is that's f***** up."

I think we are all in agreement - just run the train well. We understand if there are delays from time to time, but constant delays are not part of the deal.

Worcester-Framingham Line's P512 Inbound Commuter Rail Train Late on Friday

The inbound Worcester-Framingham line train that I was on was late today ... shocking.

I took the P512, which leaves Grafton at 7:49 a.m. and is supposed to get to South Station at 8:59 a.m.

We were going really slowly from Natick through the Wellesleys.

I ended up getting out at the Back Bay Station , so I could take the MBTA's Orange line train over to my office because it's so cold out.

Anyhoo ... my commuter rail train got to Back Bay at 9:06 a.m.. (the scheduled arrival time to Back Bay is supposed to be 8:54 a.m.). So the P512 12 minutes late this morning.

It's a New Year, but the MBTA/MBCR is off to a delayed start, at least in regards to the Worcester-Framingham line's performance.

So here is how my inbound commutes stacked up this week:

• Mon., 12/31/2007 - ABORTED COMMUTE. I attempted to take the P508 train into Boston. This train, which normally departs at 7:19 a.m., was running 25-30 minutes late as of 7:30 a.m. So I drove back home and worked from home.
• Tue., 1/1/2008 - New Year's Holiday. Day off.
• Wed., 1/2/2008 - LATE COMMUTE. The P508 arrived into South Station 10 minutes late.
• Thu., 1/3/2008 - DROVE IN. I had to drive into work because I could not depend on the train arriving into Boston on-time. I had an early morning meeting that I needed to attend.
  
• Fri., 1/4/2008 - LATE COMMUTE. The P512 was at least 12 minutes late when it arrived into the Back Bay Station. Who knows how late the train ended up being on its arrival to South Station.

Well, four days into 2008 and the commuter rail is not showing a promising improvement in terms of the on-time performance rate. We'll have to see how the year shapes up.

December 2007 Worcester-Framingham Commuter Rail Line Had a 64% On-Time Performance Rate

What a headline . . . "Commuter Rail inches toward on-time service at South Station!"

At least Boston Now seems concerned/interested about the commuter rail performance rates. They published an article yesterday with the on-time performance rates released by the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail Co. (MBCR).

Apparently the lines that go into South Station improved their on-time performance rates in December, while the North Station bound trains all experienced delays. This brought down the MBCR's statewide performance.

For South Station, only the Franklin line did not see an improvement (though I'm really surprised that the Worcester-Framingham line improved because there were A LOT of delays in December).

The North Station bound trains performances are being blamed on the 12/21/2007 barge collision with the bridge over Beverly Harbor. Although there are still issues plaguing the North Station bound trains this week.

In the article, BostonNow has provided the stats for each line for October, November and December 2007.

Here is how the Worcester-Framingham line stacked up:

• October - 48.4%
• November - 58.1%
• December - 64.5%

I'm really shocked that December's performance was over 60%. I wonder if the Christmas holiday somehow positively impacted the performance rate?

I actually drove into work today because:

1. I had an early morning meeting that I could not afford to miss.
2. I am meeting friends tonight after work and didn't want to be a slave to the train.
3. I didn't want to stand outside in 5 degree weather this morning.
4. I didn't want to take a chance that something could be wrong with the train.

Actually, minus point number 2, it is really sad that I have to drive in because I can't rely on the train to reach South Station on time.

When I got to work, one of my co-workers told me that a lot of the doors were frozen shut on the cars, so they all had to shuffle into 1-2 doors. Another person told me they had no heat, nice.

So, I'm glad I drove!

NJ Commuter Proposes a Viral Notification Service be Instituted within the Commuter Rail System in Massachusetts

I read this interesting article in Monday's Boston Globe (the 12/24/2007 issue).

A New Jersey commuter is trying to change that by taking the MBTA and its operator out of the equation. The idea is simple: harness the collective knowledge of each commuter and share it on cellphones and Blackberries.

What started as maybe a handshake agreement with a couple of my buddies" now involves thousands of riders who use New Jersey Transit, New York's Metro-North rail system, and the Long Island Rail Road, said Joshua Crandall, who founded Clever Commute two years ago.

This free service is being expanded to Boston! While the T just announced a similar program, Joshua Crandall said that "Official knowledge often lags behind the real-life experiences of riders on the tracks and platforms."

This is a great idea - sign me up!

Crandall says transit officials are often more concerned about making excuses for the delays than informing riders, who just want to know how late the schedules are and whether they should adjust their plans. During the Dec. 13 snowstorm that snarled Boston commuters for hours, he adjusted his trip home to Montclair, N.J., after learning from fellow travelers that it was better to take the PATH train to Hoboken. When the storm hit Boston, the MBTA website's service alerts were unavailable for long stretches.

Of course, Mr. MBTA (Daniel A. Grabauskas) said that the T's system "doesn't lag." It is hard to say if the T's service lags or not, but I feel comfortable in knowing that both the T and an unofficial resource are trying to keep commuters posted about service delays.

Here is how Crandall's system works:

• Riders sign up for free with an e-mail address or a cellphone number on the Clever Commute website, indicating what train line they use.

• When a rider sees a problem on the tracks, he or she sends an e-mail to Clever Commute, which sends an instant e-mail or text message to every member on that line.

Pretty easy!

Of course, the optimal solution would be to make sure that the MBTA/MBCR work to ensure that the commuter rail service operates at a 95% on-time rate. Since the commuter rail (especially the Worcester-Framingham line) has a long way to go to reach the 95% on-time percentage rate, any service that can keep commuters informed of delays is a good service.

I am interested in trying out the Clever Commute!

Friday, 12/21 Outbound P529 Worcester-Framingham Commuter Rail

I have been off for the Christmas holiday since Thursday, December 19th. I heard through friends that Friday's evenings outbound commuter rail trains running on the Worcester-Framingham line were extremely delayed.

The P529 train which normally leaves South Station at 6:05 p.m. was at least delayed 1 hour. Some of my friends had spouses (or parents or friends) pick them up from Wellesley and other towns along the commuter rail line.

Since a lot of people were off for the Christmas holiday on Friday and since the weather was normal, I have no idea why the evening trains were so delayed.

If anyone had to commute on the trains on either Friday, Monday or yesterday, please feel free to contact me with updates (both good and bad).

Now it is back to work for me!

Worcester-Framingham Line - More Terror Tales from the Blogsphere

I've said it once and I'll say it again . . . boy was I lucky that I had to drive into work yesterday. It sounds like the Tuesday, December 18th inbound commute into Boston on the Worcester-Framingham line was a nightmare.

Not that this morning's commute was fun, but at least it wasn't as bad as yesterdays.

Here are some more comments from the blogsphere about this week's commuter rail escapades:

• What? Commuter-rail brakes can't handle the cold? posted this morning on UniversalHub.
• Chaos Factor is in the process of documenting this week's commutes and the number of wasted hours spent riding on the Worcester-Framingham commuter rail line.
• I love this acronym for the MBTA - Misguided Bureau of Transit Anarchy. That's sweet!
  

Feel free to send along more posts.

Would anyone care to wager on how late the trains will be for tonight, tomorrow and Friday? The weather people are forecasting snow for tomorrow. Should I work from home? Call in sick? Will I get into Boston on the train? I have no idea.

MBTA Board Extends MBCR's Commuter Rail Contract

This just in . . . from Boston.com: MBTA board extends commuter rail contract despite train delays.

I'm not surprised. The news coverage from the past few days all but implied that the MBTA was going to renew the MBCR's contract.

Even though 3 out of 10 trains were late in October and November 2007, the MBCR is getting another three years to run the commuter rail trains in Massachusetts. The original contract was supposed to expire in July 2008.

A priceless quote:

The rail company has vowed to improve service and officials have said that many problems were beyond its control -- including delays on a set of tracks dispatched by another railroad company.

The MBCR is going to improve the commuter rail service? Really? What's their incentive? They performed less than mediocre in regards to the original $1.07 billion contract. So now they're actually going to try to "improve" the performance. I'll believe it when I see it.

This sounds like more of the same for Massachusetts politics. I'm really disappointed that the MBCR got to continue their contract, without firm improvement goals set into place. Well, if there are improvement goals, no one yet knows what they will be.

I really hope that the Patrick administration, the current Mass. state House and Senate, and federally elected officials hold the MBTA/MBCR accountable.

I also hope that I'm not going to be receiving a nice fare hike in 2008. That would not be optimal.

I'm sure there will be more news about the contract extension in tomorrow's newspapers.

Chilly Willy

This morning's inbound commute was OK.

I think the heat wasn't working in the first car, although I can't be sure. I just noticed everyone who was standing to board the first car had to come to my car.

We ended up sitting outside of BU for about 10 minutes because we had a red signal for some reason. Random delays.

MBTA Commuter Rail Still Running Late

An article was published in the Dec. 2nd issue of the Metro West Daily News about commuter rail delays. November was the fourth consecutive month of commuter rail delays.

In this article, the MBTA's General Manager Daniel Grabauskas said " Wet leaves on tracks result in slowed-down trains this time of year." Um, it really didn't rain that much this fall. Plus, if this happens every fall, then plan for it and make sure the tracks are cleared of "wet leaves."

Grabauskas was also quoted as saying "“I understand there have been a number of different factors leading to the pretty rapid and steep decline in on-time performance across the system,” he said. “The specifics I am not privy to.” He "defers questions to the MBCR, which says it is working hard to identify causes of the delays and to improve relations with unionized conductors and employees."

I've said it before and I'll say it again - nice way to pass the buck and extend the blame game MBTA/MBCR management.

This article also contained some quotes from union representatives. The conductors are represented by the United Transportation Union. A spokesperson from the UTU said "workers are, however, constricted by new safety regulations put into effect following a fatal train accident in Woburn earlier this year." THe UTU represents 400 conductors and 200 engineers.

George Casey, the union rep, also said " “If a train becomes late, we can’t run faster than the rules require us or provide for us to do.” No wonder people get upset at unions. Find a solution!!

Just to keep track, here is a summary of recent on-time performance stats:

On-time performance for MBTA commuter trains

• Nov. 2007: 69.2 percent
• Oct. 2007: 68.2 percent
• Sept. 2007: 71.8 percent
• August 2007: 79.9 percent
• Oct. 2006: 90.9 percent

Check out the big decline between October 2006 (which still wasn't at the lauded 95% performance metric that the T touts) and October 2007. That is inexcusable. They should be put on a performance improvement plan.

I would love to see a report illustrating the loss in revenue tied to the decline in performance.

Train Pet Peeves for Friday, 11.30.2007

Well the last morning commute for the month of November left a lot to be desired.

My top three annoyances with the commuter rail this morning are as follows:

1. The Worcester - Framingham - Boston inbound train was 15 minutes behind schedule because the train in front of us broke down.
2. There was absolutely, positively no heat in my car. To make it worse, the "heat" was actually blowing cool air. Too bad there isn't cool air in the cars in the summer. And it is brisk outside - only in the 30s.
3. We had an old car. You couldn't see out the windows. Which is pretty sad because it was such a bright and sunny morning.

To think, it costs me nearly $15.50 a day to ride the train , not counting what I have to pay for parking at the Grafton station ($2.00 a day). For $250 a month, I should receive more than just a mediocre trip into the city.