Monday, Monday

What is it about Mondays? I just can't seem to motivate myself in the mornings. That being said, I took the p512 this morning, and we were on time to South Station, arriving at 9:08 AM.

This past Saturday was the second annual National Train Day, which was started to commemorate the nation's first transcontinental railroad, which went into service on May 10, 1869. Amtrak sponsors this event which highlights the benefits of train travel, in addition to remembering how trains impacted the growth of our country.

In response to the Green Line accident/derailment on Friday, the MBTA has banned the possession of cellphones, pagers, etc. by all MBTA operators (prior to the latest incident, the MBTA banned usage, but operators were still allowed to have phones on them on the train). That accident caused upwards of $9.6 million in damages to the train cars involved. A representative from the National Transportation Safety Board commented "You should not be talking on your cellphone, texting, or operating a wireless device while you are operating a vehicle."

One Missing Car Makes the P508 More Crowded

Good morning. Some parts of Massachusetts received their first taste of snow today. It looks like the forecast for Friday could bring more snow. I'm taking Friday off to run some holiday errands, so I hope the snow doesn't interfere with my plans.

Today's commute was fine, although we were a car short so it was quite crowded. We were about 5 minutes behind schedule, which is good for a day like today. Especially since, in the western suburbs, there is more snow/sleet, as opposed to Boston which only has rain. The P508 pulled into South Station at 8:28 a.m. The Silver Line was a cluster, though. The platform was packed and people couldn't even get down the stairs to get onto the platform. Crazy.

Yet not as crazy as yesterday's commutes. Figures, the T&G's article about "things returning to normal" on the Worcester line would run on the same day that the commuter rail trains (again) went out of whack. Kidney Stones was not the only person to document yesterday's mucked up commutes. Universal Hub wrote about how the commute was Tweeted by Alison Driscoll (Tweeted is a term referred to communicating on Twitter, a microblogging site). Alison is a reverse commuter - she takes the MBTA's/MBCR's Worcester line outbound from Boston. From her Tweets, it appears as though she was commuting yesterday on the P503, which departs Boston at 6:50 a.m. Here is a snapshot of some of her Tweets from yesterday:


Frustrating, huh? We've all been there. What's even more disheartening are some conversational Tweets she had with other people on Twitter.

• Outbound trains are: "never on time and no one knows what's going on."
• Work woes: "It is so frustrating and disheartening. And my boss is pissed, like it is my fault."
• Never mind a 3 hour cruise, try a 3 hour commute: "3+ hours from when I left the house, 2 hours late to work."
  

If you use Twitter and you Tweet about the MBTA, consider following Alison's lead and mark your MBTA-related conversations #mbtasux.

People are frustrated. But people are also not just bashing the MBTA/MBCR employees. Commuters who rode on yesterday's P512 train did praise conductors for updating them about the commute. Many of the comments made to yesterday's post provided by Kidney Stones are really enlightening. We should all consider some of the feedback - especially in the courtesy area.

Transportation is the theme of some op-eds this morning. An editorial from today's Telegram & Gazette denounces replacing just resigned Secretary of Transportation Bernard Cohen with James A. Aloisi. Aloisi was someone praised by Lt. Governor Tim Murray, a Worcester native. Meanwhile, The Boston Globe gave their editorial this title: "Our transportation mess." The Globe's editorial team summarized a number of ways transportation has become a daily "100 car pileup" and they closed with this:

Level with people. Many of today's woes can be traced to conflict avoidance - underestimating the cost of the Big Dig; giving in to unrealistic demands by public employees; dealing with spiraling costs by deferring maintenance and borrowing more money.

How true. Many, many of the complaints logged here on Train Stopping result around communicating. Tell the truth - even if it hurts - instead of telling tall tales. I hope MBTA GM Dan Grabauskas and his communications team read that last paragraph closely. We're not a bunch of gullible children - we're adults. We're taxpayers. Tell the truth instead of just a bunch of outlandish fairy tales.

Yesterday, WCVB-TV Channel 5 aired yet another report on the MBTA's parking fee increase. Similar to some recent coverage, this piece focused on how commuters are opting to pay to park at private businesses instead of the MBTA lots. Here's a link to the video. This is such a feel good story: cheaper parking, safer cars (because they're actually watched), a bit of customer service, and helping businesses who are also struggling due to the economy. Simple, simple solutions to the increase.

I would actually love to know how much money the MBTA has raised since the increase went into effect. Are they actually generating more revenue or are they at a break even, since so many people seem to be avoiding the increase by parking their cars elsewhere, carpooling, or getting dropped off at the stations.

Dig published a piece about the illogical of how MBTA Green Line trains run.

Today's Boston Globe noted that a lot of people aren't buying Fast Lane gift cards for Christmas. Another revenue stream gone bust.

This is from the Sunday, but its The Metro West Daily News' take on Stop the Pike Hike.

Finally, since some parts of Massachusetts received snow today, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. With that in mind, check out this MBTA-inspired take of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" from The Bostonist.

Systematic Failure

A December miracle!!! The P508 arrived on time today. We got to South Station around 8:22 a.m. I made it into the office around 8:30 a.m. That's amazing, isn't it?

Based on my own personal experiences riding the Worcester line this week, not to mention the experiences of both posters (and individuals who correspond via email with either Commute-a-holic or myself), the MBTA/MBCR seems to be on a Systematic Failure this week (hence the title of today's post).

• On December 8th, it was the start of the work week and the start of the woes plaguing the Worcester line. This is not just me, Train Rider, complaining. Many people are impacted when a train does not arrive at its designated time. You can expect delays from time to time, but not every day and not for a run of different trains. And I'm not complaining for the sake of complaining. I would like nothing than for the commuter rail to run at a 95 % to 100% on-time performance rate. Then maybe I would stop blogging. But until then, we have a lot of work to do. The breakdowns impact a lot of people.

• Of the 19 comments to the "MBTA/MBCR - Late Trains are not a Joke" post, one person thanked the MBTA for helping her decide to leave her Boston-based job and work in the 'burbs (thus avoiding MBTA services), someone posted about how bad the Red Line has gotten, someone else said that the service delays will cause them to go from a monthly pass to a 12-ride commuter rail pass (since fares aren't collected), the Providence line has pretty poor performance, the Green Line isn't functioning, someone got fired because they didn't have a car and relied on the T to get to work, and the Worcester line has pretty much just sucked this week. To boot - most of these comments were made on Tuesday, December 9th. One day - 19 mostly not-so-great stories.

• So you have a few horrific commutes and who's in charge? It seems like the MBTA takes credit whenever it is a good story - there are more riders, we got funding, etc., etc. But when it is a bad story, it is definitely "pass the buck." The MBCR runs the commuter rail lines, but the MBTA owns the stations.
  

• Why can't we just have one authority run everything? Also, if the trains were running with such great delays on the Worcester line this week, why couldn't buses or other stop gap measures be implemented? If the trains aren't running and we need to drive into work, why can't we get our refund for parking? When parking was $2 a day, you just sucked it up and drove a way. At $4 a day, now we're talking cash. It is a bad economy, everyone needs to try to retain as much of their cash as possible. When I drive away because the train isn't there, I would like my parking refunded.
  

• Why did it take the MBCR (because they usually are the bearer of the really bad news) nearly three days to address the issues on the Worcester line? As Anonymous at 4:23 PM on 12/10 noted, we only got letters from the MBCR on Wednesday afternoon at 3:34 p.m. EST. Why the delay?

Here is the letter in its entirety:

To Our Worcester Line Customers;

We have received many emails regarding the service experienced by our Worcester passengers this week, and understand that many of you have been affected on each train that you commute on. We want you to know that we are in agreement with the many letters and phone calls that we have received expressing your dissatisfaction with the current level of service; we concur, it is completely unacceptable.

We could provide you with chapter and verse on the reasons for each delay but we are certain that at this point it would be nothing more than an empty gesture when there is no way to justify being delayed daily. The problems are the result of a myriad of mechanical breakdowns. These issues have been raised to the highest level of management including, the General Managers from both MBCR and the MBTA. We have been assured that there will be a mechanical department management and technical presence at the Worcester facility both tomorrow and Friday to ensure that all locomotives are serviceable and ready to depart for their scheduled trips.

We are aware also that many of our customers have stated that the LED monitors at the various stations along this line were not displaying any indication of delays but rather that service was on or near schedule, which was clearly not the case. The communication logs have been thoroughly reviewed by our Chief Dispatcher which shows the times and updates for all train delays were indeed transmitted. That said we have a crew out in the field to determine why this information is not being displayed on the station monitors; this system is unquestionably outdated and in need of replacement. The MBTA is in the process of procuring a new GPS messaging system which will greatly enhance our ability to provide this information in real-time, without the glitches that has resulted in the current lack of information reaching its intended destination.

In closing, we want to assure you that MBCR will do everything in our power to restore the service on this line to a level that you can rely on.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with this explanation and apology and thank you for riding the commuter rail.

Weird Way to Collect Tolls

Train Rider drove to the office today for two reasons - an early morning meeting and, more importantly, because of the Dan Band concert tonight.

Since my commute to work is much closer to home, I always drive to work. I live close to my office and my home/office are located in areas where there are no public transportation options. However, this morning, I had to drive into the Route 128 area for a quick meeting. Driving back to my office, I got off at the Route 9 Mass Pike Exit (Exit 12). Can you say "cluster." This has always been a very popular exit - Bose and Staples headquarters are located right near the exit, along with a bunch of other office buildings. In the brilliant strategy that is the Mass Pike, there are only two Fast Lane toll booths, with three cash-only toll booths. Of course, most commuters use a Fast Lane, so those exits were super backed up. If you paid with cash, you could zip through. I still don't understand why the Mass Pike seems to be the only toll road system that doesn't do more combo cash/Fast Lane (rather E-Z Pass) toll booths? Nuts!

Looks like the MBTA did some PR media relations outreach. Most Boston media outlets either aired or ran a story about how commuters are still using the MBTA and the MBCR commuter rail even though gas prices are dropping.

I'm not sure who The Boston Globe spoke to, but in their article about T usage, someone was quoted as saying that parking lots don't seem to be any emptier. Train Stopping readers who use the Worcester and Providence commuter rail lines actually have observed that the lots do seem less crowded since the parking rate increase went into effect. MBTA GM Daniel Grabuaskas was quoted in the article. I wonder if he is still driving his MBTA vehicle to work? This comment made to the Globe article cracked me up because you can see the truth in the remarks:

Of course Grabauskas will take credit for this, telling us all how great they are, but the truth is we take the T DESPITE its performance, not because of its performance. Late, dirty trains; rude, uncaring workers; overpriced parking (when you can find a spot) ... the T is awful, but driving is far worse.

The Boston Herald's take on the increase in the T's ridership had a different slant. The T is removing seats on the Red Line to accommodate more riders. This is being discussed at today's MBTA board meeting. If the seats are removed on some cars, it will cut the available seating in half. The article T will mark the "high capacity" cars with the removed seating and they will run a promotional campaign. WCVB-TV Channel 5 also reported on this.

In other news, WickedLocal Somerville reports on the proposed Green Line extension.

Giving it All Away

Raise your hand if you have ever been on a MBTA bus, subway/trolley train, commuter rail train, or commuter boat and seen drivers or conductors not collect fares? Most of us have seen this happen. Heck, some of us have probably even benefited and received a free ride here and there. But this is a trend that shouldn't be occurring in a system that is as deficit plagued as the T.

Thankfully, WCVB-TV/Channel 5 had the gumption to see if this "rumor" was a reality. Last night, they aired a special report about how the T, rather MBTA employees, do not collect fares.


Reporters on Channel 5's "Team 5 Investigates" staff spent six days riding buses and trains with an undercover camera. They found that getting a free ride really wasn't all that unusual. MBTA drivers on buses and above ground Green line trolleys frequently waved passengers on without collecting their fares. Passengers didn't have to pay or prove they had either a Charlie Card or a monthly commuter pass.

One third of the MBTA's revenue comes from fares. One half comes from a portion of the state sales tax. With the MBTA now over $8 billion in debt, and fare hikes looming, employees were observed letting revenue slip away.

This is why Train Rider and frequent readers of Train Stopping get outraged when their commuter rail passes are not checked on the MBTA/MBCR commuter rail lines. And this is also why suburban commuters are livid that they'll be paying 100% more to park, come November 15th.

Channel 5 didn't just shoot the footage for shock value. They actually took it to Beacon Hill to share with the Senate Transportation Committee.

"A video speaks a thousand words. This is pretty clear," said Sen. Steven Baddour. "In today's climate, every penny counts. We are looking at serious reforms and cuts, and here's an opportunity where people can do a better job."

They even tried to show it to MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas. Danny-boy wouldn't watch the footage (how come Dan - does the truth hurt), but no surprise here, the spotlight-loving GM did agree to be interviewed.

Team 5: "Your agency is $8 billion in debt. Wouldn't every fare count?"
Graubauskas: "Every fare does count."
Team 5: "So why aren't they collected?"
Graubauskas: "The fact of the matter is that bus drivers, operators, trolley operators know that part of their job is to make sure that everyone pays. It shouldn't be somebody who is just deciding to shirk their responsibilities. If they are working for the T, they've got to make sure to collect fares."

So why aren't the fares collected? Who is to blame? If you guessed the passengers/commuters you are right. Yes - the T needs to stay on schedule, so fares can't always be collected.
It the T had a dollar for every excuse they give in terms of poor service, poorly kept trains/buses, etc., etc., they probably wouldn't in a budget deficit.

Transportation advocate Eric Bourassa said there's also pressure on operators to stay on schedule. "A person who is monitoring the line by GPS can call the bus driver and tell them that they are behind schedule," said Bourassa. "They know they should get people on as fast as they can and move to the next station."

Team 5 Investigates asked Graubauskas if drivers felt pressure to keep on schedule.

"Well, certainly we have to maintain a schedule, but that's no excuse for not paying," said Grabauskas.

Check it out - Grabauskas actually uttered the phrase "no excuse!"

Drivers on the Green line are supposed to make announcements when the trains are crowded, asking passengers to come forward and pay their fare. But during our observations, no announcements were made about fare collection.

The MBTA said it ticketed 650 passengers this year for fare evasion. But those were passengers, not employees. After Team 5 Investigates told Graubauskas about drivers failing to collect, he said he may take disciplinary action.

"They'll be brought in to see if in fact they weren't doing the job, " he said . "There will be progressive discipline. If we need to get back out there and do self enforcement, then we will do that."

So part of the reason the T's budget deficit is so severe is because they have to provide backpay to union employees. I believe most of the drives/trolley drivers are union employees. If you are owed money, why wouldn't you try to make sure the company you work for collects all the money they are supposed to collect? What if the lack of fare collections had to actually be taken out of employee paychecks?

This is utterly unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable. Most of us work in a world where, if we don't do what is in our job description, we lose our jobs. Case closed. Boy, would I like to work in a world where I can pick and choose what I want to do and then get regular pay increases whether or not I'm performing up to par.

Thank you Channel 5 for this report.

Sweet Fun and Other News of the Day

So this is sweet fun . . . Boston.com featured Train Stopping again.

Nice!

Thanks to the North Shore drivers who mentioned that some North Shore drivers incur tolls if they use the Tobin Bridge or one of the tunnels for their commutes into Boston. But we still have drivers in a great portion of the state (north of the city along I-93 and south of the city) who don't incur any tolls, yet directly benefit from the Big Dig project. I could even argue that residents directly north and south of Boston benefited more from the Big Dig than others did.

Adding toll booths might not be feasible and could cause massive delays. However, I would like the idea to be researched, not just glossed over. Some cities - such as London - use electronic transponders to charge drivers for accessing roads. Massachusetts already has the Fast Lane program in use on the Mass Pike. I'm all for seeing if it can be extended to other roads. I would love to make sure that everyone is paying a fair amount towards our state's transportation infrastructure costs.

My commute this morning on the P508 was good, right on time again. The train pulled into Grafton at 7:08 a.m. and we arrived to South Station at 8:20 a.m.

From today's Boston Globe, there was an article in the Business section about the NorthPoint development project near the MBTA's Lechmere Green Line station. The state is going to take over building a new MBTA station at the Cambridge site, due to delays caused by the NorthPoint development team in building the $70 million station. The development team was supposed to build the new Lechmere station because the state gave them property for the NorthPoint project.

So the state Executive Office of Transportation said it instead will build the new station, and incorporate the project into its massive extension of the Green Line to Medford. This adds a new wrinkle - and potentially millions of dollars in costs - to a transit upgrade that has been promised for years.

Transportation officials yesterday did not answer questions about how much it would cost the state to build a new Lechmere Station, nor would they say if it will affect the timeline. The project was schedules to be completed in 2014.

The station must be moved to place it along the tracks that are being used to extend the Green Line through Somerville to Medford. Currently, that Green Line ends at Lechmere.

This is a day late, but I loved the headline from yesterday's Bostonist story. Psych! I used that all the time back in the day.

Interesting article from yesterday's The Milford Daily News about a project in Hopedale, MA. The Draper Mill in Hopedale is being redeveloped. Since there is a direct connection between the Draper complex and the Forge Park MBTA station in Franklin, both the town of Hopedale and the Draper's developers would like to see if the commuter rail can be extended to this mill.

This is interesting on a number of different levels. First - residents in many of the towns around Hopedale (Upton, Northbridge, Medway, Milford) either have to go to Franklin or go to one of the Worcester line's stations if they want to use the commuter rail. Second - the reinvigorated Grafton-Upton line could play a role in this. Third - money, if the T does get involved, will be an issue.

Tom Conroy, who is a state rep for the towns of Lincoln, Sudbury, and Wayland, wrote this commentary for WickedLocal Lincoln. It is about fiscal responsibility, especially our state's fiscal issues.

Neal Templin, columnist for The Wall Street Journal's newish "Cheapskate" column, wrote a fun piece on commuting into Manhattan. Neal recently located to the metro-NYC area from Dallas. While the ferry is a better experience, it costs $5 a trip. Neal opts for the $1.75 train that takes him from Hoboken, NJ to the World Trade Center. I'm not sure if today's column would have had the same relevance a year ago. But now, people really are factoring in the cost of their commutes. His article is a quick, easy read, however most WSJ articles do require a subscription to read.

Finally, Commute-a-holic tipped me off to this article from a marketing industry publication called ClickZ. The article is about email marketing, which frankly, I'm not that familiar with. However, I got a kick out what the author used to make his point that (apparently) many marketers are living in a denial regarding digital media tactics. What example did he use . . . trains. Here is an excerpt:

Commuting to New York City frequently, I opt to take the Metro-North Railroad. Each day, it feels like millions of straphangers jam these trains, scurrying for seats for the daily hour-plus ride from the suburbs into Manhattan. This being New York, the trains are a living example of the premise that "if it can go wrong, it will." These trains don't always run on time. It's not unusual for a train to be stopped dead in its tracks for anywhere from a couple of minutes to an hour. Commuters are often left in the dark, without air conditioning, wondering, "What is going on?" Smartphones appear, wireless modems are turned on. Everyone's trying to understand what is happening.

When tempers peak, the lights return, the air flows, and we move on. The train operators realize that angry customers aren't a good thing. In their great wisdom -- and with a focus on customer service -- they leave commuters with a 5 in. x 7 in. piece of paper on the seats for our evening commute, entitled "An Explanation for the Morning's Train Delay." If passengers aren't careful -- and, really, who is after a long day? -- they'll sit on the sheet of paper without looking at the message.

Here we are, in the media capital of the world. The year is 2008, not 1878. And the mass transit organization hasn't figured out how to send breaking news alerts and apology notifications via e-mail? Can you imagine how many hours it took the department to format this printed notification, then put it on the seats in every car of every train leaving Grand Central Station during rush hour? It's absurd! Especially in light of the fact that all this work was done for one day's train delay.

Trains are delayed all the time. This practice gets replayed hundreds of times a year. What part of the e-mail and Internet movement has the transit authority missed? If it started looking at the technology that its customers use each day, it would figure out that the best way to communicate -- the essential way to communicate with customers -- is real-time e-mail.

Monday Morning Commute

My first commute of the week was find this morning. The P508 was actually a busy train, not packed like it has been, but not empty either. We arrived to South Station at around 8:20 a.m.

On the news round-up, WBUR is the latest to get into the "MBTA moved the most people" reports game. They aired a report this morning.

WickedLocal Somerville published an editorial on Friday about the Green Line extension.

Empty Friday Morning Train

My inbound commute on the P508 train was fine. Which is good, because I heard there were some cancellations on some other lines this morning. The train wasn't very crowded today, people must have taken the day off for a long weekend. We were at South Station at 8:25 a.m., we would have been earlier, but we sat on the tracks waiting for a track to open for 3-5 minutes. I hate that!

The Boston Metro reports this morning that a number of transit projects have received approval from the EPA. These projects include the MBTA's Green Line extension to Somerville and Medford and the Fairmount commuter rail improvement project. The latter initiative will add four new stops between Readville and South Station. Also in the works is a connector between the Blue and Red lines, the only two MBTA subway lines that do not connect. Finally, the T will be adding 1,000 parking spaces at various stations.

NHBR.com published an analysis today of the commuter rail that ran from Southern New Hampshire to Boston in 1980.

Finally, Progressive Railroading made mention of the T's all-time-high ridership numbers.

MetroWest Bus to the Green Line and More T Employment Hijinks

Picking up from yesterday's news, the video report is from a NECN report about the T's busiest year ever.

Yesterday's The MetroWest Daily News also ran a story about a new bus service that would link Framingham-Natick to the MBTA's Woodland Station. We first mentioned this on Friday. There was a bit more detail in yesterday's article. The MetroWest Regional Transit Authority would like to run one bus an hour from MetroWest to Woodland. The plans call for the bus stopping on Flutie Pass, which is located between Shopper's World and the Natick Mall/Natick Collection. Flutie Pass hovers between the Framingham and Natick town lines. The bus could also extend into some office parks in western Framingham.

All in all, the bus trip would be expected to last one hour. This line could be up and running by January 2009, if the budget is approved. While MetroWest residents would benefit from this service, it is also expected to help out the people who reverse commute from Boston and immediate suburbs into MetroWest.

For the second time this week, The Boston Herald has published an article about the T's mismanagement. Say what you want, this is certainly the Herald's forte. Today's topic: 65 MBTA employees drive to work (and to "emergencies") in cars paid for by the Authority. The MBTA pays $16,650 each month in gas alone!!! The cars are solely for professional purposes and the T claims that the employees who have access to this perk are on call 24/7.

Wow - they have 65 employees on call 24/7, 365 days a year? Call me a skeptic, call me critical, but don't call me gullible. I just don't believe it. I've worked in departments where employees are on call 24/7. When I was employed by Massport in a critical mission function, most employees on call 24/7 where on call for a specific period of time. Ditto the IT teams I've worked on - usually on-call employees are on rotation.

When pressed for an answer, the T's spokesperson could not specify which car-gifted employees aren't on call.

At least someone is looking out for the interest of tax payers and the users of this debt-plagued system:

Paul Regan, executive director of the MBTA advisory board, demanded T
officials justify why some non-emergency workers are allowed to drive home.

"I'd like to hear an explanation of why someone who isn’t an emergency
responder would get a vehicle,” Regan said. “(The agency) should be guarding
every dime because they’re going to need it this year”

Amen!

The Herald also noted that the employees with cars live as close to the city as Quincy (um, keep your car parked at the State Transportation Building and use the Red Line, commuter rail or commuter boat to commute to work) or as far away as Plymouth (a 40-mile one-way trip in). As previously noted, MBTA GM Dan Grabauskas lives in Ipswich. I believe he has a 50 to 60 mile one way commute.

Along with the 65 take-home vehicles, the T also funds 17 "pool" vehicles. The pool vehicles are used "in the event of an emergency."

For an agency so mired in debt, perhaps they can make some reductions that common Americans are making. If they eliminated the 65 take-home vehicles, they would be seeing a savings of nearly $200,000 in gas alone, never mind insurance, maintenance and all the other costs associated with cars.

Finally, from Newsweek, road rage among bicycle commuters in Oregon. Portland has always had a high number of residents who bicycle around town. In the past year, the number of bicyclists has increased 24%.

MetroWest Regional Transit Authority Announces a Route 9 Shuttle

Just read about this in an exclusive to the Worcester Business Journal.

The MetroWest Regional Transit Authority has received preliminary approval for a shuttle service along Route 9 that would run to and from the Green Line during morning and evening commuting hours, according to its administrator Ed Carr.

Funding still needs to be approved by the Federal Transit Administration and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation.

I think this is a great idea. Route 9 is a major transportation hub with a lot of companies located on it. If employees live in Boston but work on Route 9, commuting by the T may not make sense because it is really hard to get from a Green Line station to work.

Back in the late 1990s, I worked in Waltham. A lot of people I worked with lived in Boston, but they still drove to work as it was nearly impossible to use public transportation to get to work. The Waltham MBTA commuter rail station is located in downtown Waltham, a good distance away from the office parks that abut Route 128.

This will be an interesting development to watch.

Saving Gas by Changing Commuting Patterns

Today's Worcester Business Journal had an interesting article about how 44% of workers recently surveyed by Robert Half International said that the high cost of gas is causing them to change their daily commute behaviors.

In other news, the Boston Herald is playing their typical role days after Wednesday's horrible Green Line accident. I've noticed several "breaking news" stories about people who did extraordinary things on Wednesday, helping some of the severely injured passengers. And I saw a number of "political commentary" articles calling for a MBTA shake-up.

Thankfully I Don't Have to Ride the P502 Train Everyday

I had an extremely early meeting this morning. To make sure that I absolutely, positively arrived into the office on time, I took the Worcester line's P502 train.

The P502 train departs the Grafton station at 5:57 a.m. Yes, that's right, for Train Rider 5:57 a.m. is a most ungodly hour. The train arrived at Back Bay Station at 7:03 a.m., three minutes ahead of its scheduled 7:06 a.m. arrival time. I got off at Back Bay and took the Orange Line to my office.

I am not a morning person. In my mind, I basically got up in the middle of the night to make sure I arrived to the Grafton station at 5:57 a.m.

Enough about my commute and my theories about morning.

Read in today's BostonNOW how a lot of riders are receiving complimentary rides on the MBTA's Green Line. Hey - that sounds like the commuter rail line too! I just don't understand how an agency that is in such financial trouble as the MBTA can have passengers not pay for rides? Call me silly - but if the fares don't help the bottom line, then why collect them at all?

Still on the Green Line, an article ran in yesterday's WickedLocal Arlington about the proposed Green Line extension into Medford.

Boston's mass transit system can be a useless joke"

I thought this editorial published in the December 29, 2007 issue of Brockton's The Enterprise to be very thought provoking.

The editorial was written to highlight some issues that occurred at the MBTA's Riverside Station, which is where the Green Line's D train starts and finishes. However, the comments could easily have pertained to the commuter rail trains.

Here are some gems from the editorial:

• These are the days where the MBTA seems to stand for “misery, bureaucracy, torture and arrogance.”
• "I could have driven through this kind of traffic on my own and at least been comfortable in my own car,” one disgruntled passenger complained. (Seriously, some days on the commuter rail, I have the exact same sentiment).
• "The big question, though was why passengers were not warned there was no train service before they paid to drive into the Riverside parking lot."

The MBTA and the Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation need to do more to ensure that Boston's mass transit system works!!