Lt. Governor Tim Murphy Rails Against CSX

An article ran in yesterday's The Sunday Globe about Lt. Governor Tim Murphy's expressed displeasure with CSX.

The Lt. Governor said that CSX is

"completely unreasonable" demands in negotiations with the state over efforts to improve commuter rail service in Boston's western suburbs."

Rock on Tim Murphy, rock on!

Negotiations between the state and CSX have stalled because the state wants to be able to hold CSX legally accountable if a commuter rail passenger gets injured due to CSX's negligence.

Murray has been point man in the talks since he entered office last year. The state wants to increase the number of commuter-rail trains and end the delays that have sparked fury among some riders. On-time performance of the commuter rail line linking Worcester and Framingham with Boston was so poor that last month the MBTA created new schedules to reflect the actual travel times, adding as much as 12 minutes. State officials say they could solve the problems by buying tracks owned by CSX and controlling coordination of the freight and commuter trains that share the route.

The dispute could be enough to derail the deal, worth perhaps $300 million to $400 million, to buy some CSX tracks and rights of way. In addition to what it wants to purchase along the Worcester/Framingham line, the state is looking to buy rights of way on CSX tracks through Fall River and along the South Shore, as well as on lines from Allston to Chelsea (also known as Grand Junction).

Murray said under CSX's current negotiating position, the railroad would have only limited liability, being responsible for the tracks and train damage in a collision, even if an employee was found to be drinking or impaired on the job, and exempt from liability for injuries to passengers. He likened it to allowing a shipping company to drive on state highways without any liability for injuries caused by the negligence of their drivers.

Murray said he doesn't want to find the financially beleaguered MBTA in a similar spot, adding, "And we wonder why Amtrak's almost bankrupt?"

In other news, today's commute was fine. The P508 train arrived at Back Bay Station at 8:16 a.m. and South Station at 8:22 a.m.. So we were a minute ahead on our arrival time.

On the walk to my office, I heard these two guys talking about how the door situation seems to be happening again (i.e., only 1 or 2 doors are open on trains and conductors are yelling at passengers who try to open them). I'm not sure what train/line this is on though. But I would like to know.

Missed Editorial

I missed an editorial that ran in the Thursday, November 29th edition of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. This particular editorial suggests that the Worcester City Council work to promote an expanded commuter rail service.

I would agree with that and take it a step further - the Worcester City Council along with the town governments of area towns (such as Grafton, Sutton, Millbury, Shrewsbury, Westborough, Southborough, Northborough, Hopkinton, Upton, Northbridge, Auburn, and Boylston) should all be working in conjunction with state elected officials to demand that the commuter rail service on the Worcester-Framingham line (1) improve a dismal on-time performance rate and (2) increase the number of trips servicing this line.

This was the best quote from the editorial:

The Patrick administration has been fully occupied with the launch of commuter service Southeastern Massachusetts recently. Now, it should concentrate on concluding the long-running talks with CSX and providing Central Massachusetts and MetroWest commuters with the 20-train schedule they need.

I absolutely, 100% agree. As a Massachusetts tax payer, I have no idea why the Commonwealth focused so much on adding a commuter rail line to an area that (1) didn't want a commuter rail line and (2) ddn't need it.

Governor Deval Patrick certainly campaigned hard in Central Massachusetts. Why is he ignoring us now? And Lt. Governor Tim Murphy is a Worcester native and currently lives in Central Mass. What about doing something for Worcester and the surrounding towns?

Refunded

Just a quick note . . . I finally received my refunds in the mail the other day for service delays from a few months ago. Going to turn those puppies in for cash on my way home tonight. At $15.50 a pop and with all the delays, that is money that I'm not going to turn away.

Also, I'm wondering where the big report is that the Lt. Governor alluded to last week? I'm dying to read it.

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!