Though the Weather is Frigid, the P508 Was Nearly On Time

Good morning!

I was tied up yesterday. Commute-a-holic is still caught up in a bunch of projects at work. Yesterday's commute was fine.

Boy is it frigid outside. To think - by tomorrow we'll think today's temperatures are warm. It looks like all the warm weather is caught in a January heatwave out west. Even Northern California is seeing some pretty nice temperatures.

The P508 was about 5 minutes late pulling into Grafton this morning, but we arrived at South Station for 8:24 a.m., so we weren't too late. The train was right on time yesterday morning, which was so nice because we didn't have to stand around on the cold concrete platform. Anyho, we made up time during this morning's trip. Luckily it was quite warm on the train as well.

Unfortunately, not all this morning's commutes were as smooth as the P508. One of my coworkers, who takes the Providence line into Boston, wasn't so lucky. He tried taking the #800, which departs Providence at 5:07 a.m., but waited on the platform for 45 minutes and ended up getting on the #802 instead. Once the train reached the Route 128 Station, all the lights and heat shut off and they rode the rest of the way into Boston in the dark and cold.

The big news this morning, well it was announced yesterday, is Mass Trans. Massachusetts State Senators want to make sure we first focus on some of the structural/system issues plaguing transportation in Massachusetts before determining revenue adjustments (i.e., toll increases). The Senate proposes creating a new entity called MassTrans (Massachusetts Surface Transportation Authority). This bipartisan Senate proposal, which basically emanated from other ideas floated over the last few years, would eliminate the MBTA and the Mass Pike. So, along with the functions and services of the MBTA and the Mass Pike, MassTrans would also absorb all state roads and bridges, meaning Massport would relinquish control of the Tobin Bridge. I heard on WBZ-Radio last night that MassTrans could save the state $6 billion or so over a twenty year period. You can read all about it here:

• Boston Globe
• Boston Herald
• WBUR
• Boston Metro

Manners seem to be all the rage. Check out this article posted yesterday to the Bostonist. AJ and Framingham Rider both made really great comments about manners on Tuesday. I couldn't agree more. Simple acts of consideration can go a long way towards making everyone's easier, smoother and faster.

Stay warm Boston!!

Sunday's Boston Globe "Starts and Stops" Column Focuses on Massachusetts' Transportation Woes

The lead article in the "Starts and Stops" column in today's Boston Sunday Globe hones in on how all of the state's transportation entities are running out of money. This version of "Starts and Stops" appeared in the Sunday Globe that is delivered to Central Massachusetts.

Here is the piece about transportation in Massachusetts in its entirety:

Transportation running on empty
Noah Bierman
March 2, 2008

Several astute readers have noticed a trend in articles about the state's roads, bridges, subways, trains, and buses. Everybody who runs them says they are out of money.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, despite a fare increase, is "broke" and running another deficit. The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, despite toll increases and new efforts to clean house, is spending rainy-day money on basic operating expenses and has long-term financial problems that will prevent workers from making major repairs on roads and bridges.

The federal government held up $1 billion in matching money for transportation projects statewide in December, because Massachusetts did not set aside enough of its own cash to fix its crumbling bridges.

Everyone is hoping these financial pressures will not mean more toll increases and higher T fares, but the threat is chasing us all like a state trooper hopped up on Starbucks.

None of this should surprise state leaders, who had a report delivered to them Sept. 17, outlining problems and potentially painful solutions to the $19 billion in transportation needs forecast for the next two decades. The authors, a group of politically connected poobahs appointed by the Legislature, walked away wondering why they were not sparking much discussion.

Governor Deval Patrick has said little about the report, except that he wants to find savings before raising taxes. He has spent months quietly test-marketing a plan called MassTrans, which would merge some of the state's transportation bureaucracies, eliminating the Turnpike Authority, in hopes of greater efficiency. He has said money from casinos, if approved, could mitigate some of the transportation woes. The authors of the Transportation Finance Commission report have said these steps alone will not solve the problem.

When a Patrick official raised the specter of imposing tolls on Interstate 93 last month, he was quickly disowned by higher-ups in the administration. Taxes, tolls, and fare increases are the third rail of politics. If only the T could afford to power the real third rail.

Many lawmakers were expecting to see details of the governor's MassTrans plan at the beginning of February. That would at least start the dialogue. But the plan has not been released and the clock is ticking toward what could be more toll increases next year. Patrick told reporters last week that he was not close to completing the plan, according to State House News Service.

"The administration is fully aware of the challenges facing our roads and bridges after 16 years of neglect," Mac Daniel, a state transportation spokesman, said in a statement. "We are currently working on a long-term transportation reform plan for the Commonwealth. In the interim, the swift passage of the Transportation Bond Bill will help us to resolve immediate critical improvements needed on our roads, bridges, and rails."

The bond bill is a $2.9 billion wish list, passed by a legislative committee last week. It's only the first step.

This is the first I've heard about the MassTrans plan. Train Rider and I will need to keep our eyes open for more information about this.

As a resident of this state, it is rather disconcerting that the Governor is not advocating that more attention be placed on transportation in Massachusetts. Just driving around, I've noticed more roads in need of attention beyond the annual pothole episodes that occur this time every year. And it seems to take years to fix a bridge.

It is also disappointing that the Governor is waiting for the casinos to fix financial woes. The situation is a lot more serious than just waiting for magical money to appear.

But my criticism is not directed at the Governor alone. Why aren't our elected officials - representing our towns at both the state and local levels, not doing more to raise the issue about our transportation deficiencies? We need to pay more attention to ensuring we have a stable infrastructure.

Mass transportation and public road works may not be as emotional to report on as school funding and tax issues that impact the elderly, but we are just playing with time if we continue to ignore this issue. We need a sound mass transportation system to encourage more commuters to leave their cars parked closer to home. And drivers deserve the opportunity to drive along roads that are safe and well maintained. Maintaining mass transportation and roads takes money, but we've all seen examples of how much more it costs to delay proper maintenance.

In the Northwest version of "Starts and Stops" a commuter on the Lowell line wrote in to complain about slow reimbursement from the MBTA for on-time performance guarantee delays. The same article contained some "kudos" given to the T by Worcester-Framingham commuter rail riders because of the new WiFi system.

It is interesting that the "Starts and Stops" column doesn't provide a wrap-up of the on-time performance stats for the commuter rail lines for February 2008. I wonder how long it takes the MBTA/MBCR to analyze the data?