My P508 Train Was Not Late

Even though Commute-a-holic said that WCVB announced the Worcester-Framingham line trains were running late this morning, my commute was right on time. The P508 arrived into South Station at 8:21 a.m. Yesterday's commute was also on time. I got caught up in a bunch of ad hoc work meetings and other projects, so I never found the time to post.

The Overhead Wire wrote a great post yesterday about people who oppose mass transit. It is an interesting analysis along with links to some newsworthy articles.

Good Morning America fans take note. According to the Worcester Business Journal's Inside WBJ blog, GMA will be in Worcester on Sunday, September 14th at Union Station between 9:00 a.m. through 10:30 a.m. Downtown Worcester aims to be busy this Sunday. The Worcester-centric GMA footage is scheduled to appear on air on Monday sometime between 7:30 a.m. through 9:00 a.m.

Along with the GMA shoot, the Canal Diggers 5K & 1 Mile Fitness Walk is being held. I believe Commute-a-holic will be participating in the 1 Mile Fitness walk.

Boston Globe: Graubauskas Sullies His "Mr. Fix-it" Rep

In today's The Boston Globe there is a a long article about MBTA GM Dan Graubauskas. Before helming the T three years ago, Graubauskas' rep was outstanding. He was known as the person who fixed the Massachusetts' Registry of Motor Vehicles.

But three years later, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is far from fixed, and there are more political darts aimed at Grabauskas. He has earned praise from transportation activists for putting a focus on efficiency and access and has instituted customer service improvements such as the automated CharlieCard and the beginning of cellphone service on subways. But overwhelming debt, political infighting, and a recent series of controversies and crises at the T have tarnished his image.

It has been a rough summer for the T. And Dan is the ultimate spin-meister. He noted the following:

"We're moving the ball in the right direction," he said. "But in this particular job, there is no end zone. You're either moving in the right direction, or you're moving in the wrong direction."

And reporter Noah Bierman wrote this:

His team provided reams of lists and graphics, including a monthly system accountability book he initiated, to show where he is improving service and saving money. Canceled trips on buses and subways are down, and the fleets are running longer without breaking down, with fewer speed restrictions. Commuter rail, however, continues to run late more often than promised.

Ah yes, the commuter rail. Yes, why isn't the commuter rail running well? And really - the lists and the graphs - do they mean anything? I, for one, would love to see a correlation between T passes and tickets purchased and the actual number of riders/revenue.

Dan, in his head, is probably chalking up all the negative press to a political battle. He was appointed by a Republican governor and now a Democrat leads the state. I think using the political card is a cop-out.

At the end of the day, this is what is at the heart of the matter:

Much of this discussion of debt and politics is academic to the system's hundreds of thousands of riders, who simply want to get to work on time, with some level of comfort.

Dan used a bunch of PR puffery and didn't really address the issue of riders who just want to get to where they are going on time and without a lot of aggravation. Plus Bierman worked in some of the Dan Graubauskas myth and legend into the article.

My "buddy," Metheun State Senator Steven Baddour appears to be a big Graubauskas fan. I will admit, Senator Baddour is on my list because he was so vehemently opposed to I-93 tolls. Steven, just thank the MetroWest and Western drivers when you ride around the state as we are footing the bill.

So the rest of the article really didn't say much, other than Graubauskas has 20 months on his T contract and there are people in state government who still like him, who don't think any of the T's problems are his fault.

Dan is really in the winner's position. If Governor Patrick wants to oust him, the state would have to pay Graubauskas nearly a half-million dollars. So what's Dan's incentive, really? Not much. He's earning a lot of money, he would generate a huge payout. If he loses his job, he would probably go consultant somewhere. It is all win-win for Dan and a huge lose for commuters and state taxpayers.

Whoever does Dan's PR is a total rainmaker.

In other news, yesterday WHDH-TV Channel 7 ran a piece about raises that State Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen extended to T employees. This was five days before Graubauskas tried to give raises to the T executives. Again, what a mess!

The Patriot Ledger reported on a planned MBTA bus service expansion to South Weymouth.

In case you didn't see this, Daily Worcesteria penned an assessment of the new Union Station garage. It looks like some things still need to be worked out.

Finally, checkout Switchback's new blog design. Very nice!

Along the Line - Worcester Haunts

This is an off-transportation post about fun things "along the line" so to speak. Of course, I'm speaking about things along the Worcester-Framingham commuter rail line. Feel free to contribute some suggestions.

I live in the 'burbs, the Worcester suburbs. Worcester has changed a lot - I think it is a much better city today than it was back in the 1980s. There is a good vibe in the city and a lot of wonderful places to go out for a bite to eat. I know Train Rider and I have both waxed poetic about The Corner Grille.

Earlier this summer, Train Stopping received a comment about KJ Baaron's (I think Grafton Train Rider left it, but I don't know for sure).

KJ Baaron's is a fun wine & spirit shop located at 220 Summer Street in Worcester, directly across the rotary from Union Station. They host periodic tastings for things beyond just wine, including a Monday night Whiskey Witch whiskey tasting. If you come off the train some night and you want to try something interesting, go into KJ Baaron's. I don't think it will disappoint.

At tonight's Whiskey Witch tasting, KJ Baaron's was also featuring cupcakes made by The Sugar Girls. Sugar Girls is new . . . so new they don't have a website. They may not need a website because their cupcakes are that good. Yes. The cupcakes Are. That. Good. Utterly amazing. I'm having a small party in a few weeks and I will be ordering some cupcakes from the Sugar Girls. The flavors are out of this world and I really should know, as I consider myself a connoisseur of the cupcake. If you're interested in ordering cupcakes, they can be reached at sugargirlcupacakes AT yahoo.com.

Rounding out some downtown Worcester fun, we capped off our evening at Armsby Abbey. This place was fantastic. It is only a few weeks old and it was opened by the team who operates The Dive Bar on Green Street. Armsby Abbey has an extensive menu of artisan beverages, not just artisan beers but artisan spirits too. And the food menu features locally grown produce. The place, located at 144 North Main Street (so there is a lot of available street parking) is a really great joint. Amazing atmosphere, great service, a fantastic menu, and great cocktails. Check it out - especially after a bad commute, Armsby Abbey will make you smile.

So that's it for the first Along the Line post. We'll be covering other haunts that we like.

Say it Ain't So . . . "Hefty" MBTA Fare Hikes Likely in 2010

An article in today's Boston Herald reports that MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas said that "hefty" fare hikes are likely in 2010, unless the Legislature takes action to help the debt plagued authority.

Since we're talking about Dan "the PR Man" Grabauskas, the Herald notes they have no idea what "hefty" means in terms of an actual increase in fares.

The T has raised fares between 25 to 27% every three years since 2001.

In a meeting with The Boston Globe's editorial staff, Grabauskas was quoted as saying:

"If you don't want to cut service, it's going to have to be hefty" unless the T finds some new source of money to patch its rising deficits, Daniel A. Grabauskas, general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, said in a meeting with Globe editors, responding to questions about the possibility of a fare hike.

The Globe also noted that Dan could not define "hefty."

"The next fare increase, I don't know what that number would have to be, but it would have to be pretty substantial," Grabauskas said. A 25 percent increase would mean it would cost $2.50 to ride the subway and almost $1.90 to catch a bus.

Grabauskas spelled out two other alternatives: cuts in service, such as dropping bus routes or running trains less frequently, or state assistance with the agency's $8.2 billion in debt and interest payments.

Public transit advocacy groups are against the fare hikes.

Seriously - why can't the T at least manage within its budget? Did they really need to roll out WiFi? Do they need to have 65 odd vehicles for employees to commute to and from work?

"I don't think the T's problems are a great secret here," said Representative Joseph F. Wagner, a Chicopee Democrat who chairs the House's transportation committee. "It's going to require a lot of things. Fares may be part of a solution to a larger problem or set of problems. There are limits to what you can do with fares."

The Globe article noted that the T's fares are in line with the fares of other major transit systems in the US, including Chicago and Philadelphia.

In other news, today's Telegram & Gazette reports on the increase of parking fares at parking lots near Union Station. Effective yesterday, the two surface commuter lots parking rates doubled from $1.00 to $2.00. Commuters are not happy.

The article noted that the city of Worcester publicized the fare hike by leaving fliers on vehicles parked in the lots in June and again last week. The increase brings the Worcester lots in line with parking rates at the other MBTA stations.

Parking rates were increased because Worcester needs the revenue to make improvements to the outdoor lots.

Additionally, the city would like to see more commuters park in the new Union Station garage. A monthly pass brings daily parking at the Union Station garage in line with the $2.00 rate at the surface lots. It is hoped that once road work is completed on Grafton Street, enabling easy access, more people will park in the new garage. The garage sounds like it will be nice for the winter.

New Union Station Garage

Today's Telegram & Gazette featured an article about the new municipal garage abutting Union Station in Worcester.

Most of the article focused on the Franklin Street underpass.

The P508 Was Early Today

My commute was completely uneventful this morning. The P508 was actually early (according to my watch). It arrived to Grafton at 7:07 a.m. Good thing I was "early" to the train station. Normally I'm arriving with a minute or two to spare. So I might have been booking it to the train today if I pulled in at my usual time.

We arrived to Back Bay Station at 8:13 a.m. and South Station at 8:21 a.m.

According to today's Telegram & Gazette, a new cafe catering to Union Station commuters is slated to open. The people who run Maxwell Silverman's Toolhouse Restaurant in downtown Worcester (which has a great Sunday brunch!) have taken over the former The Restaurant at Union Station's space. The commuter-centric cafe is supposed to be open by next spring. It sounds nice - so nice that maybe I'll need to periodically take the Worcester line commuter rail from Worcester instead of Grafton. Here's the scoop:

By next spring, a portion of the former restaurant space will be utilized as restaurant space for commuters, offering an espresso bar, breakfast and lunch items, and a martini bar/lounge area during evening commuter hours, with outside seating on an adjoining patio area.

City officials said progress is being made toward the opening of a separate restaurant known as the Byblos Lounge in 6,100 square feet on the opposite side of the Grand Hall. Fusion Restaurant LLC, which would operate it, is preparing to open the Mediterranean restaurant in the space. City officials last year approved borrowing $750,000 so the space and another 6,300 square feet on the second floor could be fitted with basic utilities and interior walls.

I never went to the former The Restaurant at Union Station. I'm not surprised it closed - I heard word of mouth that the food wasn't that good and it was expensive. I love Worcester's burgeoning restaurant scene. A lot of really great restaurants have opened in this millennium (111 Chop House, Block 5, Via's, etc., etc.). My favorite, favorite, favorite Worcester restaurant, Corner Grille, opened in 1998. I hope more innovative restaurants continue to open. It is great to see diners in downtown Worcester. Worcester gets badgered a lot, but it isn't really a bad place to live.

If you do happen to be in Downtown Worcester on a weeknight, you may want to check out Maxwell Silverman's. I saw an ad in the T&G promoting some dinner specials at Maxwell Silverman's. Leo's Ristorante is also offering dinner specials this summer. All the restaurants I mentioned, except for Corner Grille, are within walking distance of Union Station. Block 5 is a bit of a hike, but walkable.

MBTA Woes and a New Worcester Union Station Commuter Rail Service

This morning's news from the MBTA front was not really all that uplifting for the troubled agency.

The good news for commuters: the T claims they will not be raising fares in 2009. However, there could be fare increases in 2010. The MBTA Board is expected today to approve a spending plan to help augment the $75 million deficit the T has, according to The Boston Globe.

The proposed budget, which would take affect July 1, takes $20 million from the T's $55 million rainy day fund. In addition, the T would restructure $50 million in debt under the plan, adding to the cost of future payments, and find $5 million in savings in the coming budget year, partly by hiring fewer administrators.

"We're concerned," said Lee Matsueda, program director for the T Riders Union, a community group. "There's no way that the system can sustain itself the way it is set up now."

The Riders Union and other consumer groups have been lobbying state legislators to bail out the T, arguing that riders cannot afford more hikes. So far, Governor Deval Patrick's administration has talked about restructuring the state's transportation agencies and raising money from proposed casinos, but he has not laid out a specific plan to plug all the financial gaps.

The T is definitely in a financial pickle.

In more "not so great" news for the T, research conducted by a University of Virginia graduate student found that the Charlie Card may not be such a wonderful "smart card." The Boston Herald reports that for an additional $1 per card, the MBTA could purchase a more secure transactional card. The research was conducted solely to warn commuters about the possibility of identity theft. This theft could pose a bigger risk if the Charlie Card gets merged into the Mass Pike's Fast Lane system.

This is what the T had to say:

Joe Pesaturo, an MBTA spokesman, yesterday said: “It is MBTA policy not to discuss the security measures around its smart card technology. If this group is well intentioned and has information it wants to share with the MBTA, then MBTA staff would be happy to review the information.”

Finally, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported that state transportation officials are researching to see if an alternative Worcester commuter rail line can be created. Here are the highlights from that article:

State transportation officials are studying a possible new commuter rail route between Union Station in Worcester and North Station in Boston that could supplement existing commuter rail service from Worcester to South Station in Boston, and provide new commuter service in West Boylston, Clinton and Lancaster.

Last month, however, transportation officials undertook an examination of existing freight tracks that run north out of downtown Worcester from Union Station through West Boylston, Sterling, Clinton, Lancaster and Harvard to Ayer. At that point the plan envisions commuter trains picking up the existing tracks used by the Fitchburg commuter rail line to North Station in Boston.

Study of an alternative commuter rail line to Boston comes after years of fruitless negotiations between the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and CSX, which owns the tracks currently used for the 10-train commuter line through Framingham and are being targeted for as many as 10 more trains per day.

While the state has proposed purchasing and upgrading the Framingham line to allow greater use of the tracks for commuter service between Union Station and South Station in Boston, officials have reported little progress to date despite long-running and ongoing negotiations with CSX officials.

As part of that plan the state has developed options including construction of a parallel line for some key stretches of the Framingham line and advanced switching systems, to allow additional commuter trains to share the tracks that are also used for freight trains.

Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray said yesterday he is encouraged by the initial reviews of the possible new commuter-train route from Worcester to Boston. “It’s in the preliminary stages. I think the EOTC officials are initially encouraged at the feasibility of this, but it is a long process.”

Mr. Murray said the effort comes as the state for the first time in decades is starting to put together a comprehensive rail plan that will look at how the state can better utilize and integrate the rail infrastructure for passenger rail and freight. “They both are critically important to the current and future economic growth of the state,” Mr. Murray said.

“Some of our transportation team saw this as a potential option as we strive to look at ways we can expand rail service between Central Massachusetts, Worcester and North Worcester County,” Mr. Murray said of the possible new commuter train route.

“The initial review and ride by the EOT people has them wanting to further look at this internally and evaluate some of the costs and challenges that may be there. But to me it is encouraging in that there is at least an additional option for us to look at,” Mr. Murray said.

He said the plan could eventually require an agreement between the rail companies that own the existing tracks. Except for an initial stretch of track leading out of downtown toward Greendale in Worcester, the entire length of the route is owned by Pan Am Railroad, and state officials have had some preliminary discussions with the company.

Mr. Murray acknowledged, “the slow pace of negotiations” with CSX regarding expanded service on the Worcester — Framingham — Boston line and said the state is making a strong effort to work out either state ownership and acquisition or other options that would allow greater use of the CSX line for commuter rail.

“These are resources that are going to be needed more than ever and people have to be reasonable in their demands in negotiations. We are getting frustrated that things are not moving faster with CSX,” Mr. Murray said.

“The future is clear with gasoline approaching $4 a gallon and roads getting clogged, that we are going to have to utilize all of our transportation assets,” Mr. Murray said. In both the passenger rail and freight businesses, he said, “everyone agrees the rail is one underutilized asset.”

“There needs to be that shared cooperative approach among the different owners, and there needs to be incentives in place or hammers in place that require freight and passenger to work together so there is a level playing field in facilitating maximum use and shared cooperation among the entities,” the lieutenant governor said.

“This is an interstate commerce issue as well as being vitally important to Massachusetts,” he added.

While a secondary commuter rail line would definitely benefit communities North of Worcester, I sure hope the state can come to a solution regarding the Worcester-Framingham line.

The Worcester-Framingham line needs to have more trains running, similar to how the other commuter rail lines operate. There is a huge amount of population in the towns abutting the Worcester-Framingham line. This population needs an alternative route into Boston, beyond just driving on the Mass Pike.

While the proposed alternative line may not directly benefit Worcester residents (because it sounds like it would be a long trip to Boston), I'm sure towns including West Boylston, Harvard and Lancaster would welcome some alternatives for commuting into Boston.

The question is - does the state/T have the right funding to extend to another Worcester commuter rail line? If the state adds another Worcester line, will they forget about the Worcester-Framingham riders?