WiFi on North of Boston Trains

The Boston Business Journal reports that free WiFi service is now available on commuter rail trains that commute into / depart out of North Station. The Lt. Governor announced the service at a press conference today. Here's the scoop:

“The positive feedback we’ve received from commuters who are using Wi-Fi on the trains has been fantastic,” Murray said in a statement. “It became clear early on in the pilot that this service should be expanded to all commuter rail trains, and is just one way we can improve commuter services in the commonwealth. I commend the MBTA and General Manager (Daniel) Grabauskas on their efforts to expand this program.”

Under the expansion project, 258 of the MBTA’s 410 commuter rail coaches will be equipped with Wi-Fi service. Installation of the units began Dec. 1, and will produce 30 Internet capable coaches per month. A Wi-Fi logo will be posted on the exterior of coaches with wireless access.

Higher Gas Prices, Fewer Pike Drivers

Yesterday afternoon Boston.com posted a short story about a decline in the number of drivers using the Mass Pike. A more in-depth article about this topic appeared in this morning's The Boston Globe.

There were 6.75 percent fewer toll transactions in August 2008 compared to August 2007, representing the second largest year-to-year drop since June. The Pike noted that the drop in toll transactions pertained to cash-paying customers, who tend to be occasional users or vacationers. Fast Lane drivers are still using the Pike, most likely because they are commuters.

During this same period, MBTA ridership increased 6.9 percent. Obviously, more people are using mass transit than their own personal vehicles.

Thanks to the January 2008 toll increase, the Pike still collected more revenue this August compared to last year.

In other news, the Brockton Enterprise ran an article about the proposed rail station at the Raynham-Taunton Greyhound park.

Hopedale Commuter Rail

Boy, you can tell that we've passed by the Labor Day hump, huh? Train Rider and I have both been neglecting the blog a bit, missing news updates about rail and transportation issues.

The following article, sent to us by Ralph today, is a follow-up written by The MetroWest Daily News about Hopedale's Draper complex and the desire to extend the commuter rail line to this facility.

Recognizing that this extension could be years away, I do feel that this could be a worthy addition to the commuter rail line. The Hopedale station could ultimately serve two different audiences - Blackstone Valley residents who live on the far side of Grafton & Westborough and Milford, Hopedale and Mendon residents who essentially only have the Franklin line as an option. This may seem like small geographic pocket, but the past few years have seen a population explosion as more people move further away from metro-Boston either because of housing costs, jobs or the desire to live in a rural/suburban environment.

The MetroWest article noted:

The idea has some attractive features already working for it, said Jon Delli Priscoli, Grafton & Upton Railroad Co. owner, whose line would be used for the project. The rail line already exists and is a relatively short distance from the nearest station, Forge Park in Franklin, he said.

Their discussion focused on fundamental questions: Is there enough space at the Draper complex to house a station and parking? From where will the riders come? Would the station alleviate overcrowded ones in Grafton, on a separate line, and in Franklin? And will surrounding towns have the same amount of interest as some Hopedale officials do?

"Is commuter rail an end in itself or part of a greater development?" asked state Rep. John Fernandes, D-Milford. "Because if it's part of a greater development, you have to integrate it into the site."

Too bad the state doesn't have the funding. This could be a real welcome addition for residents.

Out Sick Yesterday, Normal Commute Today

Good afternoon. What a lovely day, huh?

Yesterday was a sick day. I was battling a spring bug, so I slept a lot. If I am able to sleep 12+ hours and recharge nicely, I can usually conquer most illnesses. I guess maybe I sound like I'm a laptop battery, huh?

Enough about my health, on to today's commute. It was healthy to say the least. I took the P508 train in from Grafton. We were crawling a bit through Westborough, but managed to arrive 1 minute ahead of schedule! Sweet. I got off at Back Bay Station at 8:16 a.m. and took the Orange Line to my office.

Read the following in today's Telegram & Gazette. I've embedded the article because the T&G only archives articles for 14 days.

CSX: New yard key for commuter boost

By Priyanka Dayal TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER— While political leaders continue to point to disagreements over liability as the biggest obstacle to increasing commuter rail service to the city, representatives from railroad giant CSX Corp. yesterday said relocating the company’s 80-acre rail yard in Allston is the bigger hurdle.

In a meeting with the Telegram & Gazette editorial board, three CSX representatives called themselves “fans of commuter rail” and said they are committed to expanding commuter service, as long as that expansion doesn’t hamper freight service.

Transportation officials and lawmakers in Massachusetts have been negotiating with the railroad company to purchase the 22.8-mile section of railroad between Framingham and Worcester in an effort, eventually, to double the number of commuter trains to Worcester. They have said they will not sign a deal that, in the case of an accident, would require that CSX and the state pay for damages to what each owns, regardless of fault.

CSX, meanwhile, says it will not sign a deal that introduces a new risk — passengers — to its existing liability system.

The liability hang-up has caught the attention of federal lawmakers, including Sen John F. Kerry, D-Mass., who has threatened to file legislation regulating freight and commuter rail contracts if CSX doesn’t budge.

Yesterday, Lisa A. Mancini, CSX’s vice president of strategic infrastructure initiatives, said train operators don’t care about liability policies, they simply operate as safely as possible at all times. She dismissed the notion that making the state liable for its own passengers means CSX wouldn’t have incentives to be safe.

Ms. Mancini said moving CSX’s operations in Beacon Park, on the western edge of Boston, to a location closer to Worcester would help free up track for more commuter trains.

“Most of our customers are west of Framingham, but we bring our trains (to Boston) because our yard is there,” she said.

That means tons of cargo go to the Boston facility every day, then tracks deliver much of that cargo to locations west of Boston.

The yard is part of a nearly two-century-old rail infrastructure, and its location made sense at the time it was built. Today the yard takes up 80 acres of prime real estate that Harvard University is interested in acquiring, Ms. Mancini said. If Harvard paid CSX for that land, it would allow CSX to give the state a better deal, she said.

CSX has considered a few locations in Central Massachusetts for a new rail yard, but so far, none of them has been promising.

In response to Mr. Kerry and others threatening to take action, Ms. Mancini said, “That’s their prerogative, but that can’t create the capacity (for more trains). We’d get to an answer faster through negotiations, I think.”

CSX officials stressed that they communicate constantly with Massachusetts rail officials, and said on-time performance for commuter trains on the Worcester line has shot up to the 90 percent range since the train schedule was tweaked in February. The new train schedule is “more realistic” because it allows more travel time for peak-hour trains, CSX and state rail officials say.

CSX attributes less than 3 percent of commuter train delays to conflicts with freight trains, while the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co., which operates commuter rail service for the MBTA, maintains freight trains are more disruptive than CSX claims they are.

CSX representatives yesterday acknowledged that signaling upgrades could allow for one or two more commuter trains to Worcester, but did not portray that as one of their primary goals. Signaling upgrades between Boston and Framingham would be costly and would be the responsibility of the MBTA, they said.

“If we add more trains, we don’t want on-time performance to go from 90 or 95 percent to 85 percent,” said Maurice J. O’Connell, CSX’s vice president of public affairs.

If the state purchases the Framingham-Worcester track from CSX, the rail company would pay a fee to use the line for its freight.

Mr. O’Connell, Ms. Mancini and company spokesman Robert Sullivan yesterday said if the sale is approved, CSX would ask the state to help clear obstacles so trains with one container atop another — known as double-stack trains — can travel under highway bridges and through tunnels across the state.

That project would cost several million dollars.

Contact Priyanka Dayal by e-mail at pdayal@telegram.com.

Follow-up to Grafton Train Rider's MBCR Submission

We received an update from Grafton Train Rider on a response to last week's MBCR submission. Here is what Grafton Train Rider sent along.

Dear Train Rider,

I think that the GPS systems are at least a year away. Linda never addressed the other concern "Most trains operating on or near schedule" (see below comments).

Grafton Train Rider

From: Commuter Rail Customer Service - Customer Service
Subject: Concern #1971-5959414: Closed (no late train message, useless message on other days)
To: Grafton Train Rider
Date: Friday, April 11, 2008, 3:32 PM

Thank you for your concern.
Comment(s): Grafton Train Rider

I have read your email regarding the lack of delay information while you were traveling on the 5th of April.

I am sorry that you needed to write to us about this situation. The station VMS message boards have been subject to a series of difficulties over time. While dispatchers continuously update information as it becomes available, there are times when the information becomes stuck in "queue." On our end (communications department), it appears that the information has been correctly transmitted, yet our customers don't see the change. At the moment, until we hear from our customers, we have no way of knowing that the relayed update does not reach its intended destination.

I am pleased to report that efforts are underway to replace the current LEDs with a new GPS messaging system that will have service information generated directly from the locomotive and relayed in "real time" to passengers at stations awaiting trains.

I do apologize for the inconvenience that you have experienced and thank you for contacting us.

Sincerely,

Linda Dillon
MBCR Customer Service Manager

Perfectly Fine Monday Morning Commute

My commute this morning was perfectly fine, totally uneventful. I took the P508 train in from Grafton. We were actually at South Station for 8:19 a.m.!!! That's 4 minutes ahead of schedule. I have no idea what time the train pulled into Back Bay Station . . . I must have been dozing.

It's funny that we were so ahead of schedule too. I thought we were supposed to be delayed this morning because of track work.

There hasn't been a lot of news about the MBTA/MBCR in the papers or on the web. I noticed in the West edition of The Sunday Globe the Starts & Stops column had a small write-up of the on-time performance results for March 2008. They only listed the best and worst performing lines.

I did read the following article about the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority in this week's issue of the Worcester Business Journal.

The year-old MetroWest Regional Transit Authority wants to run shuttle buses along Route 9 during morning and evening commuting hours, stopping at a few key locations before heading directly to a Green Line stop.

Interesting!

An Update about the MBTA/MBCR March 2008 On-Time Performance Reports

First, Train Stopping has reached a milestone. We posted our 200th post today!!

I received the following email from former MBTA employee Bob Stoetzel providing some insight into how the MBTA prepares the monthly on-time performance reports. Bob said we could share this information.

As Commute-a-holic and I have mentioned, neither of us have been able to find the March 2008 on-time performance stats. Who knows - perhaps the latency of the March report is tied to staffing changes at the MBTA. If anyone comes across the March on-time performance report, feel free to email us at either worctrainrider AT gmail.com or commuteaholic AT gmail.com.

Thank you.

Train Rider

Here is Bob's email:

I am surprised by the MBTA's delay in making commuter rail on-time performance for March, 2008 available to the public. As the person who was formerly responsible to provide this information to the General Manager's Office, as well as to Secretary Cohen, I was required to have on-time performance for the month available by the close of business of the first business day of the new month, accompanied by text that highlighted specific impacts, both positive and negative, to on-time performance during the month.

My interest in this information is two-fold. First, I am very interested in obtaining this information out of personal curiosity as I am no longer associated with the commuter rail information. Second, I am also aware of the complexity of determining the accurate on-time performance on the Worcester Line as it was my experience that many outbound trains (and a smaller number of inbound trains) were not being reported by MBCR crews to MBCR dispatchers. It was therefore necessary to obtain train delay information directly from CSX dispatchers. This information was then compared to the data provided by MBCR with necessary corrections made prior to submitting the "official" numbers.

As a subscriber to your very informative blog, I am awaiting your posting of this information as, as you know, the MBTA does not provide this information on its website and MBCR does not make it available until they post it at North Station, South Station, and Back Bay Station.I am encouraged by what I assume to be performance improvements on the Worcester Line, As I advised you previously, a large reason for these improvements has been the continued focus on the line by CSX personnel. This is extremely critical due to the upcoming track work. The extensive efforts in New York, Jacksonville, and, most critically, on-site with the track crews were the primary reason for the minimal service interruptions from the trackwork in March; efforts which, as usual, were not highlighted by MBTA and MBCR press releases.

Sincerely,
Bob Stoetzel

Mass. Congressional Committee Stands Up to CSX and a Letter to the Editor

According to an article from today's The Boston Globe, all twelve members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation have sent a "strongly worded letter" to CSX "threatening legislation if the rail-freight giant continues to insist that it should not be held liable for the human cost of train accidents, even when it is at fault."

Despite repeated criticisms of its no-fault arrangements with Amtrak and passenger rail services in other parts of the country, CSX has demanded the same deal as a nonnegotiable part of a proposed sale of its tracks running between Worcester and Framingham.

Massachusetts officials, who are eager to buy the tracks and expand passenger rail service linking Worcester and Boston, have termed the provision outrageous and have labeled it a deal-breaker. Now federal lawmakers have stepped in and are threatening hearings and legislative remedies.

Under the proposed no-fault arrangement, if one of the MBTA's commuter-rail trains crashed and CSX were determined to be at fault, the company would be liable for train and track damage, but not for passenger injuries or deaths. Critics say the provision would protect CSX even if one of its employees was found to have been drinking or using drugs on the job.

"That is a stupid deal to get into," said US Representative James McGovern. "It's nuts."

The letter, sent by Senator John Kerry and signed by the entire delegation noted:

"Expansion of commuter rail service is enormously important to us and our constituents, and we believe that an agreement can be reached without the need for federal interference. However, in the event that no progress is made in the short term, we are prepared to consider congressional action, including potential legislative solutions mandating what is acceptable in freight-commuter rail contracts."

Why is this important? Well, for riders of the Worcester-Framingham commuter rail line, if this issue can resolve it could mean more service between Worcester and Boston.

State officials, led by Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray, are pushing to double the number of commuter trains serving Worcester, Grafton, Westborough, Southborough, and Ashland. The Worcester-to-Framingham corridor, however, is one of the few stretches of track used by the MBTA's contractor, the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co., that is not controlled by the state.

In other news, also from The Globe, a Lynn resident sent in a "Letter to the Editor" about the April 6th Globe article on the proposed Blue Line expansion.

April Fools Day Commuter Rail Ride

The train was 3 hours late this morning! April Fools! Ha ha, I'm a riot.

Today's P508 train was right on schedule. We arrived at Back Bay Station at 8:13 a.m. and South Station at 8:21 a.m. Both stops were ahead of schedule.

This weather is crazy! March definitely goes out like a lamb, huh? I wonder if it supposed to rain all day. I had to run back into my house this morning to change my outerwear because it was so warm outside. Though I heard the temperature is supposed to drop again. Ah, spring in New England . . . there is nothing else like spring here.

Now that we've crossed over into April, I wonder when the on-time performance stats for March 2008 will be available?

Stoughton Accident - Today's News Reports

Today's Boston Globe published a longer version of the article about Engineer Ronald Gomes and the Stoughton accident that ran on Boston.com yesterday afternoon. An editorial was also written.

They also ran a transcript of the 911 call from the lumber company to the Stoughton police and another article about the accident.

Mass Pike News

TGIF!

Train Rider's company is closed today due to the Good Friday and the Easter holiday. So we do not have a MBTA/MBCR commuter rail update.

After a blitz of news stories about the MBTA/MBCR over the past few weeks, things have been very quiet in the train world. The media's focus has switched from trains to cars, with the Mass Pike now in the spotlight.

Fitchburg Rider shared with Train Stopping an article published in the Wednesday, March 19th issue of The Boston Globe about the financial woes plaguing the Mass Pike. From a debt standpoint, the Pike is essentially in the same boat as the MBTA. To increase revenues, the Pike may be re-instating tolls on the four Western Mass exits and the Newton/Rt. 16 toll. These tolls were eliminated in 1996. Thanks Fitchburg Rider for sharing this article.

In other Mass Pike news, the Pike may be enlarging the Rt. 495 interchange. The Metro-West Daily News reported on this in today's issue.

I hope everyone has a good commute today and a nice weekend.

Inbound Worcester Line Commute Perfectly On Time

After a one-day business trip, I was back riding the rails this morning.

My commute was fine. The inbound P508 train arrived to South Station exactly on-time: 8:23 a.m. on the mark.

This morning's MBTA/MBCR train was crowded, though. I'll bet it will be packed on the way home too - it looks like the Easter vacation commuting has begun. Which is why I bet the airports were packed as well yesterday. But at least I made it out of Boston and back on my flights.

Fortunately I have tomorrow off for the Good Friday holiday. Which is good because I need to catch up on some home-related things.

Worcester-Framingham MBCR/MBTA Commuter Rail February 2008 On-Time Performance Stats

Thanks to a tip from Anonymous, here are the on-time performance stats for February 2008 courtesy of BostonNOW.

The Worcester-Framingham line had the biggest improvement in on-time performance - from 69.3% in January 2008 to 83.6% in February 2008.

No surprise there: on Feb. 19, the T slackened the Worcester/Framingham schedule to allow trains more time to complete the run.

The article lists complete on-time performance stats for all the lines from October 2007 through February 2008.

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?

Missed T&G Editorial: New MBTA/MBCR Worcester Line Schedule Does Not Address Commuter Rail Needs

Thanks to Richard for calling our attention to an editorial about the new commuter rail schedule that appeared in today's Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Schedule shifts don’t address commuter-rail needs starts out with the following:

An adage holds that “two out of three ain’t bad,” but when it comes to on-time performance on the Worcester-Boston commuter rail line, two out of three isn’t nearly good enough. It’s not just about consumer convenience: Commuter rail service with an adequate number of trains and reliable on-time performance has the potential of becoming a powerful economic development driver for communities all along the line.

I absolutely, 100% agree with the above statement. The rest of the editorial is as follows:

There is no doubt that the demand for expanded service exists. Some 9,300 commuters use the line each weekday, including 1,200 who board in Worcester. Stations in Southboro, Westboro and Grafton also are heavily used. Commuters’ patronage of public transportation helps untangle Greater Boston’s infamous traffic puzzle and provides a two-way flow of workers and their dollars that promotes economic growth at every stop along the line.

Recent adjustments in the commuter-rail schedule should help align official arrival and departure times with actual arrivals and departures, easing the frustration of regular rail commuters. However, it does not address longstanding demands from area officials and commuters for an increase in the actual number of trips available to working men and women who want to use mass transit, whether their destination is Worcester or Boston.

For full two-way service, doubling weekday service to 20 trips is a must. That means city and state officials, working with the MBTA, must conclude negotiations with freight carrier CSX, which controls the rails, for acquisition of the crucial rail corridor with all possible speed.

Well written, T&G.

Friday's Commute on the Worcester Commuter Rail Line

This morning's commute was fine. Although the P508 train wasn't really crowded on the train this morning, it took longer to get in. Meaning for most of the week, we've been arriving at South Station at 8:20 a.m., where as today we got in at 8:24 a.m., one minute after the scheduled arrival time of 8:23 a.m.

We stopped outside of the Natick stop for a few minutes, although I don't know why, there was no explanation given.

The snow came on faster than I think they anticipated. It will be like that storm in December that snarled the roads for hours and hours.

The Rumors are True: MBTA/MBCR Changes Train Times on the Worcester-Framingham Commuter Rail Line

The rumors riders have been alluding to are true. The MBTA/MBCR will be adjusting the times for the Worcester-Framingham trains to make the departure/arrival times "realistic."

Inbound trains running from Worcester to Boston in the morning will now depart 10 to 20 minutes earlier. Outbound trains running from Boston to Worcester will depart 5 to 10 minutes later.

The MBCR's GM James F. O'Leary was quoted in both the Worcester Telegram & Gazette and on Boston Globe as saying the new schedules are "more realistic."

From the T&G article:

MBCR listed several reasons for modifying the schedule. Ridership has grown 40 percent since the Worcester line opened in 1995, and the increase in passengers has increased the amount of time trains linger at each of the line’s 17 stations. Federal regulations enacted in 2005 require trains leaving a station to reduce speed until they observe the next controlling signal, which MBCR says adds several minutes to travel time. And since 2006, railroad company CSX, which owns the tracks and controls signaling between Worcester and Boston, has restricted the speed of trains leaving and entering Union Station to 10 miles per hour.

Wellesley state rep Alice Hanlon Peisch (D) was quoted in both The Boston Globe and on BostonNOW:

"If these trains are never going to be on time, it is far better for the commuter to have the time reflect the reality," Peisch said.

The new Worcester-Framingham schedule is now available on the MBTA and MBCR websites. The MBCR also plans on emailing riders and making announcements at the stations.

Thanks also to Train Stopping reader DJHeini for a comment about today's announcement.

MBTA Board Greenlights New Commuter Rail Coaches

Just like BostonNOW predicted, the MBTA's Board of Directors voted yesterday to spend $190 million to purchase 75 new double-decker coaches. The new coaches are slated to have washroom facilities and they will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act law.

The Boston Globe didn't even dedicate an entire article to the MBTA Board's vote. They only included this information with their "Local Round-up" news.

MBTA/MBCR Commuter Rail News from the Websphere

Train Rider missed an article that ran in the January 31st issue of The Boston Globe about commuters who are using the real-time alerts to help them cope with late commuter rail trains.

I know Train Rider has mentioned this blog before, but Dave of The Franklin Line does a great job posting updates about late trains and other comical situations he encounters as a MBTA/MBCR commuter rail rider on the Franklin commuter rail train. Dave and fellow Franklin line commuters are even Twittering about their commutes. So if you ride the Franklin line, you may want to follow Dave and company's Tweets.

Another blog about the Franklin commuter rail line that is worth checking out is Charlie on the Commuter Rail. The Franklin line sounds about as much fun as the Worcester-Framingham line.

Train Stopping has received some great comments during Train Rider's absence.

AJ recommends that MBTA chief Dan Grabauskas get an apartment in the Worcester area and start commuting into Boston on the Worcester-Framingham line. Train Rider picked a good week to be away on an extended business trip. The P527 train on Monday night ran 20 minutes late and the P508 train on Tuesday morning didn't have heat.

Anonymous gave some props for Train Rider's response from the MBCR.

Anonymous (could be the same person or a different person) felt that the MBTA/MBCR conductors need to collect fares. Fare collection could be a way for the T to get out of their fiscal deficit.