Grafton's Sir Loin's Catering Inauguration Day Treat for Commuters

Happy Inauguration Day. Regardless of your political beliefs, I hope you are amazed that the United States has this wonderful tradition of peaceful transitions.

To many people, today feels very celebratory. Grafton Station commuters were greeted with free hot chocolate handed out by Sir Loin's Catering. Thanks Jeff for this wonderful morning treat.

Even better - the P508 was on time today. We were at South Station around 8:20 am.

I heard a lot of grumbling on the train this morning about the commute yesterday morning. At least for the Worcester-Framingham line, it sounds like switching / maintenance problems caused a lot of the morning trains to be late. This article from today's Boston Globe noted that yesterday all the commuter rail lines, except for the Greenbush and the Middleborough-Lakeville lines, experienced delays ranging from 10 minutes to 40 minutes. The delays were "weather related."

Today's Patriot Ledger ran an article about how AIM Parking Management has filed a lawsuit against the MBTA's parking lot increase. So why would a parking management company care if the T raised the parking rates? Because they have more work to do, but aren't being compensated for it. How can their be more work? Because commuters are paying the increased rate either with more dollar bills or more coins AIM contends that they need more employees to process the parking fees. Also, the MBTA didn't notify AIM that the parking increase was going to go into effect until October 16th. On October 29th, the T told AIM AIM told the T "that the fee increase would essentially cause customers to deposit twice as many dollar bills and coins at the lots."

Good planning, huh?

Finally, today's Hartford Courant contained an interview with the state of Connecticut's DOT Commissioner Joseph Marie. Originally from Boston, Marie is a proponent of commuter rail systems.

Train Rider is Back

Hello Train Riders!

My apologies for being offline for a few days. I had to drive to work on Friday, which proved to be fortuitous as I ended up going home early because I was sick. You will never believe this - I got sick from the E. coli bacteria in my town's water. It sure wasn't a fun way to spend the weekend.

Due to some post-work commitments, I also drove in this morning. Just think - supposedly by Friday we'll think that today's balmy temps are like a heat wave.

I did take the P508 to work yesterday. The train was on time - we arrived at South Station around 8:21 a.m. I noticed last night that the old train signs in South Station are gone. I wonder if anyone ever bought them on eBay? The new board with departure times is in its place. I'll miss the sound of the time changing - there is something very nostalgic about the clicking noise.

Commute-a-holic has been tied up with projects at work and thus unable to post articles. Here are some of the transportation related things in the news:

Before I get into the news round-up, can I just say that I'm thrilled that Jim Rice has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Woo-hoo!!

Two articles in today's Boston Metro: one about the continued increase in T ridership and the other about how parking revenue is up, even though the number of cars parked is down. AJ's comment about parking from last Friday was very observant. Here's a snippet of it:

Speaking only for the Grafton lot, the parking fare increase has definitely effected the amount of people who park their cars in the lot. Not necessarily ridership, but people who use the lot.

Almost three years ago, I regularly parked in the 2nd isle for the P508 train. As winter takes away a good number of spots, I move back to the 4th isle. This past spring, as gas prices rose, my regular spot stayed in the 4th isle. The summer saw a move back to the 6th. This was unprecedented! The week that parking fares rose, I was back to the 2nd isle. After that, I could actually find spots in the 1st isle as well.

AJ also explained why he is now not parking at the Grafton lot.

Progressive Railroading also reported on the T's increase in riders.

Today's Boston Herald reported that the Governor is serious about gas hikes as an alternative to Mass Pike toll hikes. Stop the Pike Hike is still actively campaigning and protesting toll hikes.

A press release posted on Saturday to TradingMarkets.com focuses on tonight's meeting to discuss environmental issues related to a project on the Fitchburg commuter rail line.

According to Sunday's Boston Globe, the Worcester line is not the only commuter rail line that has massive delays. The Fairmont line is also plagued by issues. Sunday's "Starts and Stops" column also reported on the Green Line extension, how much revenue the T is losing because the Pats didn't make it to post-season play, and that the Pike is now going to keep the West Newton entrance open (instead of closing it to test the traffic flow). Finally, there was an article about how the Pike may need to repay UBS $400 million due to a risky investment that went south.

Friday afternoon's Worcester line commuter rail delays were due, unfortunately, to a death on the tracks.

Train Commute was Better than Driving to the Grafton Station

My commute on the P508 was fine this morning. We were at South Station by 8:22 a.m. I almost missed my train, though, due to road conditions. It was a slow drive to the Grafton Station because the roads were still slick from yesterday's ice/rain storm. All that water froze overnight.

Due to the slow driving, I had to spring from the parking lot to the platform, which was a feat in and of itself. Try sprinting when the lots are icy. I'm sure I looked like a nut.

I suppose I could always write a rant about the parking lot and how my parking dollars just aren't used to maintain the lots, but why wreck a good day?

The Boston Herald wrote about how East Boston, South Boston and North End residents are upset that they didn't renew their Mass Pike discount memberships. Many are claiming they never received a notification.

Yesterday's Bostonist wrote about how some people just don't move their bags on the trains. This is something that Anonymous at 7:38 AM alluded to.

Goodbye Holidays, Hello Delays

The holidays are over. Everyone is returning to reality today. I took a few days off before and after the New Year, so this is my first commute of 2009.

So what was the first Monday commute of 2009 like? For a lot of folks, it wasn't that great. On the Worcester line the P502, P504 and P506 were all running at least 15 to 30 minutes late, according to T Alerts and news reports. The P508 arrived on time to Grafton, but it was slow going most of the way into Boston. We got to South Station at 8:48 a.m., about 25 minutes late.

I've also heard that the outbound trains on the Worcester line were also delayed.

Another thing made this morning's commute not so great. The parking lots were super icy. I saw a handful of people slip and fall in the Grafton lot today. Not good, not good at all.

I'm sort of dreading Wednesday morning. Supposedly we're going to have a snow/ice storm. This should make the commute extra fun.

The MBTA/MBCR wasn't really in the news the last few days of 2008/first few days of 2009.

The Blue Mass Group blog published an interview with Governor Deval Patrick on his selection of James Aloisi as the state's Secretary of Transportation.

Bostonist ran a cute column on being nice while riding on the MBTA. Anything "manners" related always reminds me of Muni Manners.

Yesterday's Boston Sunday Globe "Starts & Stops" column focused on where MBTA buses drop off passengers. The column also noted that the new Secretary of Transportation, James Aloisi, is a few weeks away from officially starting his new role. The Mass Pike is going to run an experiment from January 12th through January 23rd. During this time, eastbound passengers will not be able to use Exit 16 in West Newton to get onto the Pike. Pike engineers believe that people using this exit are causing traffic backups. Exit 16 is one of the free access points onto the Pike.

According to the Globe, street entertainers are having a tougher time earning a living. Many of these entertainers are posted throughout the MBTA's subway system.

Yesterday's Globe also ran an article about Massport. Mass Pike critics are not thrilled with the prospect of Massport taking over the Pike in downtown Boston.

On the Pike front, the Stop the Pike Hike group currently has more than 8,300 members. They are about 1,700 members away from their goal of signing up 10,000 concerned commuters. The final public hearing about the Pike's toll hike is this Wednesday, January 7th in Worcester. If you're interested in attending, the meeting is at 6:30 p.m. at Worcester City Hall, which is located at 455 Main Street in downtown Worcester. The Stop the Pike Hike group believes that the final toll vote will take place on either January 15th or January 22nd.

Finally, I have heard that state employees who had a state vehicle that they could take home needed to turn in this vehicle on January 1, 2009. I believe the only exceptions to the rule are those in law enforcement. I would love to know if the 60-odd MBTA employees who have MBTA vehicles were included in this rule. Again, there is no reason why Dan Grabauskas and senior managers of the MBTA need to have a MBTA car 24/7. Does anyone know if this rule is being applied to the MBTA?

Holiday Weekend News Round-Up

Good morning. I hope everyone's holiday and holiday weekend was enjoyable.

Yesterday's Sunday Boston Globe "Starts & Stops" column focused on the problems New York City's MTA has. The article featured an extensive interview with MBTA GM Dan Grabauskas. I'm not sure I agree with anything Dan had to say (a lot of doom and gloom), as I do believe the MTA is a much better run entity than the MBTA. I'm basing this on my own personal experiences riding the NYC subway system and suburban trains. Dan's comments are typical, but what is even more interesting are the comments that Globe readers made. If you have some time, check them out.

Commuter rail parking is the issue that just won't die. Yet another article, this one from Thursday's Globe, about how people would rather pay private businesses than the T. The owner of Fitzgerald's General Store in Southborough would like to pave a lot near his store and add 80 spaces. Right on Vinnie Patel!! Seriously - if I had to take the commuter rail from Southborough, I would much rather park in Mr. Patel's lot than the T's lot, It is easier to get out of Mr. Patel's lot at night and it isn't that far of a walk to the train. The T is claiming that the private lots aren't impacting their parking fee collections, rather private lots bring in more riders. I would love to know what the T is smoking?

Finally, the T's New Year's Eve schedule has been announced.

See if You Can Locate Worcester Line MBTA Commuter Rail Holiday Schedule

Talk about a bad way to communicate. The MBTA's Holiday Schedule was released last Thursday. I have a MS in Mass Communication and I can't, for the life of me, figure out the "special" Worcester line schedule on Wednesday. Here's the lead paragraph:

The MBTA today announced its service schedule for the upcoming holiday period. To accommodate customers traveling to and from Logan Airport, Silver Line service will be enhanced on Thursday, December 18, Friday, December 19, and Monday, December 22. Logan-bound Silver Line vehicles will depart from South Station every eight (8) minutes between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. each day. The one-way fare with a CharlieCard is just $1.70. In addition, schedule adjustments to Worcester Commuter Rail service will be made to accommodate customers departing Boston early on Wednesday, December 24.

When you go to read about the Commuter Rail, you just find this:

Commuter Rail
Commuter rail trains will operate on a normal weekday schedule.

Hmm. I wonder how many people it took to approve this press release?

If anyone has any idea what the Wednesday commuter rail schedule for the Worcester line is, please feel free to email either worctrainrider AT gmail.com or commuteaholic AT gmail.com.

Maybe the Worcester line is just the MBTA's/MBCR's "B*tch" (for lack of a better term). It was not a good morning on the Worcester line (or, really, anywhere else on the MBTA for that matter). Anonymous at 1:35 PM wrote the following in a "Reimbursement Request" about commuting on the P504 today.

Subject: I've really had it with you guys

Today's commute was a nightmare. I was willing to give you guys a little slack on account of the weather and the upcoming holidays.

However several things happened that I think were inexcusable:

• you didn't notify passengers about a 20 minute delay (to start, we ended up being almost an hour late at South Station) until the train was already ten minutes late. If we had known we could have been waiting in our cars or at home.
• when the train actually did arrive 25 minutes late it was smaller than usual - 6 singles rather than the usual 5 doubles, and because it arrived at the regularly scheduled time for the P506 that meant less equipment for twice the volume of people.
• you blame the overall problem on CSX. I'm sorry but that just doesn't fly. It doesn't explain why you sent us inadequate equipment for the P504. And with the storm over yesterday evening you had plenty of time to make sure things were ready for the Monday commute. CSX's role is irrelevant. You are responsible for our safe and reliable service.
• There was inadequate snow removal at Framingham. There was no way to get from the parking lot to the train without trudging through a foot of snow.

This all comes in the wake of major delays over the past two weeks, and a 20% back-door fare hike via the additional $2 a day on parking ostensibly to avoid having to "reduce service," though frankly this is happening anyways. Your system is broken.

You have to fix this. As fuel and environment issues are on the rise public transportation is a key issue in the coming years.

Thank you.

Meanwhile, Sarah J had this to say:

Today's commute was an absolute NIGHTMARE!!

1. Missed my usual P502 train out of Worcester due to poor plowing. Didn't it stop snowing at 9:00 last night? Way to go city of Worcester.
2. Went to park in my usual parking lot but the box for the money was missing. All that was left of it was it's metal legs.
3. Drove to a different lot that was completely covered in snow (bonus because I didn't have to pay the fee since I couldn't see the number).
4. Received text from my brother who was on the P502 out of Worcester. Said I didn't miss much because it became a local. Also, they were just inching along most of the way.
5. Asked conductor about the P502 being a local. Response, "I don't know. The local must have broken down. We're working on getting out of here on time. I'll let you know".
6. Still sitting at Union Station at 6:10AM, making us 5 minutes late already.
7. Announcement that our breaks aren't working properly. "We apologize for the delay."
8. Finally leave at around 6:17AM.
9. Inch along.
10. Start going backwards. The train passed the Westborough stop and had to back up.
11. At the Natick stop, people were packing themselves in like sardines. All cars were single level.
12. Waited a long time at each stop to pack more people in.
13. At the Newton stop people were denied boarding because there wasn't enough room.
14. The P504 finally reaches South Station approximately 20-25 minutes after the P502 train.
15. Get another coffee because it's already a hell of a day.
16. Sister-in-law calls the city of Worcester about the parking lot missing it's pay box and no one believes her.
17. I call the city of Worcester about the pay box at 10:00AM, left a message and still haven't heard back. great.
    

Love,
A Disgruntled Worcester/Framingham Line Commuter.

Tomorrow is Festivus. May all commuters, but especially the embattled Worcester line commuters, have good commutes. If you feel the need, you could always air your MBTA/MBCR commuter horror stories here at "The Airing of Grievances."

Refused to be Stuck on the P508 Today

Are the commuters who take the P508 even in Boston right now? I ended up driving to work this morning. When I arrived to the Grafton station at 7:07 a.m. and saw that people were milling around, I didn't think it looked too promising. I asked one of my fellow commuters if there were delays and he said "yes," so I checked the T alerts and it said that all inbound trains from Worcester were delayed 15 to 30 minutes due to CSX not clearing the switches in Worcester.

I turned right around, got into my car and drove into work. Which worked out well, because I do have a lot of errands to run tonight and I had a meeting that I can't miss this morning.

According to commuters who use Twitter, it looks as thought the outbound Worcester trains are delayed.

This is not a good way to start the week. I have a business trip tomorrow, so I won't be riding the rails at all.

Commentary from today's Worcester Business Journal focuses on how the Commonwealth needs to address transportation structure issues.

Yesterday's The Boston Sunday Globe contained a front-page story on how most Massachusetts residents believe a gas tax should be used to fund the transportation budget deficits. The article noted that many residents of the Bay State really question what impact, if any, the Big Dig had since it cost so much money. The "Starts & Stops" column in yesterday's Globe reported that the MBTA station lots have fewer cars in them. The T is still claiming a victory with the parking fare increase, since more revenue was brought in during November due to the fees. There was also this "Letter to the Editor" about the Silver Line Phase III project and an editorial about the T's drug policy in Sunday's Globe.

On Friday, the Governor named James Aloisi the new Secretary of Transportation. Many pundits do not agree with this selection. Read about it in this article.

Saturday's The Boston Herald contained this article about residents upset with how the T chopped down some trees along the Mattapan trolley line.

Similar to the Boston Metro's Q&A, the Examiner is now running a Q&A with MBTA GM Daniel Grabauskas.

Parking Lot Disgrace

I'm livid. The Grafton MBTA parking lot was an utter mess when I got to the station this evening. No one had attempted to either try to clear the ice or to sand the lot at all. Those of us who took the 6:15 PM train out of Boston had to carefully shuffle our way across the lot to our cars, then spend upwards of 10 minutes chipping the ice away.

I should have expected it, these were the same conditions (snow, then freezing rain, then cold temps all day) that caused the entire parking lot to ice over and me to fall last winter. I'm not sure why I expected anything different, it can't be because I'm paying twice as much to park there now, right? That's just crazy! Because, as we know, the money is not going toward lot maintenance, it's going to back pay for MBTA employees.

Since these suburban lots are not patrolled by the MBTA police, they must be maintained by the subcontractors, there's no excuse for the lot to be iced over.

Could Have Used a Train Nap

Due to a post-work commitment this even, I had to drive in this morning. I was sad to not be on the train today. I'm so tired from the weekend, I could have used a train nap.

Yesterday's Boston Sunday Globe ran an article about how the MBTA is approaching dire financial straits. Due to the T's financial situation, fare increases and service cuts are very likely to occur sometime over the next 12 to 18 months. The T's budget deficit is expected to be about $142 million during the 2009-2010 budget year.

One project that may not see the light of day is the last phase of the Silver Line. This project was touched upon in both the main Globe article and in yesterday's "Starts & Stops" column. Since the T is essentially broke, the Federal Transit Administration does not want to grant matching funds, so the T won't be able to move this project to a final design until it can prove it has the money to support it.

An interesting inquiry was raised in yesterday's "Starts & Stops" column: the inability of transit riders to park at a MBTA lot and take the commuter rail to Logan. Basically, since you can't park in a T lot overnight, if you want to park your car and (to crib the slogan of a famous NY-NJ Port Authority commerical) "take the train to the plane." In reading why you can't park overnight, I'm thinking that sometimes the T should just not answer questions. This is why you can't park overnight:

Joe Pesaturo, the MBTA spokesman, said the lots are not staffed overnight, and parking is prohibited in those hours for liability reasons. He said overnight parking is allowed in several subway garages and ferry yards, which could work for passengers such as Fraser if she is willing to take the Quincy ferry directly to Logan, the Red Line from Braintree, or some other route with an overnight option.

Joe - let me ask you a question - have you actually been to a MBTA commuter rail lot? Guess what - most of them aren't staffed during the daytime. Does that mean we shouldn't park our cars there?

Good grief - what stupid answer.

Considering how much it is to park and pay tolls at the airport, you would think more people would be encouraged to use other means to get to Logan. Logan Express may not be handy to a lot of people, so why not be able to take the train. Also, what if you want to take Amtrak to NYC? Unless you park at the Route 128 lot, you really can't. So I couldn't get on a Worcester line train and either take it inbound to Boston or outbound to Worcester to hop onto an Amtrak train if I needed to park my car overnight. That's nuts, huh?

The Stop the Pike Hike protest tomorrow has been altered. Instead of not using the Mass Pike, the organizers have asked participants to not use their Fast Lane transponder and to pay in cash instead. They recommend paying with coins. Read all about it in this report from WBZ.

Wacky Weather and Pay By Phone

The "interesting" weather New England is infamous for certainly appeared over the past 24 hours. Train Rider didn't commute into the city, not because of the weather but due to a vacation day.

As so many people already know, parts of the state got slammed by a severe ice storm. Worcester was impacted, as were some neighboring towns to the east and west of the city. But some towns just got rain. The North Shore/North of Boston was also hit hard, but the South Shore/Cape could be experiencing higher temperatures later this afternoon. Strange.

I had an easy, albeit a tad elongated, commute to work. My town was right on the rain/ice zone, but we only got rain . . . and we got a lot of it. A few roads were flooded, but everything was relatively normal. Many of my coworkers also hit flooded roads in towns along Route 135.

Amazingly enough, when you expect the worst commute possible (due to the weather), you get some surprises. Check out the comment posted this morning by Framingham Rider:

Haha, the one morning I could have used a late train and it was right on time. I was a couple minutes late getting out this morning, and with the weather I guess my walk took a few more minutes longer than usual, too. So a 5 minute delay wouldn't have been the worst thing for me today, but alas, it was right on time, even with the weather conditions. So my hat goes off to the T this morning, and I guess this falls into the "be careful what you wish for" category, haha.

It has been a crazy week. First massive delays, now weird weather. I bet everyone is looking forward to the weekend.

The big news this morning is the pilot Park & Pay by Phone program.

Beginning today, the MBTA is running a pilot program for Kingston Line commuter rail customers and Quincy and Hingham commuter ferry commuters. Using the Verrus Park and Pay by Phone automated system, commuters will be able to set up an account for automatic payment. Once an account has been established, commuters will be able to dial a phone number, enter their station location number and enter their parking space number and the transaction will process. If the pilot is successful, this will be rolled out to other stations. This could alleviate the pain of shoving dollars into the honor boxes.

If you commute through one of the pilot stations, here is a listing of your station code:

You can read about the Pilot in the Brockton Enterprise, The Boston Globe, Boston Metro, or The Boston Channel.


This is crazy graphic day, huh? When I went to the MBTA website to read about the Park & Pay Program, I noticed that a survey about the Red Line "High-Capacity" Car. So, if you've got an opinion about the Red Line "seatless" cars, fill out this anonymous survey.

Finally, the Mass Pike has announced the first wave of job cuts to reduce its headcount to 100 employees. Read all about it in this Globe article.

May you have safe travels today!

Are Cancelled Trains a Sign of Winter's Arrival?

Train Rider is away on a business trip today. Perhaps this is a good thing, as it appears that the P508 train was cancelled this morning. Thanks to Anonymous at 7:39 a.m. and Anonymous at 9:37 a.m. for the updates posted to Train Stopping. AJ posted a comment to The Greater Grafton Blog (which has a lovely photo of the platform at the Grafton MBTA station).

With the Thanksgiving holiday and heavy workloads, neither Train Rider nor I have been able to post some updates from readers. We'll start with news from Grafton Train Rider. The week of Thanksgiving was not a good one, commute wise, for Grafton Train Rider.

Grafton Train Rider started with the following message: "As we approach Thanksgiving, it sure has been a back week on the Worcester line. Tuesday night, P529 was delayed departing South Station due to a signal problem so we arrived in Grafton about 10 minutes late. Wednesday morning, P520 was delayed at least 15 minutes (stopped in Framingham and Allston then slow travel in between). The conductor thought that the cause was due to flooding."

On Tuesday, November 24th, both the P502 AND the P504 were cancelled. Grafton Train Rider submitted the following to the MBCR's Commuter Rail Customer Service:

Subject: No updated signage, invalid date.

It's bad enough to cancel the express train but waiting in the cold with a sign that says "All trains operating on or near schedule 11/11/08" is even worse when the date is 11/24/08. I arrived at work 45 minutes late. I submitted for the cancelled P502 and hope my refund is forthcoming. If not, I will write back to complain on that as well.

Here's some feedback Grafton Train Rider received regarding the malfunctioning LED sign:

I appreciate that you brought this information about the LED board to my attention. Unfortunately, our communications department, tries to ensure that all boards are running with the appropriate information, however until someone informs us that it is not running properly, we have no way of knowing there is a problem. I have forwarded this information on to our communications department, asking that they further review this information.Unfortunately, this department does not handle the issue of fare reimbursement. This request is handled through the MBTA's website. If you have any trouble regarding your request, you may contact them by calling 617-222-3200 and asking for the Revenue Department. Thank you for taking the time to bring this concern to my attention, I appreciate it.

Meanwhile, Fitchburg Train Rider expressed some concerns regarding the recent announcement about the removal of seats on some MBTA Red Line trains.

I heard on Channel 7 news this AM, that Red Line is going to RIP OUT ALL SEATS except for a few for handicapped and elderly. They claim to many riders. Now this is MORE THAN OUTRAGEOUS. Instead of

1. better seats
2. better customer service
3. more cars added to the Red Line if more passengers
4. more scheduled subways to accommodate the increase in ridership,

the MBTA, in all their infinite wisdom, decide to:

1. rip out seats
2. make present riders VERY MAD
3. make the Red Line now very unsafe, and probably unlawful
4. worsen their already bleak customer service reputation

Upset, Fitchburg Train Rider contacted the MBTA. Here is an excerpt of what the T had to say:

If I could set the record straight, the MBTA is testing two cars aspart of a pilot program where thy have removed the seats and these two cars would be put in the middle of a six car train. Currently the MBTA is operating 28 six car trains and starting on Monday one train will have two cars with the seats removed to address the over crowding the Red Line has experienced. Customers will be given the option to either utilize any of the cars with the seats or opt to board the train with the seats removed. The MBTA has added additional grab handles and straps for customers to hold onto during their commute. The Red Line had already added two additional trains beginning in the Fall to help address the overcrowding and we are responding to the still overcrowding conditions that still exist. Transit Agencies around the Country who have experienced similar problems removed seats as a way to increase ridership during peak periods.

The removal of the seats on the Red Line is a pretty controversial topic in Boston mass transit at the moment. Today's Patriot Ledger published an op-ed on this experiment. This well written editorial calls for the state to create a public transportation plan that will lessen our dependence on individual vehicles. The Ledger's editorial team makes some outstanding points about the logic of the T's experiment with removing Red Line seats. In the editorial staff's opinion, only 27 more riders will be able to get into Boston for about the cost of a gallon of gas. Do people really want to stand for a 1/2 train ride into Boston? Even a Tufts University blog has weighed in on this. We will have to see if this experiment works.

Now for some good news related to a follow-up story. Westborough Train Rider, who received mixed messages about paying daily parking fees with a personal check, sent this update:

They did indeed cash my check, see attached. Good news, they finally came back saying that paying by check is acceptable even though they have posted signs saying that paying by check is not an acceptable form of payment. Tomorrow will be my first test since 11/19. I'm curious to see if after paying by check I get back to the parking lot to find a slip on my vehicle stating I owe $5.

My aim is to let people know they can pay by check. People should know they have that option even though some station parking lots post that is not an acceptable form of payment, especially with it getting colder out there.

Thanks to Grafton Train Rider, Fitchburg Train Rider and Westborough Train Rider for sharing your experiences!

While the subject of parking is still top-of-mind, here are reports from WBZ-TV.com and the Brockton Enterprise about how a zoning conflict may not enable people to park at a private business in Kingston.

A Letter to the Editor in today's The Boston Globe about portable bikes, written by the executive director of MassBike. We actually missed this story - it ran in the November 30th edition of The Sunday Boston Globe. Folding bikes are used by some commuters to augment their transit commutes.

Finally, in case you didn't see or hear this, the Mass Pike reportedly saved $31.6 million thanks to budget cuts since January 2008. This is twice the amount that the Executive Director thought they would save in 2008.

Stupendously Long Commute on a Blistery Winter Morning

I knew it was not going to be a good commute this morning when I first arrived to the Grafton station for the P508 train. As I was parking, I noticed some people were walking back to their cars. I checked my T Alerts and it said the P508 was delayed by 15 minutes from the scheduled 7:09 departure time. At 7:20 a.m., I check the MBTA website from my Blackberry and the new alert said the P508 was delayed by 30 minutes.

At least the Worcester line wasn't alone in experiencing delays on the, thus far, coldest day of December. It looked like there were delays across the commuter rail system, according to the MBTA service alerts and advisories.

The P508 finally arrived at 7:35 a.m. I immediately asked a conductor if they were going to turn the P508 into a local train. At that point, the conductor said they had not received a notification to turn the train into a local. Fortunately, we stayed an Express train. Even with the express service, we didn't arrive to South Station until about 9:05 a.m. I think I'm still frozen!! It was blistery cold and windy standing on the concrete platform.

This was not the best way to start a Monday or the work week.

Yesterday's "Starts & Stops" column in The Sunday Globe was about how the economy could impact mass transit. Across the country, transit systems are experiencing a dramatic increase in the number of users. Will the numbers increase? No one can predict. Yes, gas prices are dropping, yet many people are trying to conserve their funds. Also, if unemployment continues to increase, there will be fewer commuters. Train Stopping was mentioned in the article. I've noticed a decrease in the number of parked cars in lots along the Worcester line and many of our readers have noticed the same in lots on other lines.

Today's The Washington Post also wrote about the national increase in mass transit usage.

Wicked Local Plymouth wrote another article about the parking increase, published yesterday. Another local business, which abuts the commuter rail line, is offering commuters a chance to park for a monthly fee that is cheaper than the MBTA's monthly costs.

The Sun Chronicle published an op-ed piece last Friday about the need for gates/whistles at some train crossings along the Providence line.

Thought Today was Saturday

It was worth driving into work yesterday. The Dan Band was AWESOME, a super fun show. If you know anything about the Dan Band, you'll know that the choreography makes the show. Good times!

Not so awesome, not so super fun, waking up the following day. I really thought today was Saturday. After shutting my alarm off a few times, I realized it was Friday and I needed to haul some butt to get to the train. The P508 was on time today, we arrived into South Station around 8:22 a.m.

Three weeks after the fact, the increased parking rate story is one that just will not die. Today's MetroWest Daily News contained an article about commuters on the Worcester line who are upset about the new fees. Regardless of what the MBTA officially says, it does seem like more and more commuters are finding ways to avoid paying $4 to park their cars at the local commuter rail lots. People are getting dropped off if they can or they're finding other places to park. Why not - it beats handing over your money to the T. Kudos to businesses that abut the commuter rail for joining the market economy and providing an opportunity for people to park at the business for less than it costs to park at a T lot. The owner of the Fitzgerald General Store near the Southborough MBTA lot is planning to offer a monthly parking plan that costs less than the T's rates. I'm sure this will also be easier than shoving $4 into the little pay box.

Picking up from The Boston Herald's story published yesterday, Boston.com has a photo of the "seatless" Red Line train.

On to some road news.

It looks like the State of Rhode Island is exploring ways to generate tolls at their state lines (a la New Hampshire). Thinking of the Rhode Island-Massachusetts I-95 border, how the F would this work? When you cross into our out of RI to Massachusetts on I-95, that's a treacherous piece of road. Its all curvy because they didn't want to totally cut into Pawtucket. You have some really groovy curves. Yeah, putting a toll booth there would be so logical.

If Rhode Island starts charging tolls at the state lines, Massachusetts better do the same to NH and RI drivers. They may as well contribute towards the Big Dig.

Here are articles from The Providence Journal and Forbes.com.

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.

Zippy Wednesday Morning Commute

Good morning. What a lovely, sunny day. Albeit, for those of us from the Worcester area, today will always be a sad day. This is the 9th anniversary of the Worcester Cold Storage fire. We will always remember the Worcester 6.

My commute this morning on the P508 train was zippy. We arrived to South Station at 8:21 a.m. It seemed crowded on the train, although I still think the parking lots themselves are not as crowded as they used to be. I know I would love to have an extra $10 in my wallet instead of paying to let my car sit in the Grafton lot all day long.

The Salem News reported that the Salem Parking Board voted to increase parking from $2 to $4, just like the T decided to do. Commuters are not happy.

The main story today is the Mass Pike. The Stop the Pike Hike rally is this afternoon. WHDH-TV Channel 7 aired a story about the Pike debate today, while The Boston Globe published an article about how lawmakers may consider leasing the Pike to a private entity. WBUR aired a similar report.

While it could make sense to lease something like the commuter rail system or the subway, I'm really not sure if leasing a highway makes a whole lot of sense. It seems like everyone is just running around like crazy because we are running out of money. I'm concerned a lot of bad decisions are going to be made to cover short-term budgets.

WBUR also aired an analysis of the future of the Mass Pike.

OJ and the Silver Line

It is super rainy this morning, huh? At least it isn't freezing cold. The temperatures feel warmer than the past few days.

I was back riding the P508 this morning. The train was fine. We arrived at South Station around 8:25 a.m.

The real adventure of this morning's commute, for me, took place at South Station. While I was waiting for the Silver Line, another commuter dropped their orange juice all over me and some guy. The person was walking down the stairs and the OJ fell over. It actually spilled on my head. So my hair is all crusty now. I guess today was just meant to be a bad hair day. The rain is tough enough on its own, but throw some OJ into the mix and it is just a hair disaster.

Commuters who come in on trains that travel between Route 128 and Canton have had some tough commutes lately. Last night, according to WHDH-TV Channel 7, delays with an Amtrak train caused a ripple effect. Commuters had to be bused from the 128 Station to Canton Station in order to resume their commute. That could not have been fun for anyone.

This is a big week for Amtrak. I'm glad I won't be anywhere near an Amtrak train heading out of Boston either today or tomorrow. It will be packed to the gills with college students and other travelers trying to make it to wherever they need to get to for Thanksgiving. Of course, I anticipate tomorrow night's commute home to be pretty crowded for the same reason.

An interesting op-ed from today's Boston Herald about a number of Massachusetts public entities need to be bailed out. The MBTA is frequently mentioned.

Yesterday WickedLocal Easton reported on the South Coast rail project. One proposed route, linking Attelboro to Norton, may be canned as it would be a construction nightmare causing a lot of disruption and costing a lot of money.

The Salem News published two different commuter rail-related stories today. One is about a commuter rail crossing in Ipswich. The other is about the quest for more parking at the Salem MBTA station.

A post from today's Boston.com Green Blog asks the question: are you driving more now that gas is below $2 for the first time in nearly four years? The question emanated from an article from today's Boston Globe.

Finally, it looks like MBTA commuters aren't the only ones who are paying more to park. The MART garages in Fitchburgh and North Leominster may increase parking fees from $2 to $3 per day and $35 to $50 per month in 2009, according to an article in the 11/21 issue of the Fitchburg Pride. In case you didn't know, MART stands for Montachusett Regional Transit Authority. I would still rather pay $50 a month than the $80 a month I'm now paying to park.

One Question, Different Answers

Westborough Train Rider shared with Train Stopping this comment/email trail sent to the MBTA regarding the newly instituted parking fees.

Last Wednesday (11/12/2008), Westborough Train Rider sent an email to mbta AT parking.com. asking who to make out a personal check to for parking payment. This is a pretty logical question - here's the email:

Who do I make out a check to when paying for parking? With the pay increase I am not going to attempt to cram $4 in cash/coins into the drop box. Not to mention I need a receipt and the drop box/cash method doesn''t provide that.

The MBTA got back to Westborough Train Rider pretty quickly. The answer: "Sorry payments are cash only."

Since the parking.com trail led to a dead end, Westborough Train Rider immediately filed this complaint with the MBTA's Customer Feedback, requesting a response back:

I find it wholly unacceptable that the parking lot of Westborough only accepts cash and doesn't provide receipts. With the DOUBLING of the parking rate, trying to jam $4 (cash and coins) into the archaic machine at the Westborough parking lot is going to be problematic.

Here is my correspondence with the folks at mbta AT parking.com who are listed as the folks that manage the lot. I think the MBTA needs to take responsibility if they want to increase the parking rate. Not having the ability to get a receipt for an item I pay for is bad business. I have also written to the Better Business Bureau.

A few days later, the MBTA sent Westborough Train Ride this reply:

The MBTA is indeed considering changes to improve upon the current payment systems. Currently the MBTA is exploring cashless payment alternatives to the honor boxes for our commuter rail customers and is hopeful such technologies will be introduced in the very near future.

These technology will provide a proof of payment and online account management. Similarly, the MBTA is exploring with MassPike an expansion of the FastLane system, currently offered at the Route 128 Garage, to other MBTA parking garages. The MBTA's longer range goal is to extend the same conveniences and assurances afforded bus, subway and light rail customers by the CharlieCard to our parking lots and garages, the commuter rail, and commuter ferry. We are committed to offering our customers the option of using credit cards or smart cards (or a similar automated form) to pay parking fees.

Be assured checks are in fact accepted and should made out to MBTA Parking and inserted as you would cash into the honor box. You may also wish to include the station name and space number on your check as well.

Many customers today pay their parking fees this way.

Thank you for writing.

Regards,
MBTA Parking Services

So mbta AT parking.com says "no checks."

The MBTA says "sure, you can pay by check."

Westborough Train Rider wasn't through. This reply was sent back to the MBTA:

Thank you for the reply. Should I ignore the response I got from mbta AT parking.com that said they only accept cash payments at their parking lots?

The MBTA was kind enough to respond with:

Yes, please do. I have clarified with Central Parking. Their concern was that their staff might confuse checks with the blank scraps of paper some customers insert into the honor box rather than a pay.

Sorry for the confusion and thank you for your continued patronage.

At this point, the story should be over, right? Wrong. Here's what happens next.

The new parking rates went into effect on 11/15/2008. Westborough Train Rider uses a personal check to pay the $4.00 to park. Is the personal check accepted - heck no. So Westborough Train Rider shot this off to the MBTA:

Yesterday I paid with a check and got a notice saying that I had not paid and would be expected to pay the $4. There is also an additional charge of $0.75 and then some fuzzy math that brings the total to $5. Can you please follow up with the parking folks to determine why they are not accepting a check as a form of payment? I would also hope that I will not be expected to pay the $0.75 service charge. Could you please follow up on the status of the check I submitted? Having received this notice I am not sure if my check was taken and will be cashed or if perhaps I should submit another check for $4 in this late payment envelope.

Let's hope that Westborough Train Rider keeps us posted on this parking payment saga. Why can't things just be easy?

Thanks Westborough Train Rider for sharing this experience with us.

On The Greater Grafton Blog, Jenn has a great photo of the parking sign at the Grafton station.

My First Day Paying $4 to Park

I'm back in the office today. It cracks me up when I travel out-of-town. I'm usually home earlier than I would be if I went into the office. My flight landed at Logan around 6:00 p.m. last night. Since traffic was light on the Pike, I was home by 7:15 p.m. That's usually when the P529 pulls into Grafton.

Today was my first day paying to park at the new $4 fee. Thus, I have a few commuter rail update/observations:

1. Capacity in the parking lot has definitely increased . . . there were many more open spaces. I would say the lot was less than half full this morning (in time for the P508 departing at 7:09 a.m. train). I saw less cars parked and the line for drop offs was three times as long as usual. I think people are saying enough is enough with the MBTA and aren't going to pay the increased rate.
2. It is impossible to fit four folded or rolled dollars into the slot. You have to fold two dollars together and then insert them twice. So, now it takes twice as long to pay.
3. The dollar coins do NOT fit in the slots. So, if you want to use coins, you have to feed 16 quarters into the slots.

The whole thing is just ridiculous. You would think the MBTA would have come up with an easier way for commuters to pay their fee. It's so shortsighted on the MBTA's part and it shows they just don't understand their customers or the system they operate. Sure they need to raise money to pay for the back wages, but why not get rid of the WiFi that doesn't always work? Or how about making sure if you raise the parking fee, people can actually park? No, just inconvenience the customer instead.

Well, I think it's going to backfire. People are going to start driving again, especially since gas is near or below $2 a gallon now.

On a bright note, the P508 was 2 minutes early this morning, we rolled into South Station at 8:21 a.m.

This article from The Boston Herald, first published as an update late yesterday afternoon and then republished this morning, is interesting. With all the hi jinks over the past few weeks in Massachusetts' transportation, lawmakers are pushing for a 6-cent gas tax increase to help offset the assorted costs and deficits. Legislation has also been past to try to freeze toll increases until a comprehensive transportation plan has been unveiled. Rep. David Linsky (D-Natick) had this to say:

“This proposal would cost the average Massachusetts motorist approximately 85
or 90 cents per week, and save commuters on the Massachusetts Turnpike and those who commute from the North Shore nearly $2,000 per year,” Linsky stated in an e-mail to colleagues.

Right on. I'm glad someone is looking out for those of us who live West and North of the city.

A front-page story from today's The Boston Globe focuses on how the toll increases could negatively impact the East Boston community. I've got to think that the new toll increases would also really impact Revere and Winthrop too. Overall, this isn't a good solution. Businesses and residents are impacted in a multitude of ways.

Columnist Yvonne Abraham wrote this fantastic commentary about the toll increase, also in today's Globe. She also feels the gas tax should be increased and she makes a solid case for why Massachusetts isn't "Taxachusetts" anymore. We rank 35th in the US for taxes in proportion to income, far behind neighboring Connecticut and New York.

Another Day, More to Pay

Train Rider is still away on business, so we do not have a Worcester commuter rail update this morning.

Based on comments received by Train Stopping yesterday, it looks like the first day of the new parking fees caused fewer people to part at the MBTA stations. It will be interesting to see if people find ways to avoid parking or if they just stop taking the trains all together.

Yesterday blogger Jeff Korzenik wrote about how the parking increase could cause people to not use the T in his blog (in)efficient frontiers. Jeff made some great observations and some excellent points on how consumers behave rationally.

This morning offered a good lesson on the rationality of consumers of energy and transportation. Today was the first business day that parking rates increased at MBTA (Boston’s regional transit authority) train station parking lots. My small station has a limited number of spots (about 150). As fuel prices rose earlier this year, drivers chose mass transit over driving in to Boston, and the lot filled earlier and earlier. When gas prices were at their peak, the lot generally filled by about 6:45 a.m. As gas prices have declined, the lot generally didn’t fill until about 7:00 a.m. Starting today, the higher parking fees will raise the annual train commute cost by $500. At 7:00 a.m. this morning, the lot was a third empty. As the relative cost of fuel-efficient mass transit increased, and the cost of driving has decreased, consumers have acted rationally and switched back to driving.

CommonWealth magazines CW blog used the recent issues plaguing transportation entities in Massachusetts as a reason to provide links to a number of current and past articles about transportation.

Over the weekend, the By any media necessary blog published an excellent letter written to Governor Deval Patrick, calling for the resignation of MBTA GM Daniel Grabauskas. The author Cara Lisa Powers, commutes from Worcester to Dorchester via the Worcester-Framingham commuter rail line and the Red Line. That's a super long commute, huh? She cited a number of reasons why she chose to commute via commuter rail, including the "new" Worcester line schedule and the T's highly touted free Wi-Fi. She points out that, if you rely on the Worcester line, there really isn't a good schedule if you do work 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and she even shared Customer Service's feedback:

I made this decision with two key MBTA advertisements in mind: (1) That the trains on the Worcester/Framingham line now have wireless and (2) that the Worcester/ Framingham line was adding four new trains to the schedule just days before my November 1 move. Since the beginning of my commute, just 2 weeks ago, I have been increasingly stressed, irritable and astounded at the MBTA’s blatant lack of regard for the needs of its riders. First, I found that the trains added to the schedule were at the beginning, middle and end of the day, and not at peak travel times like extending the 5:15 train from South Station to Framingham or the 8:00am train that runs from Framingham to Boston to run at approximately 7:19 from Worcester. Given that there seemed to be no practical commuter schedule for someone working a regular 9 to 5 schedule in Boston, I called Customer Service to complain. I was told by the Customer Service representative that they obviously could not cater to everyone’s schedule, he was not sure what I would like for him to do. After citing my 9-5 schedule, I recommended that the additional trains be revisited. I was given no way to follow up and see how my complaint was recorded or would be acted on.

Cara is singing Train Rider's song. A lot of us have thought the same thing and have voiced similar complaints.

However, unlike many commuters, Cara is fortunate to work for an employer who will create a flexible schedule for her. Even with her commitment to ride the rails, Cara noted:

With constant price hikes, little accountability, and continuously deteriorating service, I have to seriously consider driving to work. It would save me at least 2 hours a day, which in my line of work as a community organizer is precious. There are very few days that I am able to leave work on time, and on those days I want the dependability to know that I can get home when I plan to. Three times this week, a late train, either on the Commuter Rail or the Red Line which takes me from JFK/ UMASS to South Station has caused me to get home later than anticipated, today by a full hour because of a late train on the red line. This is incredibly frustrating when I already have a 12 hour day and little time to even eat dinner and shower before having to go to bed to get up for an early train.

She moves on to say that, in her opinion, the MBTA has forgotten it serves the people of Massachusetts. Cara continues to make some excellent points and I encourage everyone to read her full post.

Finally, a Live Journal post by Christopher Parker contains his post made to the Boston Metro's Q&A with Dan Grabauskas. Christopher is a bus rider who also had some interesting observations.

New Day, New Parking Fees at MBTA Lots

Good morning. Train Rider is out of town on a business trip, so I do not have any commuter rail updates. As both WHDH-TV Channel 7 and The Daily News reported this morning, the new parking fees are a reality at MBTA station lots.

Did you see yesterday's Boston Sunday Globe front page article? It was all about how the Big Dig enhancement's have only pushed traffic bottlenecks farther outside of downtown Boston. As many of us unscientifically expected, the $15 billion spent on the Big Dig didn't eliminate traffic jams. Sure, while there may not be a lot of traffic jams in the downtown core, getting to and from Boston is just as difficult as ever. And it can take a lot longer.

The Big Dig is at the core of the funding problems plaguing mass transit in Massachusetts. In an editorial from today's Telegram & Gazette the different views of eliminating the Pike are presented. The Pike was also the focus of yesterday's "Starts & Stops" in the Globe. I encourage anyone who commutes on the commuter rail to read yesterday's "Starts & Stops." It really details the issues at hand that commuters face and it contains some fantastic comments.

In other news, according to this article from Saturday's Boston Globe, the Federal Transit Authority shot down the T's request to purchase commuter rail locomotives from a European company.

Finally, some Boston residents are trying to get the No. 39 and No. 55 bus stops on Boylston Street at Ring Road restored.