Early Train Arrives in Grafton Again

I'm back from the beach.

My commute was fine this morning. The P508 train actually arrived in Grafton at 7:06 a.m. AJ commented that the train did the same thing on Tuesday. People were still pulling into the parking lot when the train pulled in. To the engineer's credit, I do not think we departed for Westborough until 7:09 a.m. We arrived at South Station at 8:18 a.m.

Today's Boston Globe reports on a MBTA Board Member's "scathing" criticism of the T's ticketing system. Board Member Janice Loux distributed the MIT students' report on the vulnerabilities of the CharlieTicket and CharlieCard programs at yesterday's monthly MBTA board meeting.

Finally, a voice of reason. Janice was quoted with the following comment:

"Whatever the reality of the reports, the automated system is a mess," Loux said, calling for an external audit of the program. "I've lost all confidence in our general manager."

This is what Dan-the-Man Grabauskas had to say:

Daniel A. Grabauskas, general manager of the MBTA, said Monday that claims made in the past against the cards have either been dismissed or dealt with, adding yesterday that both internal audits and federal reviews monitor the program's performance.

Federal officials "have not raised any concerns," Grabauskas told the board. "They have been highly complimentary of the program, and they are pleased with how it's proceeded."

Comments like this cause me to have a confidence crisis in regards to both our federal and state governments. Honestly - Dan's comments make everyone in government seem like a moron, which I know isn't true.

The article closed with noting that Dan avoided answering reporters' questions about potential threats to the T's ticketing system. Good grief!!

In other news from The Globe, another article about the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority's link to the MBTA's Green Line.

"The T focuses on everything within Route 128, but doesn't come out as far as Natick, Framingham and Marlborough, which are big job areas," said John Stasik, chairman of the MetroWest authority's advisory board and its Framingham representative. "Now the buses will connect Boston with employers on the west end of Route 9, including the Bose Corp., Genzyme Corp., and Staples, to the Green Line."

The MWRTA, which was established in 2006, is also adding the region's first public bus route between Weston and Marlborough and they've linked the Natick and Framingham bus services together.

The MWRTA's administrator, Ed Carr, said his operation is looking for ways to accommodate the area's changing commuting patterns. According to Carr, 57 percent of area residents commute to jobs within the Interstate 495 corridor. As a result, he said, local communities have a pressing need for more comprehensive transit services.

"MetroWest, in the last 10 years, has changed from a region of more or less bedroom communities to an area where six of the 10 largest companies in the state are located," said Carr. "There's been a lot of job creation."

Interesting.