Not a Surprise

Train Rider has been tied up with some corporate training initiatives so hasn't had a chance to post. Tomorrow I know Train Rider will be out of town on a business trip.

Yesterday The Milford Daily News published a follow-up to last week's article about the Draper Mill complex. State Senator Richard Moore (D-Uxbridge) has warned that the extension probably won't happen anytime soon.

"Given the MBTA's current financial problems and their long list of existing priorities before extending commuter rail, a study funded by the T is probably not something that will be well-received in the short term," he wrote.

In other news, Switchback posted yesterday about the staircase at the T's Park Street station. The staircase, on the outbound side of the Park Street station, is expected to cost $1.4 million. Geesh!

USA Today's Travel blog ran a piece today about business travelers using Amtrak. The take-away: Amtrak is great if you're traveling on the East Coast, especially on the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington, DC. But in Northern California and in other parts of the country, the service could be better.

On the subject of Amtrak, today's The Boston Globe reports on the Acela train. More cars may be added because Amtrak is out of capacity. Ridership on the Acela has climbed 7.7% in the first ten months of fiscal year 2008. The Acela contributed to Amtrak's total rider gain of 11% nationwide. A ticket surcharge may be added to cover the new cars. USA Today reported that rail advocates want the US to look into developing more train projects.