It was -4F on My Drive to the Grafton Station

It is frosty in the burbs today. My car, which I keep parked in my garage each night, was -4F this morning according to its external thermometer. It is definitely "warmer" here in Boston, maybe 14 or 15 degrees. Since it isn't too windy today, it feels warmer in Boston than it did earlier this week.

The P508 was late on its arrival to South Station today. We sat outside at Back Bay for what felt like eons and ending up arriving about 20 minutes after the schedule time. I guess it could be worse - it seems like other Worcester line trains haven't been running as well this week.

Spurn on by the new MBCR newsletter, Commute-a-holic sent the MBCR a suggestion. How about printing the on-time performance rates in the MBCR mouthpiece, um newsletter?

This is what the MBCR had to say about Commute's suggestion:

I have just read your email regarding your concern about the commuter rail's on-time performance.

I appreciate that you sent me this concern and your suggestions for the newsletter. We post the on-time performance for each line at the appropriate main stations. The posters are put up at North, South and Back Bay station each month and they display the on-time performance for each line.

Thank you for writing to me with your concern, I hope this information was helpful.

South Station commuters - I don't know about you, but I really don't think the on-time performance posters are located in a "prominent" spot. They're buried in the back of the station.

Meet the MBCR Managers

Grafton Train Rider attended the "Meet MBCR Managers" event at Back Bay station last night. Grafton Train Rider was kind enough to send along a recap:

I received the impression that the session was well attended by Worcester line riders. Of course everyone seemed to have their own agenda.

I met two people who do a reverse commute from Yawkey to Natick and were complaining about the lack of service. Upon reviewing the schedule, I understand their complaint. The problem at Yawkey is that the stop is essentially one-way and the morning inbound trains comprise most of the stops (although only one express train, P502).

I was advocating for fewer stops on the local trains. Specifically, I met Stuart Trout, Director Quality Engineer & Services and John Rossi, Trainmaster. I also provided Stuart with the following suggestion.

I commend the forthcoming extension of service on the Framingham/Worcester commuter rail line effective 10/27/08. However, riders need faster (non-local) trains rather than slow trains making 16 total stops, Worcester to South Station, inclusive.

For example, why can't some of these trains only stop in Wellesley Square, which offers the largest parking lot, rather than making three total stops in one town? The three Newton stops present the same situation, and folks departing from Newtonville have other options such as the express buses.

Other lines such as Fitchburg skip stops such as Belmont, Waverley, etc. on certain runs. I doubt that your new schedule will be very appealing to potential customers based upon total travel time, especially in light of the forthcoming $2/day parking fare increase.

Grafton Train Rider said that the next "Meet the MBCR" session is Thursday (tomorrow) from 4 to 6 p.m. at South Station. So, if you're in the South Station vicinity, you may want to stop by and meet the MBCR.

Thanks Grafton Train Rider for this recap!

Tuesday's P519 Trip Wasn't A Good One

Thanks go out to Stratamarr for sharing this first-hand account of yesterday afternoon's P519 trip:

You probably didn't hear about this, but there was a huge problem on the 519 out of South Station today. We stopped right outside of West Newton station (on the north side track since it was an express). About 5 minutes goes by and one of the conductors came on the intercom and said they were being held by CSX, no explanation given. So we wait. 10 minutes later, same story on the intercom. The local 521 goes by on the other track. 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 40 minutes. Same non-explanation to the now-agitated riders. Now we are waiting on "paperwork." What is paperwork?

The express 523 screams by. One hour passes and we are just sitting there. Then someone notices people getting off the train, since the West Newton platform is across the tracks, diagonally behind us. The 527 is due in 10 minutes to West Newton. About 20 people get off, illegally (including me), walking across the gravel and onto the platform. The 527 arrives, the refugees get on, and we finally make some progress. Right after Auburndale stop, the 519 comes up along side us and passes us. So getting off the train was not a great idea. But I did get to hear some interesting tidbits. One of the conductors on the 527 was telling some of the refugees (and I was overhearing) the real reason the 519 stopped suddenly: the engineer ran a red flag, which is a no-no anytime but especially recently, with the scandals that have been plaguing train systems, here to California, with distracted engineers at the controls.

I'm glad I wasn't a passenger on that train, but many of us have had similar experiences.

Speaking of experiences, if you have any you want to share, you may want to attend this. I received a noticed today from the MBCR Rail Mail:

MEET THE MANAGERS
Meet members of the Commuter Rail

Management team and talk with us!

Do you…

have comments or questions about your Commuter Rail service?

Do you…

have opinions or ideas you would like to share?

A team of Managers from MBCR will be at the following stations

Between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to listen to what you have to say.

Back Bay Tuesday October 14^th, 2008

South Station Thursday October 16^th, 2008

North Station Tuesday October 21^st, 2008

We look forward to seeing you there!

Back to the Swing of Things

Welcome to September. The summer seemed to zip by and now we're into Labor Day. At least there weren't too many steamy days riding the rails this summer. Remember how hot and sticky it was a few summers back, well at least hot and sticky on the Worcester line?

The weather the last few weeks has been gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. Although, I guess we'll get more humidity if the hurricanes/tropical depressions out there come up the coast.

Take a super fast Friday evening commute home add in the beautiful weather combined with a holiday plus the hoopla over McCain's VP selection (I'm scratching my head over that one) and you have one super fast holiday weekend. Well, this morning brought me back to riding the rails.

My commute on the P508 was fine. We seemed ahead of schedule at the stops and waited a minute or two to depart (once the passengers had loaded). We were at Back Bay at around 8:16 a.m., but waited outside of South Station for about 10 minutes for a track to open. From my window, it looked like other trains were in the same boat, so I'm putting the arrival to South Station at 8:28 a.m.

While the commuter rail was fine, the Silver Line was a cluster this morning. The platform was already packed when I got there and the buses were bunched up on the other side. I didn't get on a bus until about 8:42 a.m. Eeecks! Not a great way to start a Tuesday morning.

Today's Boston Metro reported that the T will be holding public meetings beginning next week for proposed bus route changes. This is part of the MBTA's 2008 Service Plan. Every two years the T evaluates the bus routes and makes changes based on rider demand and comments. I went to the T's website but didn't see anything about this program.

Also from today, The Eagle-Tribune wrote about repairs that will be made to a bridge that runs over the Merrimack River. This will benefit the Haverhill commuter rail line.

In other news, Boston.com ran a story the other day about poor air quality at the Back Bay T station. Yuck! This is a known problem - the T doesn't have the money to fix it.

Yesterday's Daily News Tribune published an editorial on merging the MBTA Transit Police with the State Police.

Celitcs Parade Information Announcement from the MBCR

Received the following email from the MBCR's RailMail service.

Congratulations Celtics!

Parade Notification and Special Announcements

We would like to take this opportunity to remind our regular customers that due to the parade for the Celtics there will be increased ridership on the commuter rail system. We will be running a normal weekday schedule. All available coaches will be in service for this event making it possible to have additional coaches on some trains; however, customers should anticipate crowded trains and delays throughout the day.

Due to the size and layout of our stations, we will have boarding procedures in place. This will include dedicated lines for each line of route. Please see the attached information for your departing station. Our priority will be to board trains as early as possible to minimize delays and to ensure your safety.

Customers are encouraged to buy a round trip ticket on their inbound trip to Boston either from the local vendor at their departing station or from the conductor on the inbound train. This will expedite departures and minimize lines at the ticket office, as we will be carrying out pre-boarding checks and we will ask to see your pass or ticket for your outbound trip.

Additional staff will be available throughout the day to assist in managing lines, fare collection and boarding.

There will be signs posted at North, South and Back Bay stations offering additional details.

Thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation and thank you for riding commuter rail.

South Side Information
Thursday June 19th 2008

Customers are advised that we expect that all trains will be crowded today with Celtics supporters traveling to and from Boston for the Celebration Parade.

Please take into consideration the increased ridership when planning your commute today. It will be important to note that there will be special arrangements at South Station and a “queuing” system in place at Back Bay Station.

Outbound Departures

Trains will be operating as close to schedule as possible. When trains are at capacity, they will depart.

Worcester line Customers are advised that train number P517 (2:45p.m. departure) will make all stops to Worcester.

South Station

We ask that you do not arrive at South Station more than 20 minutes prior to your train’s departure time. This will prevent overcrowding of the station and allow ease of access to tracks and platforms. On arrival, please remain in the station and listen for announcements. Please ensure you have purchased your ticket prior to boarding your train.

Back Bay

A “queuing” system will be in operation for commuter rail customers.

• The East Berkley/Clarendon exit will be closed.
• Customers will enter through the Clarendon Street entrance into a “queue” for the Franklin, Needham, and Providence/Stoughton Lines.
• Framingham/Worcester Line Customers will be directed to tracks 5 & 7.

Free Vitamin Water Day at South Station

What a treat!! They were handing out free bottles of Vitamin Water today outside South Station.

I only have one more morning commute to my current office location. My office is moving over the weekend. I will no longer be getting off at Back Bay Station and taking the Orange Line to work. Or disembarking at South Station to walk to my office. Now I'll be taking the commuter rail in all the way to South Station and then relying on the Silver Line to get to my office. This should be interesting.

I will miss the buzz of walking outside at South Station, not to mention getting freebies from the people who hand out stuff.

My P508 train arrived at Back Bay around 8:13 a.m. and South Station at 8:21 a.m.

Saw another article about more people taking the commuter rail as an alternative to paying higher gas prices. Unlike yesterday's article from The Salem News, this article contains quotes from commuters who believe the commuter rail is a cost-effective alternative to driving into Boston.

Missed My Train So I Took the P512 Train to Work Today

So I missed the P508 train this morning. I waited for the P512, which departs Grafton at 7:49 a.m.

What a cluster "eff." Initially, my commute seemed fine. However, when we got to Framingham, the P510 had not even left yet, so everyone waiting in Framingham got onto the P512. Then at the Natick and Wellesley stops, it seemed like we just sat on the tracks while they kept on making the same announcement that "our train was the Express train, etc." over and over again. Thankfull, due to the new train schedule, we were only two minutes behind once we got to Back Bay Station. We pulled in at 8:04 a.m. instead of the scheduled 8:02 a.m. time.

Blah! Not for the time we pulled into Back Bay but for the drama of today's commute.

TGIT for Me

TGIT!! Yes, I know it is normally TGIF, but I'm taking tomorrow off. So it is TGIT. Doesn't that look like a dirty word?

This morning's inbound commute on the P508 was fine. Geesh - I don't even know what time we arrived to Back Bay Station as I neglected to look at my watch. I took the Orange Line to my office.

Last night I received some MBTA text alerts that all the Worcester-Framingham trains were running 15-20 minutes late because of switch problems. But my train was right on time. Weird.

However, not all the trains are running smoothly on the Worcester-Framingham line. AJ was kind enough to add a comment to yesterday's blog post.

Also, things do not sound like they are running well on the Franklin Line. Charlie on the Commuter Rail had two posts from yesterday about incredibly hot cars and unprecedented issues on the Franklin #715 train. Yikes!

In other T-related news, Boston.com published a report today about how the MBTA Transit Police are practicing if the Homeland Security threat level rises from Yellow (where it currently remains) to Orange.

Have a good Thursday (and a good Friday too). Isn't this weather amazing?

Sleepy Wednesday Commute

I have returned from my one-day business trip.

I took the P508 train in from Grafton. I totally slept on the train this morning. Oh, the train was on time. We arrived to Back Bay station at 8:14 a.m. and I got off to take the Orange Line to my office.

Keith sent in an article that I didn't see in yesterday's "Earth Day" edition of the Boston METRO. The MBTA is embarking on a number of green initiatives. Click here to check the article out.

Keith - thanks for sharing the article!

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.

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!

The Week Ends with a Friday Morning Status Quo Commute

After a pretty intense workweek of early morning meetings, I returned to my regular schedule today.

I took the P508 out of Grafton this morning. My train arrived at Back Bay Station at 8:14 a.m. I disembarked at Back Bay and took the Orange Line to my office. Good times!

So it looks like yesterday's weather was just a tease, huh? We're back to the lower temperatures. And it seems like the sun is rapidly disappearing. Oh well, I guess this is why everything turns a nice shade of green in the spring.

The only news report this morning is from The Boston Herald. They published an article about the MBTA's pension system.

Have a good Friday!

My Super-Early Super-Long Delayed Commute This Morning

This has been a busy week at work. I needed to get into Boston early this morning.

I got up early (which is something Train Rider loathes to do) to get ready so I could take the P506 train in. The P506 train departs Grafton at 6:39 a.m. Much to my surprise, the P506 was canceled. When the next train, the P508, showed up it was two cars short. The P508 departs Grafton a 1/2 hour after the P506 at 7:09 a.m.. So after waiting more than a 1/2 hour, I had to ride on a train that was two cars short that needed to accommodate the riders from two trains.

Once I boarded the train, I noticed that passes were not checked and tickets were not created. Around Ashland, the conductors made an announcement that they spoke to dispatch (CSX I presume?) and obtained permission to have the train go express from the Framingahm station. So, even though the train was packed, it worked out well from a time perspective because we didn't have to stop at West Natick and Natick and deal with even more passengers.

We arrived to Back Bay Station at the P508's scheduled time of 8:17 a.m. I jumped off the train to take the Orange Line to work.

It is really sad when you've already had a long day and it isn't even 8:30 a.m. At least it is nice outside. The question is - will I be able to step out from my endless meetings to enjoy today's taste of spring?

Thankfully I Don't Have to Ride the P502 Train Everyday

I had an extremely early meeting this morning. To make sure that I absolutely, positively arrived into the office on time, I took the Worcester line's P502 train.

The P502 train departs the Grafton station at 5:57 a.m. Yes, that's right, for Train Rider 5:57 a.m. is a most ungodly hour. The train arrived at Back Bay Station at 7:03 a.m., three minutes ahead of its scheduled 7:06 a.m. arrival time. I got off at Back Bay and took the Orange Line to my office.

I am not a morning person. In my mind, I basically got up in the middle of the night to make sure I arrived to the Grafton station at 5:57 a.m.

Enough about my commute and my theories about morning.

Read in today's BostonNOW how a lot of riders are receiving complimentary rides on the MBTA's Green Line. Hey - that sounds like the commuter rail line too! I just don't understand how an agency that is in such financial trouble as the MBTA can have passengers not pay for rides? Call me silly - but if the fares don't help the bottom line, then why collect them at all?

Still on the Green Line, an article ran in yesterday's WickedLocal Arlington about the proposed Green Line extension into Medford.

Inbound Commute Ran Like Clockwork

Another status quo P508 commuter rail commute this morning. Just like yesterday, everything ran like clockwork with the exact same times - we pulled into Back Bay Station at 8:13 a.m. and we arrived at South Station at 8:22 a.m. Another glorious morning of arriving to South Station with one minute to spare!

Perhaps the Worcester-Framingham Line's on-time stats for the month of March will actually be good!!

I know not every commuter rail line is running as well as (dare I say it) the Worcester line. I heard traffic reports this morning that said the Fairmont line was running behind. I think both an inbound and an outbound train were canceled.

Me-thinks that more commuter rail schedule changes are coming. I saw a sign in South Station today announcing schedule changes across different lines (not the Worcester-Framingham line). So, looks like they'll be changing a lot of different schedules in order to address on time performance for other lines. I was walking too quickly to notice exactly what lines will be facing schedule changes.

Inbound P508 Train Right on Time

This morning's inbound Worcester line commute on the P508 train was right on time. Just like ye yesterday, we arrived about 4 minutes ahead of schedule to Back Bay Station and we pulled into South Station at 8:22 a.m.

I'm bummed the Red Sox lost. I did crack up when I heard some local news reporters this morning say "the First Place Boston Red Sox." So does that mean today they'll say "Tied for First Place" or something arcane like that. I supposed they're just making chit chat.

Universal Hub has some good first-hand accounts from yesterday's accident on the Stoughton line.

Red Sox Opening Day Commute

Can you believe it? Opening Day is today. Let's go Red Sox!!!

The Opening Day inbound commute on the Worcester line was as error free as it gets. I took the P508 train in. We arrived at Back Bay Station at 8:13 a.m., four minutes ahead of the 8:17 a.m. on-time arrival time. I took the Orange Line over to my office. The Orange Line was packed.

According to Boston.com (at 9:40 a.m.), it is the top of the 10th with the Red Sox leading the A's by 2 runs. With 2 outs, I hope the Red Sox can pull off a win. Opening Day victories, even if they're in Japan in a totally different time zone, are still sweet.

The Commuter Rail Beat the Mass Pike Today

Now today is one of those days that I was actually happy to be taking the commuter rail to work instead of the Mass Pike. Did everyone hear about the huge backup on the Eastbound side of Pike this morning right before the 495 interchange? It was caused by a tractor-trailer rollover. Two of the three Eastbound lanes were closed, causing a 13-mile backup past the Rt. 146 exit.

I'm sure there were a lot of angry motorists stuck in traffic this morning.

My commute on the Worcester-Framingham commuter rail line was fine. I took the P508 train into work today. We were at Back Bay for 8:13 a.m., 4 minutes ahead of the normal 8:17 a.m. arrival time. I got off at Back Bay and took the Orange line to work.

I'm so happy I didn't have to take the Pike into work this morning. I normally get on at the Rt. 146 exit. Of course, if I had been sitting in traffic from the 146 exit to the Millbury exit, I would have gotten off in Millbury. But I'm sure I would have been trying to get through loads of traffic to reach another Pike entrance.

In some Train Stopping blog-related news, we've added a news feed for MBTA articles posted by the 9Neighbors blog. Thanks Rick for your help in adding this code. The feed can be found in the right-hand column.

First Daylight Savings Time Worcester Line Commuter Rail Commute On Time

The inbound P508 train was right on time this morning. We arrived to Back Bay station at 8:17 a.m. - the train's scheduled time. I got off and took the Orange Line to the office.

This is sort of more of the same news about the MBTA's plans to make improvements to the commuter rail line. The article appeared in today's Metro. Beginning this May, the T will begin replacing 2,000 windows on 75 south-side commuter rail coaches at a cost of $1.3 million. South-side commuter rail lines are those lines that go into South Station. Additionally, the T will spend $4.5 million overhauling the HVAC systems on 148 coaches. Many of these coaches, purchased between 12 to 20 years ago, have never had their HVAC system updated.

The replacement projects are expected to take 18-months because the MBCR needs to limit the number of coaches it takes out of service at once to avoid delays.

Call me crazy, but shouldn't the MBCR have a decent gauge on ridership and just remove extraneous cars from train lines that run during non-peak hours?

I still cannot find any on-time performance stats for February 2008 for the Worcester-Framingham line.

In other commuter rail news, things don't sound so great on the Franklin Line. As we know, the Franklin line via Fairmont had the worst on-time performance stats for February - a measely 46%. Both Dave at The Franklin Line and Quasit of Charlie on the Commuter Rail published posts this morning about the delayed 706 (which caused Dave to miss a meeting) and the 708 train. Apparently some of the Franklin trains are skipping the Ruggles Station stop, even though this is a scheduled stop. For Quasit, the Ruggles station IS his commuter rail stop.

According to Quasit, the MBCR/MBTA does not "think" that skipping the Ruggles station stop will be a regular occurrence.

According to their customer service rep, they don't expect it to be - it's just a signal problem. Now that I think of it, that's a little disturbing - I wonder what other problems there might be? I'd hate to find out by having my train run into another one at full speed!

And why haven't they been able to fix that signal over the last four days? It could have been two different problems, I suppose, but that seems unlikely.

Hmm, will Franklin Line riders soon be seeing a "new" schedule a la the Worcester-Framingham commuter rail line?

As Dave wrote in one post titled "Late! Late! Late!"

Why the hell did I think a 7:05 train would get me into Boston for an 8:00 meeting?!? Idiot, idiot, idiot. I should have slept under my desk last night.

Indeed, why should we expect the trains to get us to where we need to be on time?

Superfast Thursday Morning Commute on the P508 Worcester-Framingham MBTA/MBCR Commuter Rail Train

Good morning. What a gorgeous morning. Spring definitely feels like it is in the air. But March can be such a long, muddy month. Who knows if we've seen the last snow in Eastern and Central Massachusetts until later this year.

The P508 train was super fast this morning. I arrived to Back Bay Station at 8:11 a.m. and took the Orange Line to my office. I stopped and had a brief chat with a former colleague near the T's State Street Stop and I still made it into the office with plenty of time to spare. I was at my desk for 8:26 a.m.

It is amazing what an extra six-minutes can do for you during the day.