Ueventful Commute

It is GORGEOUS out ... love, love, love this weather!!!

This morning's commute was uneventful and on time today.

Regarding the T's announcement that Danny G. is going to roll back the salary increase. Finally, a good management decision! Who cares that the Secretary of Transportation told Danny-boy mandated that this be done. It got done.

Today's Globe published a longer article about the MIT-Charlie Card saga than yesterday afternoon's story.

"It's good that they've at least acknowledged that," Zack Anderson said in a telephone interview after yesterday's hearing. "The issues really do need to be fixed."

The lawyer representing the MBTA, Ieuan G. Mahony, and T general manager Daniel A. Grabauskas said the agency will now try to meet with the students in hopes of learning more about their research - a much more conciliatory approach than it had taken over the previous two weeks. Civil liberties groups and Internet technology buffs have been watching the case closely for its possible ramifications on the limitations of free speech as it relates to electronic security.

The article noted that fewer than a third of the T's riders actually use CharlieTickets. That seems low for such an extensive, expensive system. Of course, commuter rail riders can't use the tickets. About 70% of all T riders use the CharlieCards.

Along with the more in-depth article, The Globe also published an Editorial called "Charlie's devils." The editorial contains some good background history into the technology behind the CharlieTicket/CharlieCard.

STRAPPED WITH an $8.1 billion debt, the MBTA can't afford expensive upgrades to its automated fare equipment. That may explain, in part, why the transit agency put such extraordinary legal pressure on three MIT students who claim to have found a way to hack into the transit system's $180 million automated fare system. But trotting out the lawyers didn't make the T less vulnerable to future hackers.

The MBTA needs to find better ways to secure its revenues without sinking further into debt or stomping on the First Amendment rights of hackers. That probably leaves out purchasing an entirely upgraded MIFARE system that uses more advanced encryption standards but would cost about $6 per card, according to T officials - about 12 times the current cost.

While much of the public is focused on a courtroom where a federal judge yesterday lifted a gag order on the MIT hackers, there has been too little attention on what the T is doing to protect the public transit system.

The T erred by not seeking an independent analysis of MIFARE's security capacity during the purchase phase. But it is not standing still. General Manager Daniel Grabauskas says the agency is pressing NXP and its vendors to improve the current system. And new encryption features already have been added to the CharlieCard to frustrate hackers. "The next generation of protection is already in the works," says Grabauskas.

MBTA Admits CharlieCard Ticketing Flaw

This just in from Boston.com: Gag order lifted against MIT students as T admits ticketing flaw.

The MBTA acknowledged today that flaws exist with CharlieTickets that will take months to remedy after being exposed by three MIT students who hacked into the transit system's automated ticketing system for a school project.

So how long will it really take the T to fix this? What's a couple of months? Because further in the article, the T's attorney said that it will take five months to fix this.

Attorney Cindy Cohn of the Electronic Frontier Foundation represented the students today in court. She took issue with using the word "hacking" to describe the students' work, saying that they used a legal method know as "reverse engineering" to comprise the MBTA's system. Regardless, Cohn cheered the judge's decision.

"I hope it gives people comfort that they can continue to do security research without the fear that they are going to be dragged into federal court and gagged," Cohn said.

And in the "we couldn't have send it better ourselves, AJ really articulated why we're all so outraged about the T's "raises" in this comment posted earlier today:

In the end, I still don't feel for a company with so many problems the thing to do is reward past behavior. That's essentially what this is. Most people get raises based on performance, and this team has done nothing to steer this ship in the right direction! If there were a light at the end of this tunnel, or the T had just unveiled some radical new plan that would bail them out without resulting a ridiculous fare increase (some increase is to be expected), then perhaps this move wouldn't be so scrutinized and even then not acceptable but maybe tolerable.

Transportation Funding and Charlie Card Security Breach Finders

According to this morning's Boston Globe, Govenor Deval Patrick's administration is trying to avoid a transportation melt-down. Yesterday, Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen met with the heads of the T, the Turnpike, Massport, and the Highway Department. The subject: finding funding for the debt-plagued T and Turnpike. One solution - diverting monies from Massport and the Highway Department.

Transportation insiders note that another strategy is needed, as there are doubts that this monetary infusion will help the T and the Turnpike with their significant budget issues come fiscal year 2009.

IT publication NetworkWorld published an article yesterday about the MIT students who wanted to show the security flaws with the T's Charlie Card. It is a fun read - case in point:

Oh, sure, their diversionary assault was problematic enough for the clueless bureaucrats: The students did manage to gather details of the cheesiness of CharlieTicket and CharlieCard -- named for you know who -- and they were hell-bent on distributing that information at the recently concluded Defcon security conference.

But here's the real reason the MBTA sought and was granted that court injunction: Seems those MIT hackers had unearthed incontrovertible evidence that Charlie did get off of that train -- and right quick, mind you. What has followed has been a massive cover-up stretching six decades.

One of the comments to this article is dead-on:

The hackability of the MBTA's "smart" card is not news. Neither is the T's inability to manage the system when it actually works.

Since the poor selection of technology was made by our blundering "Authority", security experts have been sounding all manner of warnings. Presenting some findings at a security conference won't tell experts more than they already know. Rather, it will serve to rightfully humiliate the inflated egos and T seat-warmers who, as a matter of job description, maintain a sense of self importance lest the alleged legitimacy of the "Authority" be shaken. Any threat to reputation, particularly when the bondholders get to read about yet another blundering mess, most certainly deserves a Code Red. Never mind the big investors who the T (and therefore the state and taxpayers) are out billions for. What if the public finally got the drift: that their critical piece of transportation infrastructure is headed by idiots, political hacks, and the very unemployable elsewhere? Why, they might revolt and clean out the joint! Maybe the "Authority" would be no more. Can't have that. The T has always been a sweet deal for nephews of State Senators and friends of others in high places. Horrors!

Imagine the trouble for those former T hacks who would have to fend for themselves in what we call the "dreaded private sector"? They'd lose all those perks such as"Authority"-provided SUV's (for employees of a public transit system - one that runs trains and buses).

Gee, I wonder if a rider of the commuter rail, bus, subway, or commuter boat submitted that comment?

The Globe also published an update on this issue. The MIT students made some really reasonable recommendations. Too bad when Danny G is on the hot seat, he only knows how to freak out.

21 Million More MBTA Riders in FY 2008 vs. FY 2007

The MBTA released ridership numbers for its Fiscal Year 2008. It was a good year, ridership wise, for the T. Nearly 375 million people used the T, the highest ridership number in the MBTA's 44 year history. There were 21 million more riders in this fiscal year compared to last year, a 6% increase.

You can read all about it in an articles from today The Boston Globe. The article mention that the T is just only starting to look at ways to accommodate more riders. The Chicago Transit Authority is considering removing seats from their train cars to fit more people. The MBTA's own SUV-riding GM Dan Grabauskas made the following statement:

It is too early to say, Grabauskas cautioned, whether the MBTA would consider a similar move. "Literally," he said, "I only learned of it in the past week."

But at a time when people are forced to squeeze into rush-hour trains in Boston, the agency is willing, Grabauskas said, to consider just about anything, including, possibly, seatless cars. "It certainly is an idea with some merit."

Dan - way to be thinking ahead. I won't get into a bashing session, but boy do you open yourself up to criticism.

The Massachusetts Public Interest Group noted the following:

"This is an opportunity where people are experimenting with public transportation," Bourassa said. "And if the T does a good job and provides good service, more people are going to use it and we're going to keep those riders. But if the T has to raise fares because of high debt costs and high fuel costs, or if they have to cut service because of that, then we will have missed that opportunity."

The Boston Metro reported that 67.8% of the T's subway riders are using the CharlieCard to pay for their trips in June 2008. Overall, 90% of riders either use a CharlieCard or a discounted monthly pass. Next year, the T will be rolling out a pilot program where commuter rail riders can pay for their parking using the automated cards. By 2011, CharlieCards are expected to be used across the entire T system - subway, bus, commuter rail, and commuter boat.

Finally, a typical Boston Herald article about T salaries. Unreal!

MBTA Fare Evaders Watch Out

First - the Red Sox just won the first game of the season. Woo-hoo!!!

Now on to more train news. The Boston Herald published an article this morning about how the MBTA has been running undercover stings to catch fare evaders. This is great news for those of us who either purchase commuting passes (both commuter rail passes and CharlieCards) and for those of us who are taxpayers. I know that part of the T's job is to collect fares, so it seems silly to praise them for doing their job. But since fares aren't always collected (especially sometimes on the commuter rail lines), then maybe we need to continue to positively reinforce the issue to ensure that every cent is collected.

The T's Transit Police have already issued 262 fare evading citations this year, compared to just 99 for the same period last year. A fare evader receives a $15 citation for their first offense. Second offenses are billed at $100 and third offenses cost $250. That's a steep increase compared to the $1.70 fare (if you have a CharlieCard) or $2.00 fare (if you don't have a CharlieCard).

The T claims that prior to the CharlieCard, 3-5% of all riders failed to pay for their trip. Fare evaders cost taxpayers $13.5 million annually.

Assorted (Boston) Metro MBTA News

Today's Boston Metro published an article about the MBTA commuter rail corporate pass program. According to the article, the T claims that more corporations are interested in participating in the corporate pass program. Currently 1,318 Boston-area businesses participate in the program, which gives the businesses a tax incentive. Employees are able to purchase their pass through a deduction from their pre-tax paycheck. Along with the tax savings, the employee can also obtain auto insurance discounts if they can prove to their insurance company that they have a T pass.

This is a wonderful program - this is how I obtain my commuter rail pass. However, I wish more companies thought of working to make sure the T's trains and the MBCR commuter rail trains arrive on time. I wonder if any companies think "gee, why are some employees who live in a specific area always late." But I digress.

The last paragraph of the Metro's article is interesting:

The T has seen cost savings in the corporate pass program since the launch of the CharlieCard. The T no longer has to mail out 113,000 passes every month, saving the authority approximately $200,000 on postage and handling every quarter.

As I've mentioned, I've been an active participate in the Corporate Pass program. My current employer offers this benefit, as did other firms I've worked at. However, the Corporate Pass program at my past or current employers was not handled directly by the MBTA. Rather, an outsourced company called WageWorks managed the Corporate Pass offering. In fact, I don't know anyone enrolled in any Corporate Pass program who has a Charlie Card, unless they have a subway only pass. The Charlie Card does not apply to commuter rail riders. So why does the T still refer to all passes as Charlie Cards? And if a majority of the Corporate Pass programs are managed by outsourced companies, what does the T actually do?

In other Metro news, I saw that there was a letter to MBTA GM Dan Grabauskas in the Metro I read this morning on the train. A reader had a question about the trash near/from South Station ... in typical MBTA fashion, Dan G. blamed Amtrak, as they technically "own" South station and the tracks. I can't find a copy of this article online, but if I do I'll post it. Can Dan ever give an interview or answer a question without blaming someone else? Unreal!

MBTA Woes and a New Worcester Union Station Commuter Rail Service

This morning's news from the MBTA front was not really all that uplifting for the troubled agency.

The good news for commuters: the T claims they will not be raising fares in 2009. However, there could be fare increases in 2010. The MBTA Board is expected today to approve a spending plan to help augment the $75 million deficit the T has, according to The Boston Globe.

The proposed budget, which would take affect July 1, takes $20 million from the T's $55 million rainy day fund. In addition, the T would restructure $50 million in debt under the plan, adding to the cost of future payments, and find $5 million in savings in the coming budget year, partly by hiring fewer administrators.

"We're concerned," said Lee Matsueda, program director for the T Riders Union, a community group. "There's no way that the system can sustain itself the way it is set up now."

The Riders Union and other consumer groups have been lobbying state legislators to bail out the T, arguing that riders cannot afford more hikes. So far, Governor Deval Patrick's administration has talked about restructuring the state's transportation agencies and raising money from proposed casinos, but he has not laid out a specific plan to plug all the financial gaps.

The T is definitely in a financial pickle.

In more "not so great" news for the T, research conducted by a University of Virginia graduate student found that the Charlie Card may not be such a wonderful "smart card." The Boston Herald reports that for an additional $1 per card, the MBTA could purchase a more secure transactional card. The research was conducted solely to warn commuters about the possibility of identity theft. This theft could pose a bigger risk if the Charlie Card gets merged into the Mass Pike's Fast Lane system.

This is what the T had to say:

Joe Pesaturo, an MBTA spokesman, yesterday said: “It is MBTA policy not to discuss the security measures around its smart card technology. If this group is well intentioned and has information it wants to share with the MBTA, then MBTA staff would be happy to review the information.”

Finally, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported that state transportation officials are researching to see if an alternative Worcester commuter rail line can be created. Here are the highlights from that article:

State transportation officials are studying a possible new commuter rail route between Union Station in Worcester and North Station in Boston that could supplement existing commuter rail service from Worcester to South Station in Boston, and provide new commuter service in West Boylston, Clinton and Lancaster.

Last month, however, transportation officials undertook an examination of existing freight tracks that run north out of downtown Worcester from Union Station through West Boylston, Sterling, Clinton, Lancaster and Harvard to Ayer. At that point the plan envisions commuter trains picking up the existing tracks used by the Fitchburg commuter rail line to North Station in Boston.

Study of an alternative commuter rail line to Boston comes after years of fruitless negotiations between the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and CSX, which owns the tracks currently used for the 10-train commuter line through Framingham and are being targeted for as many as 10 more trains per day.

While the state has proposed purchasing and upgrading the Framingham line to allow greater use of the tracks for commuter service between Union Station and South Station in Boston, officials have reported little progress to date despite long-running and ongoing negotiations with CSX officials.

As part of that plan the state has developed options including construction of a parallel line for some key stretches of the Framingham line and advanced switching systems, to allow additional commuter trains to share the tracks that are also used for freight trains.

Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray said yesterday he is encouraged by the initial reviews of the possible new commuter-train route from Worcester to Boston. “It’s in the preliminary stages. I think the EOTC officials are initially encouraged at the feasibility of this, but it is a long process.”

Mr. Murray said the effort comes as the state for the first time in decades is starting to put together a comprehensive rail plan that will look at how the state can better utilize and integrate the rail infrastructure for passenger rail and freight. “They both are critically important to the current and future economic growth of the state,” Mr. Murray said.

“Some of our transportation team saw this as a potential option as we strive to look at ways we can expand rail service between Central Massachusetts, Worcester and North Worcester County,” Mr. Murray said of the possible new commuter train route.

“The initial review and ride by the EOT people has them wanting to further look at this internally and evaluate some of the costs and challenges that may be there. But to me it is encouraging in that there is at least an additional option for us to look at,” Mr. Murray said.

He said the plan could eventually require an agreement between the rail companies that own the existing tracks. Except for an initial stretch of track leading out of downtown toward Greendale in Worcester, the entire length of the route is owned by Pan Am Railroad, and state officials have had some preliminary discussions with the company.

Mr. Murray acknowledged, “the slow pace of negotiations” with CSX regarding expanded service on the Worcester — Framingham — Boston line and said the state is making a strong effort to work out either state ownership and acquisition or other options that would allow greater use of the CSX line for commuter rail.

“These are resources that are going to be needed more than ever and people have to be reasonable in their demands in negotiations. We are getting frustrated that things are not moving faster with CSX,” Mr. Murray said.

“The future is clear with gasoline approaching $4 a gallon and roads getting clogged, that we are going to have to utilize all of our transportation assets,” Mr. Murray said. In both the passenger rail and freight businesses, he said, “everyone agrees the rail is one underutilized asset.”

“There needs to be that shared cooperative approach among the different owners, and there needs to be incentives in place or hammers in place that require freight and passenger to work together so there is a level playing field in facilitating maximum use and shared cooperation among the entities,” the lieutenant governor said.

“This is an interstate commerce issue as well as being vitally important to Massachusetts,” he added.

While a secondary commuter rail line would definitely benefit communities North of Worcester, I sure hope the state can come to a solution regarding the Worcester-Framingham line.

The Worcester-Framingham line needs to have more trains running, similar to how the other commuter rail lines operate. There is a huge amount of population in the towns abutting the Worcester-Framingham line. This population needs an alternative route into Boston, beyond just driving on the Mass Pike.

While the proposed alternative line may not directly benefit Worcester residents (because it sounds like it would be a long trip to Boston), I'm sure towns including West Boylston, Harvard and Lancaster would welcome some alternatives for commuting into Boston.

The question is - does the state/T have the right funding to extend to another Worcester commuter rail line? If the state adds another Worcester line, will they forget about the Worcester-Framingham riders?

Mass Pike Proposes a Single Pass for Cars, Trains and Parking Lots

Officials from the Massachusetts Turnpike, looking to increase revenue, are proposing that a mass transit pass good for Pike tolls, the MBTA and access to state-run parking facilities be implemented.

In an article from today's Boston Herald, Mass Pike head Alan LeBovidge said he

"wants to establish electronic links between the Pike and other agencies that would allow people to travel seamlessly across transportation modes, instead of digging for change or different passes."

The Pike is looking to hire a firm that can create these "links" and make changes to the Pike's Fast Lane automated collection system. The T has met with the Pike to discuss this system. T riders who use a Charlie Card would be able to pay tolls and ride the T with funds being automatically withdrawn from the user's bank account.

MBTA's Finances and More Charlie Card Complaints

The Eagle-Tribune out of Lawrence published an editorial today titled "Our view: T's finances as shaky as its bridges." This is their commentary on the announcement made last week by Massachusetts State Auditor Joe DeNucci.

BostonNOW published a report on the Charlie Card fiasco that occurred on February 1st.

I'm sure Train Rider is crushed that the Patriots lost the Super Bowl.

Feel free to share your commuter rail updates with me. I can be reached at commuteaholic AT gmail.com.

Construction and Charlie Cards

If this Boston Globe article is true, there could be some major construction at South Station in hte near future.

On a different note, the move to February 1st was not smooth for commuters who have to purchase MBTA Charlie Cards. This is another article from The Boston Globe.

MBTA's Charlie Card

An article about the Charlie Card anniversary appeared in the Sunday, December 23rd issue of the Boston Sunday Globe.

The article was mostly complimentary. It focused on how complaints regarding the card have decreased over the past six months. It also explained how the cards are not able to be used on the commuter rail system run jointly by the MBTA/MBCR. Apparently there are plans to enable the cards to be used on the commuter rail line at some point.

Also, some critics of the Charlie Card were quoted in the article. The critics feel that the T could do more to institute flexible fares - charging different rates at different times during the day to encourage ridership and usage of public transportation.

Of course, the T is against that idea. The T also thinks the cards (which cost $192 million to implement and didn't result in any staff reductions) are "successful."

Happy Birthday, Charlie Card

The MBTA's CharlieCard program celebrated its first birthday yesterday. According to the Boston Herald, the CharlieCard is going to be rolled out to commuter rail trains and T parking facilities.

I can't wait to see how this works!

The Herald said:

The MBTA’s goal is to allow customers to drive to a commuter rail parking lot, take a commuter rail train into North or South Station and then hop onto the subway or a bus - using a CharlieCard to pay for each leg of the trip.

That sounds good in theory, but how is it going to work? Does this mean we'll slide our CharlieCards into a card reader before getting onto the commuter rail train platform? How about when we board the trains at North or South Station? Will they eliminate conductors because of the CharlieCard?

Of course, we don't know how it is going to work or when it is going to be rolled out. That is b/c the T doesn't know.

The exact timetable for the full rollout depends on what systems the MBTA comes up with to accept CharlieCard payments, but the expansion will start with a single commuter line for testing purposes. The MBTA is soliciting the help of a consulting firm to oversee design and implementation of the new systems and their integration with current CharlieCard technology.

This is going to be very interesting.