MBCR Train Schedule for 4th of July Holiday

Can you believe Independence Day is nearly around the corner. This is one of my all-time favorite holidays. First - I love being American. Second - it is great to have something to celebrate in the summer.

The 4th falls on a Sunday this year. Which means that many organizations will be closed on Monday, July 5th as their official holiday date. However, some companies will be open business as usual on 7/5. What does this mean to commuter rail riders? Holiday Service!!

The MBCR released the following information regarding the 4th of July Holiday weekend:

On Sunday, July 4th MBCR will operate on the SATURDAY schedule, typical for the observance of this holiday. Please see the online schedules www.mbta.com or the handhelds that are available at North, South and Back Bay stations. Here, you will also find the trains that may be held following the conclusion of the 4th of July fireworks.

On Monday, July 5th MBCR will operate on a SUNDAY schedule in observance of the Federal Holiday celebration. Please note the limited train times if you plan to travel on Monday.

MBCR: Safe Boarding Practices

New Safer Boarding Procedure All Trains, All Lines.

Effective Monday, June 14th, 2010, every train must have all exterior doors fully closed before the train can move away from the station platforms. Therefore customers on all trains must board and exit their train only where a conductor is present.

This new, safer boarding process was initially tested on some off peak trains during 2009 and rolled out across the system on all Off Peak Old Colony and Fairmount lines on February 1, 2010. Beginning Monday, June 14th, 2010 the closing of all exterior doors while a train is in motion will become mandatory across all Commuter Rail lines. The closing of all exterior doors is common on passenger railroads across the country and will improve the level of customer safety. By having a set number of doors in use, train crews can ensure that passengers board and exit the train safely and prevent customers from boarding or exiting a moving train.

Passengers MUST NOT open their own doors or traps and we ask that you board only where a conductor is present. Conductors will be required to open adjacent coach doors allowing access and egress to two cars per conductor. The practice of passengers opening their own doors will delay trains as train crews will no longer be able to walk through the train while it is in motion to close the doors, but will instead have to walk along the platform or though the train to close doors before the train can depart the station.

We recognize that change is not always easy and wish to thank you for your cooperation. We would like to assure you that we are monitoring train on time performance and boarding issues , so that any adjustments to schedules can be considered if necessary.

Please allow time to board your train at the appropriate door as the closest door will not always be available.

For more information regarding these changes, we encourage you to watch our new informational video on “Commuter Rail Boarding Procedures” by opening the following link:
http://vbrick.powerhost.powerstream.net/003/02584/safetyriding.wmv

We would like to thank you in advance for your cooperation, while we continue our efforts to improve the level of safety for our customers.

Thank you for riding the commuter rail.
Customer ServiceMassachusetts Bay Commuter Rail
Operating the Commuter Rail on behalf of the MBTA

Lots of MBCR Communication

Hello Fellow Trainstoppers! It's been awhile since I've visited the blog, but I wanted to pass along a bit of correspondence that I've received from MBCR ... and to apologize for the lack of posts. Sadly, my company is now blocking websites with a log in and Commute-a-holic is unavailable as well, so my good intentions are falling by the wayside.

First off, I want to ask what you all think of the new "board/depart only where there is conductor" policy? It doesn't seem to have adversely impacted the schedule, which is what I feared when it first started ... and everyone seems to be doing a good job for the most part.

One thing that is kind of annoying ... the looped announcements at the Grafton T stop thanking us for riding the MBTA. One day last week when the train was late, I would have expected the announcement to change, advising us of the delay, but it did not.

Here is post #1 from MBCR regarding a new commuting survey:

To all of our Worcester Line Customers

Commuter Rail Newsletter and Survey results are now available!

We are pleased to announce that the summer edition of the MBCR customer newsletter, the “Commuter Express” is now available. We hope to provide these informational pamphlets quarterly to provide our passengers with the latest information. If there is anything special that you would like to see addressed in future editions, please feel free to send your comments/suggestions to: www.mbcr.net

The newsletter is available online and can be viewed by clicking on the link below.
http://mbcr.net/customer%20service/Summer_Web.pdf

You may also pick up a copy which can be found at the information booths at Back Bay, South and North Stations.

Thank you to all those who participated in our last survey; please log on to the following link to see the results: http://mbcr.net/Survey_Results.html

Thank you for riding commuter rail.
Customer Service Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail
Operating the Commuter Rail on behalf the of MBTA

Commuter Rail Schedule Changes and On Time Performance Statistics

Effective Monday, January 11, there will be schedule changes for the following commuter rail lines: Fairmont, Fitchburg, Greenbush, Haverhill, Middleborough/Lakeville and Plymouth/Kingston.

Updated schedules can be found at http://www.mbcr.net or you can pick up paper copies of the schedules at North Station, South Station and Back Bay Station.

Ah, these must be consistently late trains in terms of on-time performance, hence, let's make a schedule change! (Do I sound bitter?)

I will say that the MBCR website has been recently updated and there is a lot of new information on it ... which FINALLY includes On Time Performance statistics! No more searching out the posters in South Station. The November performance stats can be found here
http://www.mbcr.net/Report_Card/NovOTP.pdf.

Overall for November, trains were on time 83% of the time, down from 88% in October and 93% in September. On the Worcester line, on time performance in November was 89%, 84% in October and 89% in September, with YTD on time performance at 87%.

The best performing line continues to be Greenbush, with YTD on time performance at 95%. The worst performing line is Middleborough, with YTD on time performance at 82%. However, for the month of November, Middleborough only had 26% on time performance. That is completely unacceptable. If I rode the Middleborough line, I would be livid!

Also, MBCR now posts the reasons that on time performance was not reached:

• November 2: Crossing Failure on Fitchburg line- 10 delays
• November 3: Train 129 Mechanical problems- 11 delays
• November 5: Train 442 fatality on Fitchburg line line- 12 delays
• November 6: Broken rail at Beverly- 13 delays
• November 7: Train 1703 fatality on Franklin line- 5 delays
• November 9: Train 328 mechanical failure- 17 delays
• November 13: Train 006 mechanical failure- 11 delays
• November 24: Lowell line signal failure- 14 delays
• November 28: Train 1165 fatality on Newburyport line- 1 cancelled train
• Ongoing Speed restrictions on the Middleboro and Plymouth/Kingston Lines due to concrete tie deterioration causing delays.

MBCR Announcement Re: Departing Trains

Received this MBCR Rail Mail today regarding changes to boarding/departing commuter trains.

Effective January 11, 2010, except in the case of emergency, customers will no longer be allowed to enter or exit from the “operating end” of the control coach. The engineer operates the train from this location on inbound trips. Upon arrival into Boston, there are mandatory safety duties for engineers to perform which do not allow for foot traffic through the operating end of these coaches.

Signs will be placed on the coach door on that end of all control cars to remind customers of this rule. Please enter and exit only through a door that is attended by a crewmember.

We appreciate that there will be some inconvenience to our passengers that are accustomed to using the control car exit door, but for safety reasons we must enforce this new policy. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Commuter rail service information, including updated commuter rail advisories/alerts is available on the MBTA website at www.mbta.com, or by calling the MBTA Customer Support Services Center at 617-222-3200.

I always sit in the first car, so this will make for a bottleneck once we get to South Station. I wonder why all of a sudden it's a safety concern though? I've been taking the commuter rail for six years and this is the first I've heard about it.

"Safety" First ... Just Wait Until I Finish Watching This Movie

I've been traveling for work a fair bit over the last month or so and thus have not been taking the train regularly. I do have some MBCR updates to post, but first, I wanted to comment on an article in the Globe today about a secret hideaway for MBCR employees who work in Somerville.

It seems that working is not really their main focus, instead, the employees (responsible for maintaining the safety of the trains) would disappear to watch movies, play video games, surf the web and look at porn. Amazing that they could get away with it for so long ... and really, how focused could they be on train maintenance if they were otherwise occupied? Unbelievable that this is what we pay for.

Here is the article:

An investigation led to a strange discovery hidden in a storage room: a makeshift entertainment center, including three televisions, two DVD players, one VHS player, surround-sound speakers, a video game system, and DVDs, some of them pornographic, a transportation official said yesterday.

The equipment, slyly camouflaged within the commuter rail’s massive Somerville maintenance facility, even had an illegal cable television connection that came through a 1,000-foot cable, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is not yet concluded.

“This was very much concealed among maintenance parts and equipment,’’ said the official. “Nobody was watching at the time [it was found], but all that property was confiscated.’’
No employees have come forward to claim the property since it was found Dec. 8. But six who were absent during a roll call on the evening it was discovered have been suspended as part of the investigation, including one employee who is accused of spending long breaks on the night shift at a bar he is believed to own on the North Shore. It is not clear whether the employee was drinking at the bar while on duty.

“Clearly, being off property and at a bar for several hours, regardless of what you’re doing, is inappropriate’’ while on duty, the transportation official said.
Attempts to reach union officials representing the suspended workers were unsuccessful yesterday.

The employees do not work for the MBTA. They work for a private consortium, the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad, which runs the T’s commuter rail service under a contract with the public agency. The employees work as mechanics at the Boston Engine Terminal, a 375,000-square-foot facility in Somerville used for locomotive and coach maintenance.

“As the result of an ongoing investigation, Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad has suspended six employees, indefinitely, for apparent violations of workplace rules and regulations,’’ the company said in a statement. “Pending final outcome of the investigation, these employees will face full disciplinary action, including termination. MBCR maintains a zero tolerance policy toward any inappropriate behavior in the workplace.’’

The investigation began after the new manager took over the facility about six weeks ago and noticed that employees on the 4 p.m. to midnight shift were taking breaks of 1 1/2 to 2 hours at a time, instead of the customary 30 to 45 minutes, according to the official.

While searching for missing employees last week, managers severed two padlocks on the electrical cabinet to find the entertainment center. Two of 14 DVDs hidden in the cabinet were pornographic, the official said. The others were mainstream movies, including “Rambo.’’ Pornography is prohibited under the company’s harassment and discrimination policies, the official said.

The company also prohibits employees from bringing in equipment likely to distract them from their jobs. The facility has a break room, but the entertainment center was located far away from it, the official said.

The suspended employees, who have not been named, are on unpaid leave, but will be paid retroactively for lost time if cleared. They have not been accused of using the entertainment center. Five have been accused of taking long breaks; the sixth was accused specifically of spending time at the bar, the official said.

The company plans to donate the equipment and destroy the videos, the official said.

Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa

A few days of bad commutes means the arrival of MBCR Rail Mail with their apologies

==========================================================

To All of Our Worcester Line Customers

Please accept our sincere apologies for the delays you have experienced this week on the commuter rail system.

We are aware that the reasons for these delays to your commute are of little importance when you simply want to reach your destination on time. We fully understand that what you are looking for is the restoration of reliable, on-time service.

Our plan to make this happen will include providing additional resources at Worcester to monitor and assist with mechanical reliability, and increasing management focus on each cause of delay for the foreseeable future. As always, we have reviewed each delay incident with our operating staff to identify ways we can reduce passenger impact for similar incidents in the future.

Please be assured that we will continue to work to restore the service to a level of reliability that meets your expectations. Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with this explanation and apology. As always, thank you for riding the commuter rail.

========================================================

You know, I mentioned this last year around this time ... that there should be some staff either on site or on call in the Worcester area so when mechanical issues occur, we don't need to wait and wait until help arrives in order to even start working on the situation.

Commuter Rail Schedule Update

Received some RailMail recently, advising of upcoming schedule changes.

On Monday May 18th, 2009, new schedules will go into effect on the Franklin, Middleborough/Lakeville, Framingham/Worcester, Needham and Providence Lines.

Changes to the Worcester Line will affect one inbound and one outbound weekend train ONLY.

Weekend – INBOUND

Train P552: the 09:35am departure from Worcester will leave 10 minutes earlier at 09:25am arriving in Boston 10 minutes earlier. This adjustment was made due to a schedule conflict with other trains along the line.

Weekend – OUTBOUND

Train P553: the 07:50am will leave Boston 10 minutes earlier at 07:40am arriving in Worcester 10 minutes earlier.

Additional schedule information and printable PDF copies of all schedules are available at the following link on our website: http://www.mbcr.net/schedules/Worcester_web.pdf

They will also be available on the MBTA website at the following link: www.mbta.com as of Monday, May 18th.

In our efforts to “Go-Green” we will be printing a limited number of pocket schedules and ask that you to print copies from one of the above links.

Commuter rail service information, including updated commuter rail advisories/alerts is available on the MBTA website at www.mbta.com, or by calling the MBTA’s Customer Support Services Center at 617-222-3200.

Thank you for riding commuter rail.
Customer ServiceMassachusetts Bay Commuter Rail
Operating the Commuter Rail on behalf of the MBTA

A Minute Late, a Car Short and Riding for Free

Apparently I missed some "excitement" on the p508 yesterday morning. I had driven to work because I had an appointment afterwards, so I missed out on the delays due to mechanical issues. According to riders, the train never arrived to South Station until almost 9:30. Ugh! I am quite glad to have missed that commute.

This morning's commute on the p508 was back on track ... although we were a car short, so it was more crowded than usual. We arrived to South Station at 8:24, just a minute off of the scheduled arrival time.

I received an email about the annual program "Meet the MBCR Managers," whereby commuters are invited to meet with representatives from the commuter rail management team. I really wish Dan G. would be there so I could tell him what I think about his "give me revenue or you get nothing" threats. Frankly, I'm going to skip this meeting this year ... I went last year and spent over an hour talking to different managers and all of my comments about windows on the train (still a problem on the Worcester/Framingham line), lack of express service, parking rates, hardships with inserting dollar bills into the tiny slots, etc. Nothing really came of it as far as I can see.

But, if any of you are interested, or have suggestions or ideas you would like to share, the managers will be South Station on May 12th, North Station on May 14th and Back Bay on May 20th between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

WHDH (Channel 7) had an eye-opening report last night about free rides on the commuter rail, which has long been a bone of contention for me (as I get my monthly pass through my company). Their undercover reporters rode 23 times on a 12 ride ticket. I know that people play the system, banking on not getting their ticket checked, but really, for a cash strapped agency, you would think they would check every single person, all of the time. But, for those of us who ride the rails every day, this really isn't new information.

MBCR issued the following statement regarding Channel 7's story:

"Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad is committed to collecting every fare. While we were disappointed to learn of Channel 7's experience and plan to investigate this story, we believe it is not an objective portrait of the fare collection program. MBCR data shows that fare collection has improved. In 2008, commuter rail ridership was up 2% and on-board fare collection was up 5.5% over 2007. Complaints regarding fare collection have declined from 29 complaints in October of 2008 to just four complaints in March 2009. MBCR has employed a number of proactive steps to ensure every fare is collected.

Last summer, we implemented a "Buy Before You Board" campaign and have dispatched mystery shoppers on trains to evaluate our staff's efforts to collect fares. In January, MBCR launched a two-day customer service training program for all conductors that emphasizes keys to customer satisfaction, including fare collection. We continue to work hard to overcome the challenge of collecting every fare on a system without gates or turn-styles and look forward to working with the MBTA to implement the Charlie Card collection system on commuter rail . We encourage all of our customers to report uncollected fares to our customer service department at www.mbcr.net ."

Whether or not the "Buy Before You Board" program helped decrease the amount of fares not collected, I will say that the Worcester/Framingham conductors are quite diligent and consistent with fare collection.

There was a great article in the Globe yesterday about how all of the transit problems cause problems for businesses. I mean, that's a no-brainer, right? A workable, functioning transportation system is vital for Boston. Businesses and industries that want to expand in Massachusetts, such as life sciences and healthcare, will have trouble doing so if they can't transport products and employees quickly and efficiently.

A new study published by A Better City, a Boston-based business organization, found that congestion on Massachusetts roads cost businesses $1.8 billion a year in lost productivity and increased shipping costs, a nearly fourfold increase since 1990. And as we know, both the highway and transit services/agencies are under great financial strain. The study identified a number of revenue measures, such as higher gas taxes, tolls on the turnpike, and bus, subway and commuter fares, and concluded the gas tax is the most efficient. But it stopped short of advocating a large increase. But, as we've been advocating ... something has to be done and soon ...

Opening Day, Take Two

Let's hope the rain holds off and the Red Sox are able to play some baseball today ... GO SOX!!!

Today's commute on the p508 was right on time, we arrived to South Station exactly at the scheduled time of 8:23 AM.

I read a very interesting article in the Globe Starts & Stops column over the weekend regarding on-time performance for commuter rail trains. The article states that the performance statistics published by the MBTA for rush-hour trains are actually late about 6 percentage points more often than indicated in the official statistics.

I've often contended on this blog that the on-time performance statistics are inaccurate, because it includes times for all trains across the schedule, when really, we care mostly about the morning/evening rush hour trains (i.e. peak service). The MBTA/MBCR doesn't make the distinction between peak vs. non-peak service in their statistics, but considering that over 69% of riders take rush hour trains, don't these trains become more important from an on-time service perspective?

The article further states that on-time performance stats may be posted online in the "future." I've been requesting this on a regular basis from both the MBTA and MBCR to no avail. I'll bet something like this (people questioning the validity of the stats) is something they want to avoid, but since they are a public agency funded by taxpayer dollars, I think they should be mandated to display this information ... and not just on a poster near the ticket window in South Station.

Slight Delays on the P508

The p508 was running about 10 minutes late this morning. I received a T Alert while waiting on the platform at the Grafton stop that the train was going to be delayed 15-20 minutes. It arrived in Grafton at 7:15 AM (just 8 minutes off the scheduled time of 7:09 AM). Due to those schedule changes implemented last year (you know, where the MBTA built time into every schedule to deal with their poor performance) we were "only" 8 minutes late upon arrival at South Station, pulling in at 8:32 AM.

I noticed at article in the Metro this morning that touted improved on time performance stats for the commuter rail. I thought this part of the article was quite telling:

The month of March got off to a rocky start for commuter rail travel after yesterday’s storm dropped up to a foot of snow across the region. However, despite the weather hiccup, MBCR officials say on-time service has significantly improved after a dreadful December and January.

Schedule changes on lines north of Boston and the Fairmount line helped boost overall on time service to 87.8 percent in February, compared with 76.5 percent in January, according to the MBCR.

So, on time performance has improved, not really because the trains are on time, but because schedules were extended across most other commuter rail lines (this happened on the Worcester-Framingham line a year ago) instead of addressing the issues at hand like old equipment and signal issues, the MBTA/MBCR. I can't say I'm surprised though.

On Time Commute

The on time commutes for the p508 continued this week, with an arrival to South Station around 8:20 AM.

I'm not sure if anyone has noticed the walkway under construction at the Grafton lot, but I tripped this morning on the covering and nearly fell flat on my face. Just a word to the wise to be careful, because that covering gaps and you can get caught pretty easily.

According to an article on Wicked Local Westborough, a number of state representatives have banded together to urge CSX to deal with delays along the Worcester/Framingham line. In a letter to CSX, the legislators said while the company that runs the commuter trains (MBCR) is responsible for some delays, CSX also has contributed to the problem by being less responsive to problems on the tracks. A CSX spokesman confirmed that CSX was responsible for 23.8 percent of commuter rail delays in January and 17 percent in December. I think that's great information to have. I wish the MBTA/MBCR would provide this information as well.

I know that CSX maintains an open dialogue with the MBTA/MBCR regarding commuter rail performance. Hopefully, this letter is only the beginning of increase communication and oversight that will help stabilize and improve on time performance across the Worcester/Framingham line.

Unpleasant News for Friday the 13th

For months, we've known that transportation related initiatives in Massachusetts were in a tail spin. The MBTA, in particular, has been in a fiscal crunch.

Reports are out today that Transportation Secretary James A. Aloisi Jr. has said that the T will need make a number of drastic measures to stay afloat. These measures may include fare increases of up to 25%, a cut back in services or employee layoffs. Aloisi told the T's Board that, if they don't make some decisions by June, the state will step in and make the decisions for them.

This message comes on ahead of next week's anticipated announcement of Governor Deval Patrick's transportation plan.

Essentially, Aloisi is asking the T to either do what is right for T riders or to see if the T is going to continue their coddling of employees. T employees have the right to a full pension after 23 years of service. No doubt the pension payouts have contributed to their $5.2 billion debt (this includes interest).

My personal T "perk" pet peeve is the fact that so many T employees have use of a vehicle. The state made most departments turn in state cars on January 1, 2009. The T was not included in this return, as they are a quasi-private entity and can do their own thing.

You can read all about this in the following articles:

• The Boston Globe
• The Boston Globe Thursday, February 12th article (good for the reader comments)
  
• The Boston Herald
• Boston Metro
  

I do enjoy reading the comments that are posted to some articles. Here is one that was posted to The Globe's article published today:

What makes this all the more infuriating is that the T continues to avoid making the right, ethical decisions regarding its notorious retiree gravy train. These are tough times for all, and present T-retirees should be required to sacrifice as much as present employees and, indeed, the rest of us outside the T's bastion of utlra-entitled hackery.

First things first: make current retirees pay more for their health care, eliminate their ridiculous choices in the matter, and start taking a hard look at those who've gotten away with "gaming the system" in their pensions. We shouldn't be demanding sacrifice only from active working people; those now sitting pretty with ludicrous retirement packages should make sacrifices too.

Of course there are the T unions to deal with. In crisis there is opportunity, and this seems to be an excellent opening to take the corrupt public unions down a few pegs.

Just a thought...or two.

WickedLocal Mansfield published a letter from a MBTA/MBCR commuter rail rider who has been ticketed for not paying the $4.00 parking fee even though it was paid.

Today's Globe also published an article about how the T will be leasing space at the Riverside MBTA Green Line station in Newton.

Finally, due to business in my personal and professional life (sorry!), I've been behind some news updates. The Boston Globe's local news sections recently wrote an article about Needham line commuter rail passengers. It was published earlier in the week on February 10th. The article was published on part of a new news feed for Needham, Newton and Waltham. The purpose of the local sections is to try to "identify readers and their needs." The Globe is particularly interested in regular updates and news about the Needham line. So if you are a Needham line rider and if you would like to provide commuter rail updates to The Globe, feel free to contact Regional Editor David Dahl at dahl AT globe.com.

Being Punctual Matters to MBTA/MBCR Commuter Rail Riders

Hello Train Riders! Both Train Rider and I have had a busy week this week. But we do not have any complaints about being busy - we're both happy to be employed. Plus, keeping busy means you can stay warm. It is brisk out there, huh? It was 5F while I was driving to the gym this morning and a balmy 8F on my way to work.

WBZ's "Conversation Nation" started a thread this morning about commuter rail punctuality. This thread was started based on an article in today's The Boston Globe about how late arriving trains could actually cause a decrease in ridership.

This is a topic, unfortunately, that Train Stopping is all too familiar with.

The Globe's article includes this stunning chart that compares on-time averages across all the commuter rail lines in 2007 versus 2008. Think about this:

• January 2007 - 93.0% on time
  
• January 2008 - 77.4% on time
• January 2009 - 76.7%

Those are not numbers that help commuters. Many of the people interviewed in The Globe's article indicated that they would prefer to ride the train for both financial, personal and environmental reasons, but they can't rely on it and need to drive themselves to work.

Over the past six months, during a time when the MBTA was trying to show new riders the wonders of mass transportation, one in five commuter trains arrived at least five minutes late, and many were much later. In December and January, the problem worsened - in part due to weather, maintenance problems, and track construction - with nearly a quarter of the trains failing to arrive within the five-minute window.

One in five trains are at least five minutes late!!

MBTA GM Dan Grabauskas, in his great fashion, of course places the blame for the on-time performance on factors ranging from the weather to the MBCR. This is Dan's way, huh?

The MBCR notes that the old equipment is owned by the MBTA and that the MBCR is considering purchasing their own used locomotives because the T hasn't bought any new ones.

The article also acknowledges that some lines are worse than other lines.

The Eagle-Tribune also wrote an article about this winter's train woes. This article focuses on the Haverhill line and the ungodly commutes that people have endured.

Well, maybe if the T managed their budget better, they would have some more resources to run the trains properly. Yesterday's Globe ran a front-page article on how different state agencies, including the MBTA, hire outside lobbyists. The T spent $48,000 on lobbyists last year alone. Governor Patrick has said that state agencies can no longer use lobbyists.

Finally, more on the Green Line extension.

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.

Good Samaritan and MBCR News

Here's some nice news. Grafton Train Rider shared the following:

I took P529 home last night (January 7th) - arrived on-time per schedule. While clearing slush off of my windshield, I noticed a cell phone near my car's tire. Fortunately, the owner had a contact number "Home" so the phone was returned promptly in Grafton Center.

Nice job Grafton Train Rider!

In other news, the MBCR now has a newsletter, called Commuter Express. Looks like they'll be publishing this twice a year (wow!!). Here's the announcement:

We are pleased to announce the reintroduction of MBCR’s customer newsletter, the “Commuter Express”. We hope to be able to provide these informational pamphlets at least twice annually. If there is anything special that you would like to see addressed in future newsletters, please feel free to send your comments/suggestions to us at: http://www.mbcr.net/

You can subscribe to this at the MBCR's website.

Sleety Icy Work from Home Day

Due to the weather conditions in Central Massachusetts, I'm working from home today. If anyone has updates about today's MBTA/MBCR commutes, feel free to share them as comments or email either myself (worctrainrider AT gmail.com) or Commute-a-holic (commuteaholic AT gmail.com).

From today's The Boston Globe, an article about the state's transportation situation. There is a real possibility that Mass Pike tolls, T fares and gas taxes will increase in 2009. It might be one increase, say just a gas tax increase, or increases across the board. Our transportation system is broken.

Also in today's Globe, an article about how the T is still showing a strong increase in the number of riders. The article mention that more riders are evident on the MBTA's/MBCR's commuter rail lines. Across the country, transit systems have noticed an increase in riders. Transit experts say it is too soon to say if Americans have undergone a paradigm shift and are moving towards mass transit.

With all the information about the increase in ridership, it would be nice if the MBTA/MBCR could publish their on-time performance stats for the commuter rail lines. I would love to see information about the commuter rail performance for 2008 and also a monthly breakout.

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?

Where was the P504 Today?

Train Rider is back. I did ask Santa to make sure that the MBTA/MBCR commuter rail performs with a 95% on-time performance. That's all I wanted for Christmas. Too bad Santa didn't listen to me. Today was another fine Monday.

I had a very early meeting this morning. So, instead of taking the P508, I attempted to take the P504. Guess what - the P504, which departs Grafton at 6:19 a.m., was cancelled this morning. I have no idea why the train wasn't running - it seems par for the course on Monday's. Has the MBTA/MBCR been able to make sure the Monday morning trains on the Worcester line actually run when they are supposed to? It wasn't snowing this morning. It wasn't freezing cold. Monday's happen - so where was the train?

Based on feedback shared by one of my coworkers, I do believe the P508 ran on schedule today.

Total bummer about the Pats, huh? That's what we get for counting on the Jets. Stupid Jets. Stupid Brett Favre.

Worcester Line Holiday Schedule Update

The MBTA still has not corrected the press release about the 2008 Holiday Schedule. Fear not, Worcester-Framingham line riders, Newtonville Train Rider shared the following:

I called the "customer service" line. I was at least able to learn that the P515 will be going all the way to Worcester, and the P519 will be making the Newton and Wellesley stops.

They didn't have a list of the changes; he just had to compare the two schedules and identify the differences. There could be more than the two I listed!

I don't know if other trains are impacted, but I sure hope this information helps.

In other news, at least the team at Daily Worcesteria is trying to find out the on-time performance reports for the Worcester line. But, neither the MBTA nor the MBCR is being that helpful. Check this out:

The MBTA and train operator MBCR used to be one of the best with responding to information requests: We’d ask for on time performance numbers for the Worcester line for a certain time frame, and get a response; usually within a few hours, occasionally within a day. How times have changed. In November, we emailed Joe Pesaturo at MBTA, asking him for October data. He told us it wouldn’t be ready until December. On Monday, we emailed MBCR spokesman Scott Farmelant, who told us he was out until Wednesday. On Tuesday, Pesaturo told us to email Farmelant; when we told him Farmelant was out, he responded he had forwarded our request to the railroads operation staff. We’re still waiting on the numbers.

Governor Patrick - since you've made a lot of people unhappy with your selection of James Aloisi as the new Transportation Secretary, perhaps you can hold the MBTA/MBCR accountable with providing on-time performance results of the commuter rail lines IMMEDIATELY after the month closes, not months later. Lt. Governor Tim Murray - you seem interested in transportation - what about holding some people accountable?

Happy Holidays!!