TGIF!

I don't know about you, but sometimes the short work weeks seem longer than the regular work weeks! And speaking of work, my schedule has been so wacky lately it's impacting my ability to consistently update Train Stopping ... that and I have been driving in a fair bit because there's nothing worse than working a 12 hour day, waiting for the 8:20 PM or 10:20 PM train and not getting home until midnight ... then getting up at 5:45 AM to do it all again.

This morning's commute on the P508 was right on time, we arrived to South Station at 8:22 AM.

According to an article in yesterday's Globe, plans for toll increases on the Pike and fare hikes and service reductions on the MBTA are on target to be implemented, if the sales tax increase is not implemented. Last week, the House and Senate passed budgets that would increase the state sales tax from 5 percent to 6.25 percent and devote about $275 million to transportation. The noteworthy thing about these budgets is that they are veto-proof.

Lawmakers appear committed to preventing the hefty toll increases that are otherwise set to take effect July 1. Lawmakers have made less of a public commitment to rescuing the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority from its $160 million deficit. The MBTA passed a budget earlier this year that presumes there will be a legislative bailout. But an advisory panel, which has the final word on the authority's budget, is expected to reject that plan at a meeting today. Instead, the MBTA Advisory Board will consider a budget that lays off about 1,200 MBTA employees - putting further pressure on the T to begin publicly planning service cuts and fare hikes.

In practice, the T would still have several months of public hearings to decide what combination of layoffs, service cuts or fare hikes it would impose to plug its budget gap. General manager Daniel A. Grabauskas said in an e-mail yesterday that he is "very much encouraged by the support in the House and Senate for transportation reform and new funding that is currently pending."

Assuming the Legislature keeps its transportation commitment at $275 million, there would be enough to avoid fee hikes on both the turnpike and the T for another year. But, that totally leaves out residents in Western Mass. who do not use public transportation, but should benefit from the money as well in order to repair roads or bridges.

Basically, this is a step in the right direction, but I doubt the MBTA will get all of the money it needs and we'll see a fare increase as a result. Blah.

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 ...

Neglected

I think I need an intern! Work has just been flat out crazy, leaving me hardly any time to post commuting updates to TrainStopping. Luckily, the commutes have been pretty smooth this week, with the p508 arriving on time or within 1-2 mintues of the scheduled arrival time to South Station. This morning's train pulled into South Station at 8:20 AM.

Given all the media hype about the Swine Flu and Vice President Biden's somewhat suspect comments about not taking public transportation (which really isn't an option for the majority of us), the MBTA is ramping up their cleaning efforts of buses, trains and stations. According to an email from T General Manager Daniel Grabauskas, “The MBTA has directed its cleaning crews to give special attention to places such as seats, hand rails on escalators and grab bars on subway cars and buses."

Yesterday at Union Station in Worcester, a transportation forum was sponsored by The Research Bureau and attended by Dan Grabauskas, James Aloisi and Lt. Governor Tim Murray, among others. Topics of interest at the forum included:

• Expanding rail service via a commuter rail route that would take passengers from Worcester to Boston through Clinton and Ayer
• CSX moving its Allston rail yard to a location in Central Massachusetts
• A pending agreement with the T’s union employees, reducing the agency’s generous benefits system and saving millions of dollars

Happy Earth Day

It's true every day of the year, but especially on Earth Day ... if you want to help reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, one of the best things you can do is get out of your car and onto public transportation. This is one of the main reasons why I take the commuter rail.

In 2008, Americans took 10.7 billion trips on public transportation, the highest level of ridership in over 50 years, according to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). This represents a 4.0 percent increase over the number of trips taken in 2007 on public transportation, while at the same time, vehicle miles traveled on our nation’s roads declined by 3.6 percent in 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“Even as gas prices fell for the second half of the year and hundreds of thousands of people lost jobs, more and more people chose to ride public transportation throughout the country,” said APTA president William W. Millar. “Given our current economic condition, people are looking for ways to save money and taking public transportation offers a substantial savings of more than $8,000 a year. That’s quite a savings.”

It is cheaper to ride the rails and when the commutes are on time, it's quite the relaxing ride. The Worcester/Framingham commutes (generally the p508 or p512 in the morning and either the p527 or p 529) have been pretty consistent as of late. Today's commute on the p508 was ahead of schedule, we arrived at South Station at 8:21 AM.

In other news, the MBTA plans to cut expenses by laying off non-union workers and transit police and freezing wages. The moves will save $4.5 million to $6 million per year, but will probably not be enough to prevent the agency's budget deficit for the coming year from going even higher than the previous projection of $160 million, MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas said.

It's a start, but the T needs to do more.

See Something, Say Something

Today's commute on the P508 was a few minutes behind schedule ... we arrived at South Station at 8:25 AM, two minutes off the scheduled mark.

There's a lot going on on the MBTA front:

• The MBTA has postponed their annual vote to determine funding for replacing old machinery (train cars, buses and tracks). Usually, the MBTA borrows the money necessary for maintenance, but given their current fiscal situation, further leveraging themselves is not in their best interest.

• Transportation Secretary James Aliosi is downplaying the article in the Globe (and reported on TrainStopping) regarding service cuts across the subway, bus and commuter lines. He insists that noting has been decided and that any recommendations will go through a "robust, public vetting."

• Governor Patrick is unhappy with the transportation plan offered by the state legislature, saying that it's not good enough. The main bone of contention seems to be the gas tax hike, with the governor's recommendation being 19 cents per gallon, but the Legislature only agreeing to 10 cents or under per gallon.

It will be an interesting few months to say the least.

This morning at South Station, member of the MBTA Transit Police were touting the "See something, Say something" program in order to encourage riders to take an interest in their own safety and others while riding on the subway, bus or commuter rail. The pamphlet encourages you to speak up if you see unattended bags, passengers behaving strangely, groups operating in a "rehearsed or orchestrated manner," or anything suspicious. A few months ago, I was waiting for a red line train at South Station and I saw someone walking on the tracks into the tunnel. I did report it to an MBTA official who promptly took action.

On Time on the P512

I ended up taking the p512 this morning ... arriving at South Station at 9:08 AM (right on time), then zipping on the Silver Line to my office.

I wish I could take the p512 every day ... I could get up later in the morning and not have to rush from the house to make the p508. Alas, officially, my work start time is 8:30, so the p512 is a once in awhile luxury.

The MetroWest Daily News posted an article that succinctly describes what will likely happen to us Worcester/Framingham riders if the transportation crisis isn't resolved. Some "highlights" (this term is used loosely) from the article:

• MetroWest rail stops in Natick, Framingham, Ashland and Southborough could see varied fare increases anywhere from $40 to $75 for a monthly pass, which currently ranges in the three zones from $186 to $223.
• The inevitable longer wait and overcrowding if service is reduced would be more than an annoyance for commuters, said Eric Bourassa of MassPIRG. "People won't be able to come in early, or leave late from work," he said. "If they want to do anything, they'll have to switch to driving."
• Bourassa said a fare increase in 2007 saw MBTA ridership decrease by 37 million trips, or 9.5 percent, but rebounded after the price of gas rose the following year.
  

TGIF!

I'm glad today is Friday ... I need the R&R over the weekend.

Today's p508 was on time to South Station, arriving at 8:20 AM. Knock on wood, the morning commutes have been pretty decent as of late. Also, we had an actual working door on the first car this morning ... and windows you could see out of! Will wonders never cease?

As I've previously mentioned, last week the MBTA presented a proposed $1.6 billion fiscal-year 2010 budget to its board. The budget includes a $160 million deficit which is the highest in MBTA's history due to declining revenues (from the sales tax) and increased operating expenses. I was able to find more details on the MBTA budget, follow this link.

It's a sobering look at the state of the system. I do find it quite interesting that revenues are still decreasing across the MBTA considering they touted their huge ridership levels last year.

Swamped!

Sorry for the delay in posting, it's been a hectic day work wise.

This morning's p508 commute was slightly delayed, we arrived to South Station at 8:30AM, 7 minutes after the scheduled arrival time. I believe that any train that is more than 5 minutes late doesn't count towards on time performance ... so we're 1 for 2 so far ... two days into February.

Interesting articles in today's Herald and Globe regarding the salary increases for MBTA employees. I love the Herald, they always tell it like it is with the heading "T Workers Ride the Money Train." The Globe also puts it succinctly "MBTA's payroll jumps as agency struggles." Both articles cite a 14% increase in salaries over the last year, mostly due to the arbitration awards for the union (for which we also have to thank for the increased parking rates).

Given the current economic climate, you would think a cash strapped agency like the MBTA would try cutting costs. I know that across industries, people are taking salary cuts or foregoing overtime pay in order to keep their jobs. Apparently not at the MBTA. Funny enough, General Manager Dan Grabausaks announced a $160 million deficit for the MBTA and says he hopes that we don't have to suffer reduced service or fare hikes like NYC's transit system.

You know what really grinds my gears? This is the second or third time that Dan Grabauskas has trotted out the "Oh, be glad we're not New York city," excuse; as if by threatening us, we'll be less likely to grumble or complain when they allow 14% payroll increases or waste money on WiFi that doesn't even work. We commuters just want reliable, on time service.

Given all of the snow that's been falling all day, I'm hoping that our evening commutes happen without a hitch. I did just check the MBTA website and there are no service delays to report ... yet. Get home safely everyone!

Pre-Independence Day Commute

This morning's commute on the p508 was nice and easy ... train arrived in Grafton at 7:09 and we were at South Station at 8:19. It was not as crowded today as it has been all week, I'll bet a lot of folks are getting a jump start on the long weekend by taking today off.

It looks like high gas prices are also putting the screws to the MBTA. While ridership is up across bus, subway and commuter rail lines, the higher cost of gas is costing the MBTA over $28 million extra, money that is currently not budgeted.

According to a report on Channel 5's website, riders now fear the MBTA may consider cutting services or will institute another fare hike. A member of the T's advisory board said fares only make up 30 percent of the agency's revenue and most of its funds come from the sales tax. The problem is, fuel expenses are just too high right now. The MBTA's Rider Oversight Committee is also concerned, so much so that it plans to send a letter to the governor and legislators blowing the horn on a possible budget derailment.

It's interesting to note that the majority of revenues for the MBTA come from the state sales tax ... I was able to find some information in the 2009 budget about the sales tax, its importance for the MTBA budget and the debt load shouldered by the MBTA:

Sales tax revenue, our largest source of revenue, has grown less than expected and has not met even the most pessimistic minimums assumed at the start of forward funding. Sales tax growth in the 10 years prior to the enactment of forward funding saw an average annual increase of 6.5%. Since 2001 it has averaged only 1.6%. A shortfall of $200 million has required more reliance on debt financing to fund a significant portion of the capital program as well as providing less revenue for the operating budget. The debt burden we carry is perhaps one of the highest in the industry. Total debt outstanding is over $5 billion. Annual principal and interest payments consume more than 26% of revenues and will continue to grow without some type of relief. Left un-checked, the debt burden will limit our ability to provide the quality and quantity of service our customers expect.

Perhaps the greatest challenge facing the Authority is the expected rise in principal and interest costs over the next several years. With the continued slow growth in the dedicated sales tax revenue, these costs will consume an ever increasing amount of revenue each year. Unless corrected or mitigated, this will compromise the Authority’s ability to continue to provide the service levels funded in the Fiscal 2009 budget in future years.


In other news, I've seen billboards in South Station for a new program called "Buy Before You Board." I was able to find some information on Boston.com regarding this new ticketing procedure for the commuter rail. Over the next few weeks, MBTA officials plan to test a new ticket-purchasing procedure at three commuter rail stations heading outbound, to measure the best way to collect fares. This campaign will require commuter rail passengers to buy tickets before they board the train, rather than from a conductor on board. The campaign will rotate shifts at the North, South, and Back Bay stations. A spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co. said officials have received complaints that conductors during rush hour do not have time to collect all tickets on board, allowing some passengers to ride for free.

I think this is a step in the right direction, especially for us monthly pass holders who feel that we get short shifted when passes/tickets aren't collected. I would like to give props to the conductors on the p529/6:15 PM train last night ... although all of the aisles were mobbed (our train was 5 single cars instead of the usual 5 double/1 single) ... they collected passes from everyone.

Have a safe and happy 4th everyone!

The MBTA's Board is Excpected to Approve Funding for Improvements

According to an article in today's Boston Globe, the MBTA's Board of Directors will be meeting on April 3. At the meeting, the Board is expected to approve a $562 million for new cars for the Orange Line and the commuter rail along with a planned expansion of the Silver Line bus service. This will be part of a larger $3.75 billion capital investment.

Since only some of the projects, including repairs, new garages, and new rail cars, will be funded through a combination of federal grants and heavy borrowing, the T's debt will grow by $1.33 billion over the next five years to cover the costs of the rest of the capital improvement plan.

Transit advocates and the T's management both feel that the T needs to incur this debt or the T risks losing riders due to unreliable service.

"Most of it, you would refer to it as needed improvements," said Eric Bourassa, a transportation policy analyst for the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group. "If you don't fix these things or do these things, it's going to break. And the system's not going to work."

The new plan also included new ridership figures, the first time the T has provided since raising fares in January 2007.

Despite the hike, the T did not lose riders last year. Daily ridership on buses, trains, ferries, and subways went from 1,118,071 trips in 2006 to 1,241,631 trips last year.

The T is Financially Broken - $75 Million Budget Deficit

The Boston Globe ran an article on the front page of the CITY section (Section B) titled "T chief declares system 'broke' despite fare hikes."

MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas' big quote was "we're broke!" The T is $75 million in the hole in terms of it's $1.4 billion budget.

Here's the skinny:

His deputy, chief financial officer Jonathan Davis, said last week that the T could refinance some of its $8.2 billion in debt and interest payments, but cautioned that it would push future costs even higher and may not fill the entire gap.

The T is stuck in a harsh cycle of institutional poverty wrought by decades of borrowing. Of every dollar it spends, 27 cents goes to pay off debt. Because fares pay for only about a third of operating costs, the transit system has relied on state subsidies to keep the trains and buses moving. The deficits are only expected to grow in the coming years.

In the 2006 and 2007 budget years, the agency dug into its rainy day budget for a total of about $15 million. This budget year, thanks to the fare increase, it narrowly avoided doing so. Davis said that even without a deficit right now, the T has unhealthy finances, with little money set aside for emergencies, and a dependence on borrowing for major maintenance projects.

"It seems to be an annual, very difficult challenge, to meet our bottom line, while trying to maintain our level of service and the quality of service," Grabauskas said.

The T has also been a victim of rising energy and labor costs as well as slow growth in the collection of state sales tax, its primary source of money.

The T's Board is expected to meet tomorrow to discuss the budget issues. The T does not want to continue increasing fares, as it will discourage people from riding the rails.

2009 Massachusetts Fiscal Budget and the MBTA

My company is closed today because of Martin Luther King Day. So I do not have a commuter rail update to share.

However, I thought a post regarding the 2009 Fiscal Budget for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts made this morning the Massachusetts Liberal blog was worth sharing.

In "Massachusetts Liberal: T is for Truth" some excellent points about the MBTA in relationship to the larger state budget were made.

What will be missing from what minimal media attention there might be is a look at one of the largest consumers of state sales tax revenues -- the MBTA -- and how that operation is meeting its public obligations.

Lost amid the hype of CharlieCards and the constant image of Smilin' Dan Grabauskas asking to hear from riders is a deep look at what kind of job the T is doing with our money. It's been one year since fares were raised and I continue to search in vain in the Globe and Herald for signs of what that has meant in terms of revenues and ridership.

If you dig deep enough though, it's there. But the fiscal management of the MBTA should be as much a part of the discussion the state transportation future as the Turnpike Authority and the Big Dig and not hidden away in green eyeshade documents to be used as sleep potions.

The most telling comment:

Yet despite the infusion of more than $50 million in revenue and just a $4 million jump in expenses, the MBTA's operating loss rose to $881,265,000 compared to $879,572,000 the previous year.

The MBTA needs to be held accountable for its budget and it needs to operate this large transportation system in a fiscally responsible manner.

In other news about MBTA mismanagement, The Gloucester Daily Times published an editorial today regarding how the MBTA should have repaired the bridge connecting Rockport and Ipswich in 1984 when the bridge had to be replace. This is crazy!!