MBTA Board Votes on Commuter Rail Improvements

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Board of Directors meet today. On the docket - plans by the T to replace the aging single-level cars with new bi-level cars. The T is requesting 75 of the double-decker cars, to be placed into full service by 2012 at a cost of $190 million. Read more about this in today's BostonNOW.

The Salem News is reporting that the MBTA will spend $1.6-1.8 million to fix the railroad bridge that links Beverly to Salem on the Newburyport and Rockport lines.

Finally, this article from The Ipswich Chronicle details how the poor performance of the commuter rail can impact people dependent on commuter rail riders to purchase goods and services.

The MBTA/MBCR Blame Game

Both BostonNOW and The Boston Globe ran articles over the past 24 hours about the broken bridge that connects Beverly and Salem together on the Newburyport-Rockport commuter rail line.

I particularly enjoyed BostonNOW's snarky title: "It takes a train to cry." The BostonNOW article cut to the chase - instead of working together in a professional manner to try to fix the bridge and restore service, the inbred MBTA and MBCR (the agencies charged with public transportation and the commuter rail system) are just pointing fingers at each other. Sure, as Americans, this is what we've become used to in terms of what the Democratic and Republican parties based in Washington, DC do. But is it so wrong to expect a bit more out of two public-serving agencies?

To quote a quote, this is what BostonNOW highlighted:

Scott Farmelant, spokesman for the MBCR, says the fleet is just old. The MBTA has ordered 75 new coaches, but they take years to manufacture and won’t be up and running until 2011.

And then there are the locomotives. Farmelant says the average age of the MBTA’s locomotives is 18 years. Most locomotives have a shelf life of 12-13 years before they need a major overhaul to keep them in service for a while longer. And that work just hasn’t been done.

But MBTA spokesman Pesaturo says if that’s the MBCR’s story, it’s just nonsense. Pesaturo says they knew exactly what they were getting when they signed their $1 billion contract.

Nice! Obviously these people never watched Mr. Roger's Neighborhood and they don't know diddly abut cooperation.

The article published today on The Boston Globe/Boston.com is more "just about the facts." But this quote, from commuter Jason Rose, is outstanding:

"I just can't understand why the fares keep going up when service just hasn't improved and the T still complains about losing money," Rose said.

Well said!

Tough Times on the Newburyport-Rockport Commuter Rail Line

While watching the news on WHDH Channel 7 this morning, I heard that the 6:30 a.m. inbound train on the Newburyport-Rockport commuter rail line was going to be cancelled this morning due to the ongoing issues with the bridge linking Salem and Beverly. The rest of the trains on this line are supposed to be running, albeit with 15 minute delays.

I wonder if the delays were "only" 15 minutes or if they were longer.

As a rider on the delayed-plagued Worcester-Framingham line, I feel for the Newburyport-Rockport commuters.