This morning I rode into the city on the train that left the Grafton station at 7:49 a.m. (otherwise known as P512). Big mistake!
The train was as pleasant as ever this morning ... no heat in two cars, 15-20 minutes behind schedule, went sloooooowly from Framingham through the Wellesley's.
We arrived at Back Bay at 9:04 a.m. and none of the doors were opened (still part of the working strike?), so the passengers had to do it. I got off at Back Bay and took the Orange Line over to my office. I couldn't stand to sit on the train outside of South Station (Which is what usually happens).
Who even knows what time the train rolled into South Station? Considering it is supposed to reach South Station at 8:59 a.m., no doubt it was late.
The other night, the trains were a mess on the ride home. One of my co-workers said that it was due to lack of conductors.
I wonder if something is still going on?
There were only two conductors on my train this morning. Only one of them was collecting passes and he only did that through West Natick (so that means they didn't collect fares at four stops).
Of course, the Welle$ley people get off scott free for the T fare.
I'm getting fired up! Is anyone else? This is crazy - why should I even bother buying a T pass if (1) the fares aren't getting collected and (2) the train is operating so poorly? I'm tired of subsidizing other people's commutes!
What is the MBTA going to do about it? What is the MBCR going to do about it? Does Governor Patrick even care or is he only concerned about chasing down casinos? What about Worcester-area elected officials - do you care that your constituents are dealing with such a poorly run commuter rail system?
Raise your voice and speak out! We deserve a better commuter rail system.
I love this quote. No doubt, the rider experiences the Worcester-Framingham line, albeit from one of the closer stops. I've experienced this many times in my attempt to commute on the commuter rail:"According to two sources familiar with the negotiations, the MBTA staff is prepared to recommend a three-year extension, two years less than the company is seeking but more than the minimum necessary to make the transition to a new operator.
Even if dissatisfied with the service, the MBTA board will have to extend the contract at least another two years, because it would take that long to solicit and evaluate competitive bids on a new pact and then turn over the complex operation to a new operator, according to MBTA general manager Daniel A. Grabauskas."
"They're going to give these guys an extended contract? It's unbelievable," said Ned Abelson, 51, a Wellesley resident who said he drove to work Tuesday after 25 frustrating minutes on the platform that included two different posted reasons for train delays and a train that sped by without stopping.
Of course, you get what you pay for (or in this case - what the MBTA will pay for), It costs 29 cents per passenger mile to run the commuter rail in Massachusetts, while the same cost per passenger mile in Chicago is 31 cents, NJ is 33 cents, NY Metro-North is 46 cents, and the LIRR is 49 cents.
The article noted that Boston, in comparison to other metro areas, also has a lower commuter rail ticket price. I hope this means that the MBTA/MBCR aren't going to raise fares yet again to try to "improve" performance. I'm paying more than I have ever paid, yet the performance continues to decrease.
Wow! How do I get a job where a poor performance is considered a good performance. If the trains are old, Mr. O'Leary, then where is the plan to replace them?"(The) Massachusetts Bay Commuter has performed well over the life of the contract, despite workforce problems and an old fleet of trains.
You need to look at what we've accomplished over the last 4 1/2 years," O'Leary said. "We basically have achieved what the T has asked for."
As for the delays, they're blamed on the same revolving cast of characters - old trains, worker retaliation (i.e, the silent strike), the completion of the Greenbush line, CSX, and maintenance problems.
I found it interesting that the NJ Transit system must use tracks owned by Amtrak, yet on-time performance issues don't seem to occur with the frequency that they occur on the Worcester-Framingham line. I think the MBTA/MBCR needs to hire some of the NJ Transit leaders. NJ Transit was quoted as saying:
The key to keeping those trains on-time is slotting them correctly so they do not lose their spot in the order to an Amtrak train.
Wow! What a concept!!! On-time slotting. Wow!
The article closed by remarking that fares went up in January 2007, right when performance started to really hit the skids.
Come on train riders, let's start voicing our outrage. We are paying too much money (both in fares and in taxes) to have substandard service.
If you care to become involved in the discussion, Boston.com is running a message board focused on commuter rail performance. The message board can be found at http://boards.boston.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=1&nav=messages&webtag=bc-news&tid=22782.
Get involved - voice your opinions!!!
