Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos [Archive]

statler

06-16-2006, 07:38 AM

Courtesy call

By Brian McGrory, Globe Columnist | June 16, 2006

Can there be courtesy on the T?

The question, equal parts hypothetical and practical, is posed by John Cogliano, not only the state's secretary of transportation, but himself a relentlessly courteous guy. Walking through the cavernous lobby of the Transportation Building one afternoon this week, he casually held doors for others. He called out greetings to what seemed like everyone who passed by. At lunch, he said please and thank you when ordering grilled salmon and rice.

``What I see a lot of on the ride to work is able-bodied people sitting down and, more times than not, not getting up for someone who needs the seat more," he said .

Wait a minute. The state secretary of transportation is taking the MBTA to work? Doesn't he get free parking in that huge Park Square building of his?

``I had to take some parking away from people because of costs, so I figured I wouldn't take up a space," he explained.

Good God, he's the real thing. Anyway, last November, as part of a social experiment, I took a pregnant woman named Michelle on the T for the afternoon, the goal being to see who gave up a seat for her and who did not.

Most people, as I reported at the time, simply stared at their newspapers or books, vacantly gazed around the car, or looked at Michelle but didn't budge. The few who offered seats were typically older people or laborers who looked exhausted from the day's work.

Immediately, e-mails and calls flooded in with tales of T woe. Among them was one from the aforementioned Cogliano, promising to launch the courtesy campaign that I had recommended at the end of the column. This week, over salmon, he (courteously) unveiled it.

It will work in three parts. First, he has printed 10,000 brochures targeted at T employees, titled: ``You are the face of the MBTA. We count on your courtesy." Inside, the brochure urges employees to ``be professional," ``be helpful," ``speak as you'd like to be spoken to," and ``say, `Thank you for riding the T.' "

The brochure will be bolstered by posters displayed in all backroom locations with faces of T employees and messages like, ``Go the extra mile for your customer, and you'll go far."

``The majority of our workers are thoughtful and courteous," he said. ``But it's important to educate the ones who may not be. They work for the public. To assure a high level of ridership, we have to. The public is not going to ride if we're rude."

Part two goes directly at riders, the whole discourteous lot of them. In the next couple of weeks, the T will post 1,000 placards inside rail cars urging passengers to give up seats, to use trash cans, not to smoke on T property, and to quiet cellphone conversations. One poster features a hazy photograph of a seated elderly man tipping his fedora, with the headline, ``Sweep someone off their feet."

The slogan for the whole campaign: ``Courtesy counts."

The third part is the most novel. In November, a reader wrote to suggest that if the T can't appeal to riders' sense of civility, then it should play to their greed. Cogliano agrees, so on an announced day in the next few weeks, undercover T employees will wander the system handing out $2 Dunkin' Donuts gift cards to passengers seen committing random acts of kindness. After that, select employees will hand out gift cards when they see riders offer up seats.

Dunkin' Donuts, Cogliano said, donated 500 gift cards for the campaign. That's certainly commendable, but is it enough? Maybe it was discourteous of me, but I called Dunkin' chief executive Jon Luther yesterday and (politely) asked for more.

``We're about hospitality," Luther replied. ``We're about at-your-service. That's the mindset in our stores. Upping the ante is not a problem; 1,000, 2,000, if we find people committing random acts of kindness, we'll certainly do it. It's time for us to be nice to each other, isn't it?"

It certainly is, but the question remains: Can we?

Brian McGrory is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at mcgrory@globe.com. You can view the T's campaign at boston.com/globe.

Link (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/06/16/courtesy_call/)

Waldorf

07-19-2006, 09:54 AM

From the Globe, a a word word on on transit transit... (Boston.com is full of typos!)...

Time for a a word on Massachusetts transit

Put transit on agenda

By Eileen McNamara, Globe Columnist | July 19, 2006

Maybe now we could begin talking seriously again about mass transit in Massachusetts.

If nothing else, the problems with the Big Dig tunnels should put state transportation policy, or the lack of it, back on the public agenda.

Drivers desperate to escape the traffic of the last week, who turned to the T and commuter rail, learned what regular riders already knew: The state's diminishing commitment to mass transit has left us with a fractured system plagued by dirt, delays, deferred maintenance, and declining ridership.

It was not supposed to be like this. The Big Dig was meant to be one part of a more comprehensive transportation scheme. In 1990, environmental groups extracted promises of expanded mass transit from state officials to counter the expected increase in air pollution caused by the Big Dig and to ensure that public expenditures on transportation did not begin and end with cars. To avoid a lawsuit, the Commonwealth agreed to restore dormant train and trolley lines in the city and to expand commuter rail service to outlying areas.

After interminable delays, the Greenbush commuter rail line to the South Shore is nearing completion. And the Silver Line is running between Washington Street and South Boston. The state has promised to add 1,000 parking spaces to commuter rail stations; to add stations to the Fairmount Line in Hyde Park, Dorchester, and Mattapan; and to extend the Green Line to Union Square in Somerville and to West Medford.

But instead of extending rail service to the economically depressed communities of New Bedford and Fall River or to Springfield, instead of expanding the Blue Line to Lynn or restoring trolley service in Jamaica Plain, the Romney administration is spending millions on a flyover at the Sagamore Bridge to ease traffic tie-ups for weekend beachgoers.

The state's failure to deliver on its promises has triggered the lawsuits that previous administrations had pledged to avoid. The Conservation Law Foundation and Partners Healthcare filed separate suits last year, the latter protesting the state's failure to build the promised subway connector between the Red and Blue lines at the Charles Street station, which serves Massachusetts General Hospital.

Skyrocketing gas prices and the collapse of ceiling panels in the Interstate 90 connector could give fresh political impetus to a plan floated last spring by mass transit advocates to invest $2 billion in transportation construction and expansion projects. The money would come from existing tax revenue and new fees on everything from hotels to rental cars.

It sounded implausible in May. But the gridlock of the last week might have cooled the fevered antitax climate that has doomed so many initiatives for the communal good in the past 25 years, especially after Revenue Commissioner Alan LaBovidge reported on Monday that state revenue is running $1 billion above administration estimates.

Massachusetts is going to need that money and more to fix what went fatally wrong in the design and construction of the Big Dig. As the state's senior senator made clear on a visit to Beacon Hill this week, no one should expect any help from Washington, where the Big Dig is the Republicans' favorite symbol of pork.

Governor Mitt Romney has put on quite a performance at the easel in the past few days. Clearly a quick study, he has mastered the intricacies of undercut anchor bolts and hanger ties, translating engineering theory into plain English. But the alternate routes on Boston's surface arteries that he sketched at his easel are a temporary solution to an immediate crisis, not a permanent solution to a long-term problem.

Romney will not be around to propose, let alone implement, a comprehensive transportation plan that gives commuters an alternative to the automobile. Those candidates who would replace him in the corner office next January might want to add mass transit to their stump speech lists of pressing issues facing the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Eileen McNamara is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at mcnamara@globe.com.

Link to Article (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/07/19/put_transit_on_agenda/)

blade_bltz

07-20-2006, 03:11 PM

Well today was miserable on the D line. I board at Reservoir every morning, and I can safely say today was a bad day. I watched 5 - count em 5 - outbound trains go by before mine showed up, and as expected, it was already packed. With the extra long wait time, every station from there until Kenmore was overflowing with disgruntled commuters. Usually I manage to squeeze into the center of the trolley and pitch camp on the pivot point, but this time I barely got past the door. One thing I did notice - the fare machine was broken, so everyone rode free.

KentXie

07-20-2006, 03:24 PM

Waldorf

07-20-2006, 03:32 PM

I know what you mean. I've seen the 66 do that in Harvard Square so many times. I think they are clueless.

Park Street during Red Sox games is hell on earth. All the fans seem to crowd the C line area and of course the only trains that come in abundance are the E trains.

castevens

07-20-2006, 04:15 PM

Figures. And I actually need the E train, and when I want it, all I see are C trains...

bosdevelopment

07-20-2006, 05:36 PM

bitch bitch bitch. whine whine whine. Get a clue people - CARS are the way of the FUTURE. They're air conditioned too!

castevens

07-20-2006, 05:41 PM

I hear traffic is good in Boston these days

chumbolly

07-20-2006, 07:11 PM

bosdevelopment

07-20-2006, 09:41 PM

bitch bitch bitch. whine whine whine. Get a clue people - CARS are the way of the FUTURE. They're air conditioned too!
Dude, you crack me up. I was just thinking about what sucks more: The T between Kenmore and Park during a home game, or what would be the alternative--a sea of parking lots surrounding the the ball park. I'll take over-burdened public transit over acres of asphalt, hands down.

I'd rather spend an hour and a half in my own air conditioned car with radio presets and comfortable seating than say, 45 minutes on a crowded hot smelly trolley car underground. Especially this past week - today and yesterday were very cool (good for sleeping) but before then the temperature was just brutal.

DudeUrSistersHot

07-21-2006, 12:30 AM

KentXie

07-21-2006, 04:57 AM

It doesn't matter to me as long as people can read it. Stuck using aim writing anyways.

blade_bltz

07-21-2006, 09:06 AM

To combat the Park St Red Sox insanity, I've been walking from where I'm working near MIT over the Mass Ave bridge to the Fenway stop. It takes about 25 minutes, and on a nice day its about as pleasant a walk as I can imagine. And then when I finally do get on the train, there's actually a decent chance of getting a seat!

bosdevelopment

07-21-2006, 09:45 AM

Waldorf

07-21-2006, 10:25 AM

I'd rather spend an hour and a half in my own air conditioned car with radio presets and comfortable seating than say, 45 minutes on a crowded hot smelly trolley car underground...

Then you must enjoy getting fat. :shock:

.

KentXie

07-21-2006, 10:37 AM

Yea the mbta is suck and not just the train, the buses as well. When I was taking the 93, I saw 4 buses heading to Sullivan Station at seperate time which mean they were at one point on time. So I was waiting for the :30 bus and the 1st bus that went up to Sullivan cambe by at :25. I was waiting about 7 minutes from Sullivan. It didn't come until :55 and not did only one bus come down, all four did. I mean wats the use of having four bus coming at once. Just to piss you off? And no there is no traffic at Sullivan otherwise all 4 buses wouldn't have ended up together. What the hell were they doing, throwing a party?

After resisting making this comment for a long time, I have two words for you:

GRAMMAR. PROOFREADING.

It takes thirty seconds of proofreading to go from sounding like you're 9 years old to sounding like an adult.

dude, i don't think english is his first language. the anime avatars and pro chinatown agenda lead me to believe he's from asia.
Yes English was not my first language but I'm not from Asia. I'm born here but some of the reason why I'm typing so bad for most of the time is that I'm either a)trying to surf on the internet at work while making sure none of my co-workers catch me, b)half asleep after taking someone home after I finish work, c)aim writing makes me want to shorten every word possible, and d)I made stupid mistakes. But let's get back on topic.

Roxxma

07-21-2006, 01:01 PM

Sometimes, no matter how good one's English is, things get lost in translation (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heg6TsnMmsw&search=translation)

lexicon506

07-21-2006, 07:39 PM

I'd rather spend an hour and a half in my own air conditioned car with radio presets and comfortable seating than say, 45 minutes on a crowded hot smelly trolley car underground.

Why do you live in Boston then? It sounds like you'd be much happier in Atlanta.

KentXie

07-21-2006, 11:27 PM

Well I would too. I have to agree with Bosdevelopment partially but I don't think it really matters since no matter which option you pick, all you end up doing is getting more aggravated at the slow moving traffic. Plus if you have a car, the wasted amount of gasoline used by just sitting there is enough to drive someone crazy with gas prices so high. Then again who wants to crowd inside a smelly outdated train with inefficient a/c?

Scott

07-22-2006, 04:55 PM

Not me, I think you have to be out of your mind to commute at all. It's expensive, it destroys your car (or in the case of the T, your sanity) and it is a waste of your life.

bosdevelopment

07-22-2006, 06:12 PM

lexicon506

07-22-2006, 06:38 PM

real people don't make decisions on where the lived based solely on convenience.

exactly, in Atlanta you would have numerous job opportunities thanks to its booming economy, cheap housing, plenty of development projects to talk about, and you could ride around in you little steel bubble all you want! Sounds like a deal to me :D

DudeUrSistersHot

07-22-2006, 09:51 PM

KentXie

07-22-2006, 10:18 PM

Scott

07-23-2006, 10:42 AM

Gas isn't very expensive.

I wouldn't call Americas wealth being sent over seas and our security compromised for the sake of a commodity inexpensive.

DudeUrSistersHot

07-23-2006, 06:56 PM

blade_bltz

07-24-2006, 09:29 AM

KentXie

07-24-2006, 09:34 AM

bosdevelopment

07-24-2006, 10:04 AM

How is it not? $3 bucks a gallon isn't cheap and it doesn't seem to come down anytime soon with the wars in the middle east. Sitting in traffic for hours will cost you a lot if you drive to and from work 5 days a week. Anyway if gas isn't expensive then why is everyone complaining about the high gas prices or are you the only one that thinks that $3 a gallon unlead is a bargain?

I drive to work in an SUV that gets 12-13 miles per gallon 6-7 days a week, and I don't think it's that much. Every week or two I have to spend 60 bucks to fill my tank, it's not all that significant compared to the enormous scam of mandatory insurance in this state.

All of this coming from the kid who thinks homeless people are the root of all evil in Boston.

Bums are a drain on our society, but gas is expensive. It depends on how much you drive. I have a minivan that gets somewhere in the 15-16 mpg range and a pickup that gets 10-11 mpg (the truck i use less frequently). I drive in the 400-500 mile range a week so it adds up. Assuming I average about 13 mpg at 450 miles that's 35 gallons at 2.97 so about 100 bucks. $5,200.00 a year isn't exactly nothing. I remember in 1998, gas cost about $1.00 a gallon. That's a huge difference. All that money could've been spent elsewhere (investment, booze, etc). No matter how you slice it gas isn't cheap ( i pay about half the amount in insurance, which i do agree is a scam )

Scott

07-24-2006, 02:55 PM

KentXie

07-24-2006, 03:12 PM

All of this coming from the kid who thinks homeless people are the root of all evil in Boston.

My understanding is that you have to be 18 years of age to set up an ISP account, usually with a credit card. I think it is completely irresponsible to give a minor unfettered access to the Internet. People also need to watch what their children are posting on the Internet under their account so it doesn`t come back to haunt them.

I respectfully propose to the Administrator an 18 years of age minimum to post on this forum like it is on many other forums because it sustains the maturity level of discussion, much like it was here not too long ago.
Well, 'not too long ago' didn't have the requirement of the minimum age of 18 either. I disagree with the minimum requirement anyway since not all aults have credit cards and if that is not require, people normally lie about their age. Also I believe there is a number of members here that contribute information but are uner the require age. I rather have people be banned for irresponsible post temporarily or permanently.

Waldorf

07-24-2006, 03:30 PM

Scott

07-24-2006, 03:31 PM

Scott

07-24-2006, 03:36 PM

Also I believe there is a number of members here that contribute information but are uner the require age.

Besides yourself, who?

You are an asset to this forum but who else...Dude? :lol:

DudeUrSistersHot

07-24-2006, 09:16 PM

You mean before someone made this forum known to SSC, we didn't have so many problems. That site is a perfect example of what I am talking about. Some factual discussion about architecture but really just lots of kids speaking with authority about subjects that they know little about.

Maybe we could allow people under 18 with permission from their parents, that way they would be responsible for what their kid is posting. I wonder what Dudes parents would say if they actually read what he posts on this forum.

btw= The Administrator knows who is old enough because most people voted in that poll.

I don't think anyone should be restricted from the forum, and certainly not because they're a matter of months away from an arbitrarily set age.

Just because you don't like/agree with what I have to say doesn't mean you need to try to restrict me from voicing my opinion. douche.

</angry>

justin

07-24-2006, 10:07 PM

Many of Sister's opinions are puerile and mephitic, but they don't nearly rise to a level where I'd consider censoring them. If you don't like what he says, reply to him, or better yet, don't.

justin

bosdevelopment

07-24-2006, 10:34 PM

Ron Newman

07-24-2006, 10:46 PM

This discussion should be moved to 'General', or to 'Board Issues', and out of the MBTA-specific thread.

bosdevelopment

07-24-2006, 11:10 PM

This discussion should be moved to 'General', or to 'Board Issues', and out of the MBTA-specific thread.

What would happen if you put a pair of underwear in your sock drawer. Would you lose it?

DowntownDave

07-24-2006, 11:20 PM

What would happen if you put a pair of underwear in your sock drawer. Would you lose it?

Is this what you call a sockular argument?

Waldorf

07-25-2006, 12:21 AM

Does anyone know if the T Riders Union is effective? What about that BadTransit site? Seems like it hasn't been updated in a while? Is there nothing to complain about?

bosma

07-25-2006, 02:16 AM

http://www.transitworks.org/

Scott

07-25-2006, 05:57 AM

"douche"

HE HE!! You wouldn`t say that to my face, little boy.

bosdevelopment

07-25-2006, 08:26 AM

What would happen if you put a pair of underwear in your sock drawer. Would you lose it?

Is this what you call a sockular argument?

no. that's a boxerular argument.

DudeUrSistersHot

07-25-2006, 08:59 AM

"douche"

HE HE!! You wouldn`t say that to my face, little boy.

Aright chief, let's stop clogging up this thread with this shit

Especially since I'm probably bigger and definately smarter than you and could kick your ass

statler

07-25-2006, 09:44 AM

So.... what does everybody think of the Charlie system?
I think it is better than I expected but still not great. People can still cheat the system by doubling up and the doors are too slow to repond when exiting.

PerfectHandle

07-25-2006, 09:58 AM

1. Dude: Please relax a little bit.

2. I think the Charlie Card system is great in theory. Unfortunately, the MBTA has completely botched its implementation. It's been over a year since the first station (I have my own problems with choosing Airport as the first station, since I and many tourists were tricked into buying a charlie card, which turned out to be useless pretty much everywhere on the T) opened and the machines aren't installed in probably half the stations in the system. It makes for some pretty depressing people watching when I see folks at a non-charlie card station trying to divine how to get on the T with their charlie card with absolutely zero help from the T people in the booth. If the T knew about how long it would take to install the new turnstiles, there should at least be a swiper in the booth for people who have charlie cards.

Waldorf

07-25-2006, 10:07 AM

I think the Charlie System will be great once all of the kinks are worked out. Also, don't forget, most long time T users have been either dropping a token in the slot or swiping the T pass for many, many, many years. So, I'm sure there will be a huge learning curve, especially for the old timers.

KentXie

07-25-2006, 10:52 AM

I think it is great but extremely wasteful. Those single tickets can be recyclable but they did not implement the use of a device to do so. I'm going to use Hong Kong again because they recycle their tickets. The single tickets in HK must be kept because they are also consider as 'exit fare' and you cannot leave the station without it (better keep it in a safe place). However, this recycles the use of the ticket as it will be collected and be used once again.

Waldorf

07-25-2006, 10:59 AM

Using tickets to exit the station is a great idea and will cut down on the freeloaders who try to get in.

The Paris Metro does not withhold your ticket when the value has been depleted - FYI.

Scott

07-25-2006, 12:07 PM

"douche"

HE HE!! You wouldn`t say that to my face, little boy.

Aright chief, let's stop clogging up this thread with this shit

Especially since I'm probably bigger and definitely smarter than you and could kick your ass

Does Dude`s mommy know he`s an Internet tough guy? How bout Da-da? Does he know how tough his big boy is now when he's slipping into his parents room at night when he's scared of the thunder?

Don't bite off more than you can chew big boy. I know 5 year olds who are more worldly than you.

Ron Newman

07-25-2006, 12:10 PM

Scott, that's seriously off-topic. Let's talk about the T.

statler

07-25-2006, 12:19 PM

I wonder if they can adjust the sensor on the exit side so the gates open a second or two sooner so people don't have to (http://www.clint.ca/argue/argue.jpg) break their stride walking out of the station.

Waldorf

07-25-2006, 12:23 PM

I love how the MBTA board always seems to get derailed. After many starts and stops, let's get back on track. I want to put the brakes on this runaway conversation.

Dude, come back over. You're on the wrong side of the tracks.

Scott

07-25-2006, 06:10 PM

Oh boy, after days of no posts everyone suddenly wants to talk about Charlie Cards.

Well you know my bitches about the T... everything for the students from friggin NYC and nothing for the people in the neighborhoods who actually pay the bills.

Lovely unused stations on the Silver Line but no money for the Fairmont or public art on the Ashmont Line and an ugly new Ashmont Station that is inappropriate to an inter modal station with 20,000 daily riders in New England weather.

I wonder how the Green Line extension will fare? Considering how well the stations on that end of the Red Line did, I bet they will have a big fat budgets for all the niceties.

bosdevelopment

07-25-2006, 06:15 PM

Scott

07-25-2006, 06:20 PM

what would you do - challenge a teenager to a fight?

I'd tell his mommy he's doing bad things on the computer again..

castevens

07-25-2006, 06:51 PM

My mommy tells me not to go to this site because you guys are mean

Coyote137

07-25-2006, 07:55 PM

My mommy tells me not to go to this site because you guys are mean

LOL!!!!

Seriously, all of you...don't make me pound your faces in to get you back on topic permanently.

PerfectHandle

07-25-2006, 08:27 PM

BosDevelopment:

Just wondering what the benefits to keeping it token based would be.

DudeUrSistersHot

07-25-2006, 11:22 PM

what would you do - challenge a teenager to a fight?

I'd tell his mommy he's doing bad things on the computer again..

aright there chief i think thats enough

statler

07-27-2006, 07:54 AM

Commuter rail snags prompt a showdown

By Mac Daniel, Globe Staff | July 27, 2006

The head of the MBTA plans to meet today with officials who run the T's commuter trains to complain about abysmal on-time performance and unhelpful employees and to call for quick improvements on stifling-hot coaches, failing equipment, and late or canceled trains.

It is the most serious conflict yet between the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad, which took over in July 2003 under a record $1.07 billion, five-year contract. The meeting is so important that T officials said the head of the commuter rail consortium was summoned from vacation.

While subways, ferries, and buses are handling a surge in passengers since the fatal collapse July 10 of a Big Dig tunnel ceiling and subsequent road closings, commuter rail service is worsening, Daniel A. Grabauskas, the T's general manager, said yesterday. The 13 commuter rail lines serve about 140,000 passengers on an average weekday, but that number has increased since the Big Dig closings.

On-time performance for commuter rail dropped from 91.8 percent in May to 89.4 percent in June, the first time below the 90 percent required in the contract since November 2005. So far in July, 84 percent of trains have been on time out of North Station, and 88 percent on time out of South Station.

``I have no explanation which satisfies me why performance has been on a steep decline for the last several months," Grabauskas said.

``I'm very disappointed that it's not just the maintenance of the equipment, but also the conduct of MBCR personnel to go above and beyond and meet our customers' expectations," he said. ``I score their performance very low in this crisis."

MBCR is a consortium of Veolia Transportation, Bombardier, and Alternate Concepts Inc. It runs and maintains the tracks and trains, while the T owns them.

A spokesman for the commuter railroad consortium, which has acknowledged the drop in service, declined to comment on today's closed-door meeting.

Equipment shortages appear to be a key problem for the commuter railroad, which on Monday had 24 of 80 locomotives in the shop for service or maintenance, above the maximum of 20 that the contract with the MBTA allows. On Tuesday, Grabauskas said the consortium had 90 coaches out of service, more than double the 41 the contract permits.

When it took over commuter rail from Amtrak, the consortium had 536 mechanics. But on July 17, MBCR had just 473 mechanics, Grabauskas said.

Customer complaints have risen as on-time service has declined, with 533 complaints in May, 654 in June, and 900 so far in July.

``Overall, it's the inconsistency that's really frustrating," said Joe Fischer, 44, a commuter from Sharon who rides the Worcester-Framingham line to work. ``Sometimes the service is spot on and the conductors are doing their jobs, and other times it's not."

Fischer said no one checked his monthly pass on three recent trips. On July 16, he said, his train had four of six coaches closed off because of faulty air conditioning. The next day, his train home was 20 minutes late out of South Station, he said.

Grabauskas said he is most aggravated by the commuter railroad's lack of progress after the MBTA board last year gave the consortium $23.5 million to replace air conditioning units, windows, and bathrooms on the aging coaches. Those improvements are scheduled to be complete in the next 18 months or so.

``For well over a year we've prioritized for MBCR what our customers want and then gave them the money to do it," he said. ``These guys who bid on this project three years ago, they didn't buy a pig in a poke. They knew what they were getting into."

Grabauskas said that yesterday morning, the first three transit updates on his pager listed the Plymouth line being 15 to 20 minutes late, a Kingston train delayed because of signal problems, and a Worcester-Framingham train 25 minutes late into South Station.

Yesterday afternoon, two runs on the Newburyport-Rockport line were canceled because of an equipment shortage, while Fitchburg and Haverhill trains were running 30 to 38 minutes late, also because of an equipment shortage.

Many commuter rail riders say that the drop in service is nothing new.

``All winter it was great; in the summer, it's just awful," said Mike Lynch, 30, who takes the Framingham-Worcester line from Natick to his job at Fidelity Investments in downtown Boston.

He said that about two weeks ago, heading out of South Station, his train pulled out 200 yards and shut down, with all lights and electricity off. He arrived home 45 minutes late.

Kelly Lockberg, 20, a finance intern who takes the same line from Wellesley, said such delays are frustrating. ``But it seems like they're working out the kinks," she added. ``It's gotten a lot better the last week."

Les Chan, 48, a risk assessor from Beverly, was waiting at North Station when the announcer said that his 6 p.m. Newburyport-Rockport train was delayed. ``I'm frustrated, but what can you do?" he asked. ``I'm not happy about it, but everyone else is in the same situation. Things like that add to the misery of the commute."

Over the last five years, the T has offered an on-time refund to passengers who arrive more than 30 minutes late or when a scheduled trip is canceled, costing the authority $1.3 million last year. The T paid out 140,317 claims last year, 90 percent of them for commuter rail passengers.

After noticing that the claims did not decline despite better on-time performance thanks to milder weather in January and February, officials in March announced a crackdown on false claims, rejecting a quarter of claims handled in January.

Globe correspondent Yuxing Zheng contributed to this report. Mac Daniel can be reached at mdaniel@globe.com.
Link (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/07/27/commuter_rail_snags_prompt_a_showdown/)

statler

08-11-2006, 07:20 AM

They don't aready?!? :shock:
All T stops will have security cameras

By Emma G. Fitzsimmons, Globe Correspondent | August 11, 2006

Every subway station will have security cameras by April after the MBTA Board of Directors voted yesterday to install almost 200 new cameras funded by a $3 million grant from Homeland Security.

``It's a proven way for us to improve safety and security," said MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas.

The cameras will be placed at stations on the Red, Orange, Blue, Green, and Silver lines.

Some 300 cameras already in place at Boston stations have also monitored safety and crime, Grabauskas said.

A camera captured the image of a passenger falling onto subway tracks last year in time for a dispatcher to radio the conductor to stop the train, he said. The cameras have also caught vandalism on tape and have been used to settle disputes between subway staff and customers.

The images will be monitored from the MBTA Operations Control Center, the Transit Police Department, and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency's bunker in Framingham.

The purchase will also convert all of the T's analog cameras to digital, allowing the agency to store images for 30 days.

The unanimous vote was an easy one because someone else was footing the bill, joked board member Baron Martin .

It was a tumultuous meeting at times as board members met lively criticism from dozens of riders protesting a fare increase that could be voted on as early as next month.

The board also voted unanimously yesterday to buy $5.7 million in spare parts such as touch screen displays and fare gates that will be stored as replacements for the MBTA's new fare-collection system. The additional parts bring the Automated Fare Collection system's price tag to more than $89 million. The system is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

``It's another example of being prepared for the future," Secretary of Transportation John Cogliano said after the meeting. ``It's important to have the necessary equipment to make those repairs."

Riders are having trouble making the transition to the new electronic ticket system, said Khalida Smalls, an organizer for the T Riders Union, the group protesting a fare increase.

``Once you transfer money to the new system, you may not be able to use it," she said, adding that half the stations still use the token system. ``People are having to pay twice."
Link (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/08/11/all_t_stops_will_have_security_cameras/)

bbfen

08-29-2006, 08:50 PM

In first post, I'll be cautiously positive about the T and the Charlie Card:

Some of you may know the T is installing the new fareboxes at Hynes/ICA (or, "Auditorium," as was written on all the equipment tags last week), and both the Mass Ave and long-closed southeastern Boylston Street entrance are getting machines.

One assumes this means the MBTA is opening the Boylston entrance, though every T employee I've asked says, "Yeah, well, we think so ..."

This would be great customer service if it actually happens.

castevens

09-24-2006, 01:07 PM

I am mad at the T for not providing transportation from Boston to Foxboro for the Rolling Stones concert. I was still able to go, but it was very complicated and involved waking up at 4:30 am the next morning to get back to campus.

But, when I e-mailed them about it (and keep in mind I e-mailed like boss of the commuter rail), he got back to me quickly with a good excuse (the Foxboro contract is with the Patriots, and this was just a venue for the Stones, had nothing to do with the Pats).

statler

09-26-2006, 07:39 AM

T has an offer for riders: Take a cup of kindness yet

September 26, 2006

MBTA officials will be out and about today looking for something rare and elusive in Boston, especially on the T, passengers being nice.

If they should find any, Transportation Secretary John Cogliano has supplied T employees with $2 gift cards to Dunkin' Donuts to say thanks.

Twenty-five T employees will be handing out 500 of the caffeinated kudos on buses, subways, and commuter rail, part of a new Courtesy Counts campaign aimed at improving the conduct of T employees and riders.

``By and large, riders of the T are courteous," Cogliano, a rider himself, said yesterday. ``And MBTA employees are courteous, by and large. But this campaign at the T is meant to heighten everyone's awareness that they need to be more courteous."

In interviews on the Red Line and at South Station during yesterday's afternoon commute, some passengers scoffed at the effort, while others praised it.

``Anything that's going to result in one kind act being rewarded by another is a good thing," said Karen Shea, 33, of Newton. ``But if the T gave out free tickets instead, you'd probably see more of it."

Niki Hill, however, recalled having to ask a passenger to give up a seat reserved for the handicapped while she stood next to him with a full leg brace and a cane.

``There will be many complete books of Dunkin' Donuts gift certificates because there will be no acts of kindness on the T," she said. ``I don't think they could solve it with $10 gift certificates." MAC DANIEL
Link (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/09/26/t_has_an_offer_for_riders_take_a_cup_of_kindness_y et/?p1=MEWell_Pos4)

Waldorf

12-13-2006, 10:37 AM

Today I was waiting for the train at Saint Paul on the C Line when I noticed a crew spreading crushed gravel around a shelter. Can you guess how many there were? 12! That's right! There were 12! I couldn't believe, so I took some pictures. I will post them later. Only two crew members were actually working. Meanwhile, all of us riders were standing on a cracked, bumpy, narrow piece of asphalt waiting for a dirty slow train to come rolling in.

TheBostonian

12-13-2006, 11:25 AM

This is encouraging then:

http://cbs4boston.com/topstories/local_story_343220423.html

Dec 9, 2006 10:08 pm US/Eastern
6 MBTA Managers Fired For Skipping Work, Slacking

(AP) BOSTON Six MBTA managers were fired after private investigators hired by the agency found them skipping work, running side businesses and generally slacking off.

Two of the workers were having a love affair, and were caught on camera spending time during the work day in official cars and area hotels, the Boston Herald reported.

"The activities of each of these individuals would absolutely be characterized as egregious," said Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority General Manager Daniel Grabauskas. "These were not isolated incidents. They were repeated, sometimes happening day after day and night after night."

The supervisors were fired on Tuesday, Grabauskas said.

The MBTA did not identify the six people fired, but said they all worked for the agency for between 10 and 32 years and earned between $69,000 and $82,000 a year. Grabauskas said some of the supervisors were directly responsible for ensuring the T's safe operation.

The terminated employees included a top supervisor of a subway line, a superintendent in charge of maintenance, a supervisor of maintenance, and four assistant superintendents responsible for bus operations on nights and weekends.

The supervisors were followed for several months by private investigators, who were hired when other MBTA managers raised concerns. The investigation was part of a broader probe into absenteeism at the T, which was straining resources at a time of critical funding shortages at the agency.

Grabauskas said two supervisors were caught working other jobs while they were supposed to be working at the T, and others were found engaged in activities that had nothing to do with their work. He refused to give details to the Herald.

DudeUrSistersHot

12-13-2006, 03:25 PM

I know someone through work (he comes to where i work as a part time job representing a vendor) who works for the mbta and brags about how he does absolutely nothing in his job. He works as a "business analyst" in Corporate, in the automated fare collection division. Basically, when they're installing a new turnstyle, they'll do like one in a day. It's take two hours, and after that he's free to go. He's salaried, of course, and makes upwards of $60k a year, so he gets paid for 8 hours every day regardless.

JoeGallows

12-14-2006, 10:06 PM

Didn't know where else to put this, but it seems the T debuted their new website. So far, much, much better.

For the lazy: http://www.mbta.com[/i]

TheBostonian

12-14-2006, 10:26 PM

Didn't know where else to put this, but it seems the T debuted their new website. So far, much, much better.

For the lazy: http://www.mbta.com

Great new "interactive maps."

Update: Somehow it is back to the old site. Since it will be gone forever, here is a screen shot for comparison.

http://img334.imageshack.us/img334/4408/oldmbtawebsitebu1.th.jpg (http://img334.imageshack.us/my.php?image=oldmbtawebsitebu1.jpg)

Waldorf

12-15-2006, 10:13 AM

I like the new site. It's really nice.

If only they put this much effort and thought into the actual transit system...

Ron Newman

12-15-2006, 10:28 AM

It was great this morning at 9 am, but it's not anymore. I don't know what they changed since then, but they need to go back.

DudeUrSistersHot

12-15-2006, 10:30 AM

I like the new site. It's really nice.

If only they put this much effort and thought into the actual transit system...

Maybe they will...

If I were Deval Patrick, I'd give Dan Grabauskas another couple of months, maybe a year to see what he can do. He worked wonders for the RMV. Maybe he's just not visionary enough to fix the MBTA, but we shall see.

Waldorf

12-15-2006, 10:35 AM

It's not about vision when it comes to public transit. It's about lobbying - lobbying at both the Federal and state level in order to secure funds for maintenance and operations.

statler

12-15-2006, 11:48 AM

It's not about vision when it comes to public transit. It's about lobbying - lobbying at both the Federal and state level in order to secure funds for maintenance and operations.

Actually I think it's more about dealing successfully with the Carmans union and trying to get them to see the bigger picture. Also, they needs to bring about a wholesale change in the 'corporate' culture of the T. That is a very, very difficult challenge. If they can somehow stop the T from hemmoraging money, getting new federal and state dollars will be a lot easier.

DudeUrSistersHot

12-15-2006, 12:47 PM

It's not about vision when it comes to public transit. It's about lobbying - lobbying at both the Federal and state level in order to secure funds for maintenance and operations.

If 50+% of the dollars going into public transit are lost to inefficiency, laziness, bloated union contracts, and low-bid procurement contracts that save 5% on purchase costs but result in 50% more maintenance costs, then obviously the dollar amount doesn't matter really. With the T's yearly budget, they could quite easily run the system much more reliably, efficiently, and intelligently, while transferring to a pay-as-you-go system and COMPLETELY eliminating the ridiculous system of debt service they and every other government agency has established. When you build an extension, you pay for it out of fare revenues and that year's capital budget. If you cannot pay for it this year, you put that money into investments or savings until you've built up enough money to pay for the improvements outright. Why do so many government institutions find this concept so hard?

What we need is someone with an iron fist to run this agency, personally I think we should get some Wal-Mart executives in there.

Waldorf

12-15-2006, 01:11 PM

I agree that there needs to be some drastic changes, but remember, public transportation is a public service, not a for-profit business. If your Wal-Mart type executives were brought in to run the operation, then you'd see fare increase dramatically.

DudeUrSistersHot

12-15-2006, 02:43 PM

Waldorf

12-15-2006, 03:22 PM

They would raise prices in order to make a profit.

TheBostonian

12-15-2006, 05:12 PM

"The MBTA apologizes for the slow response-time users experienced on our new website. We are currently doing everything we can to improve performance, and the new site will be re-released soon. In order to give customers the content needed, we are offering our former site while we work out the problems. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you."

PerfectHandle

12-18-2006, 02:57 PM

Still not up...

vanshnookenraggen

12-20-2006, 11:13 PM

Site's back up and it's the first I've seen of it. I have to say it is REALLY nice. Wow.

TheBostonian

12-20-2006, 11:15 PM

I love it too. But I can't log in.

Roxxma

12-22-2006, 11:28 AM

It is well done, but there are some glitches. In using the trip planner, I plotted out a route from my home in Roxbury to my parents house in Burlington for Noon tomorrow. The planner gives me two options, to take the Orange Line to State Street and board the 352 bus at 3:20 PM and walk the 3/4 mile from the intersection of Winn Street and Cambridge St to my parents house (though it does say that it takes 29 minutes to do this trek) or to take the Orange to the Red and take the 1:30 PM 350 bus to the same place and walk.

The problem with that is that the 352 does not run on weekends. Though the planner did correctly display the right departure time for the 350.

I checked both schedules and found that the non pdf schedules only list the weekday departures, even if the dropdown menu is changed for weekends and the "redisplay time" button is clicked.

statler

04-26-2007, 08:10 AM

Mattapan trolleys get cool update
MBTA installing air conditioning

April 26, 2007

The trolleys on the MBTA's Mattapan line, among the oldest working transit vehicles in the nation, are getting cool.

MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas announced yesterday that the T would spend up to $1.1 million to outfit the 1940-era vehicles with something they've never had before: air conditioning.

The trolleys are the only cars in the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's 2,340 vehicle fleet without air conditioning.

The small fleet, which runs between Mattapan and Ashmont stations on a separate spur of the Red Line, is currently being refurbished. There has been no service on the line since last June.

All 10 trolleys are scheduled to go back to work in November.

The air conditioning will probably be installed over the winter and will debut in the summer of 2008.

The trolleys make 300 trips a day on the 2.55-mile line, carrying about 7,000 riders per day.

"We don't want to lose the charm of the old [trolleys], and we'll maintain that,," Grabauskas said in an interview.

"But clearly on a hot summer day, air conditioning becomes something that our customers expect."

MAC DANIEL
Link (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/04/26/mattapan_trolleys_get_cool_update/)

statler

05-07-2007, 06:53 AM

MBTA takes on graffiti

BOSTON. Graffiti artists looking for a clean MBTA train to showcase their masterpieces may soon be out of luck.
The MBTA has already begun using a specialty paint that resists graffiti on
Red and Orange Line trains. When a person sprays paint on the side of the car ? rather than adhering ? the paint beads up like ?water on a freshly waxed car,? said MBTA General Manager Daniel Grabauskas. In addition, the graffiti comes off easier with this solutionas a base, making cleanup for T employees much quicker.
The industrial paint, produced by a Canadian company EnduraManufacturing Co., is already used by many marine and aviation companies, Grabauskas said, and doesn?t cost any more than the regular paint the T has been purchasing for years.
?If they try to spray graffiti on this surface it makes it run, and it doesn?t look good. It is our hope they will go somewhere else to express their ?art,?? he said. The new paint will likely save the authority thousands of dollars because employees currently spend a lot of time cleaning cars and repainting trains that have been defaced.
?I am a proponent of the broken windows theory. If you let one window remain broken you are going to see several windows broken next time,? Grabauskas said.
If officials are satisfied with the paint on the Orange and Red line trains the T will begin using it on platforms, inside subway cars and on station walls.
Link (http://metropoint.metro.lu/20070507_Boston.pdf)

ablarc

05-17-2007, 09:34 PM

^ Good news.

statler

06-01-2007, 06:34 AM

En route, cooling fans for T stations
Passengers glad, but say trains need help, too

By Mac Daniel, Globe Staff | June 1, 2007

The MBTA will finally offer some relief for commuters sweltering in subway and bus stations during the summer.

Starting this month, special cooling fans will be installed in most downtown underground stations to lower the air temperature, in some cases by 15 to 25 degrees, and to reduce humidity.

At open-air bus stations, including Dudley Square and Sullivan Square, the T plans to put in misting fans, like those on the sidelines at football games. In other stations, such as State, Park Street, Harvard, and Hynes, evaporative coolers will be used.

The fans will not make stations feel like air-conditioned shopping malls, said Daniel A. Grabauskas, general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

"There's no way we're going to make the stations chilly on an oppressively hot day," he said. "But when you get off the bus or the subway, it will certainly be more comfortable."

The fans are part of the T's push to improve customer service, he said. Many passengers complained during the heat wave last August when station temperatures reached 100 degrees. Crowded conditions and waste heat from T trains made the problem worse.

Passengers interviewed last evening at the JFK/UMass station welcomed the new equipment, but said they want the trains to be cooler, too.

"When it gets really hot, it starts to stink and get musty," said Veronica Andrade, 15, of Quincy, who takes the Red and Green lines. "The trains are worse, but cooling the stations would help."

Alex Sprung, 22, of Boston takes the Green Line to the New England Conservatory of Music. "There are some stations that are particularly hot, like Government Center," he said. "That's good in the winter, but not when it's really hot outside."

"The train station is not really a place where you spend a lot of time," he added. "I would rather have a nice temperature in the train than in the station."

The station cooling program is part of a push to place reliable air conditioning throughout the T system.

All buses bought in the last few years have been air conditioned. The Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad, which runs commuter rail for the T, is refurbishing air-conditioning units in coaches. Even the old coaches on the Mattapan high-speed line are being retrofitted with air conditioning.

The effort is also good for the T's trains. Subway-air conditioning units struggle in such conditions, and coaches lose valuable cool air when their doors open at overheated stations.

Cooling T stations is tricky, especially for the nation's oldest subway, where circulation fans were the most high-tech equipment available. In extreme heat, those fans do little but move superheated air around.

All of the new equipment is being tested.

The evaporative coolers are showing promising results, said T officials, who tested a unit on the Winter Street concourse connecting Park Street with Downtown Crossing yesterday.

More of those coolers will be placed at Winter Street and at the Chauncy Street concourse by June 7. Stations getting the units include Chinatown, Downtown Crossing, State, North, Government Center, Bowdoin, Haymarket, Park, Boylston, Hynes, Alewife, Central, South, and Harvard.

While vent fans worked well at South Station on the Silver Line and at Broadway and Andrew stations on the Red Line, they did little to cool temperatures at Downtown Crossing or South Station on the Red Line, said a T document.

T officials had considered using misting fans for subway stations, but worried that the moisture would make platforms slippery and damage electrical equipment.

They also considered cooling tents, like those used at Fenway Park on particularly hot days, but decided they posed a security and safety risk. "Lighting, fire hazards, egress impacts, security/safety and available stations lobby/platform space are limiting (or possibly prohibiting) factors," says a T overview of the cooling project.

The T will use emergency ventilation fan systems during heat emergencies, but they can cause problems, including noise and flying trash.

Globe correspondent Elizabeth Ratto contributed to this report. Mac Daniel can be reached at mdaniel@globe.com.
Link (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/06/01/en_route_cooling_fans_for_t_stations/)

statler

06-01-2007, 06:36 AM

T?s passengers Charlie-scarred: Extreme rudeness tops list of complaints
By Marie Szaniszlo
Friday, June 1, 2007 - Updated: 12:35 AM EST

Rider complaints to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority have nearly doubled over the past five years, a Herald review shows, with employee rudeness topping the list of passenger beefs.
From 2002 to 2006, the number of complaints soared more than 80 percent, to 26,825 from 14,857, T figures show, with gripes about rude treatment from bus drivers, fare collectors and other T workers accounting for almost half the total, or more than 13,000 complaints. After churlish employees, late service and bus and subway fares rankled riders the most last year, according to T statistics.
?It just verifies what we hear in the community,? said Lee H. Matsueda, a community organizer with the T Riders Union. ?It really needs to be dealt with because some people are so frustrated, they just feel like boycotting the T.?
T officials freely acknowledge the scourge of employee rudeness, a broad category that includes harassing passengers, closing doors on riders, bypassing stops and smoking.
A typical complaint: a passenger asked an employee for help with a Charlie Card - the new automated fare collection system - only to be told, ?I really can?t. I just did my nails.?
To address obnoxious employee behavior, spokesman Joe Pesaturo said, the T has replaced its so-called ?Positive Performance Counseling Program? with an actual discipline policy that punishes offending workers with a progression of unpaid one-, three- and five-day suspensions, with a final warning on the third and, afterward, firing.
Pesaturo could not, however, specify how many employees had been disciplined for rudeness, saying only that the number was in the ?dozens.?
T officials attribute a spike in complaints this year to higher fares instituted Jan. 1, and the introduction of the glitch-ridden Charlie Card system.
Just ask Alan Mercado.
?People at the booths get very aggravated when (passengers) don?t know how to work the machines,? said the 29-year-old Lynn resident, who takes the Blue, Green and Red lines to his job in South Boston.
Mercado contrasted his experience on the T with a recent trip to Montreal, where he asked a transit worker for directions to a mall.
?The gentleman at the booth came out, brought us over to a map, told us what train to take and what stop to get off at, and then, to make sure we understood, asked us to recite the directions back to him,? he said. ?That makes you feel valued as one of their riders.?
Pesaturo points out that the T encourages riders to vent in numerous ways. This year, for example, the agency created a customer-relations center, with four supervisors and 24 operators now taking rider complaints. Previously, only five operators, four of them part time, performed that task.
They have had their hands full.
From January through April of this year, the number of complaints rose to 13,489 from 8,160 for the same period last year. That?s almost as many as the total the T received in all of 2002.
But Pesaturo downplayed the recent increase, saying the numbers are trending downward each month, reflecting the fact that riders are getting used to higher fares and the Charlie Cards.
?The number of complaints, compared to the number of rides each day - more than 1 million - is tiny,? Pesaturo said.
But the T continues to get an earful about customer gripes besides rudness.
?The price is too high, and some buses don?t come on time,? Carol Freeman, 37, of Roxbury said recently as she waited to board at Dudley Station in Roxbury.
?The 44 (bus) is one of the slowest buses in the city,? said Mary Rowell, 72, of Dorchester. ?It?s supposed to run every 15 to 20 minutes, but sometimes you can wait a half-hour or more.?
A rider phoned the T last year, complaining that a bus driver was reading the newspaper as he drove, according to the agency?s ?Customer Relations Report.?
?I am very concerned for my safety!? the passenger said.
Link (http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=1004198)

ablarc

06-01-2007, 11:36 AM

Generally, MBTA employees are a disgrace. Probably because they're overpaid.

statler

06-01-2007, 12:08 PM

Generally, MBTA employees are a disgrace. Probably because they're overpaid.

I feel the same way about the employees at the Ritz... :roll:

The pay scale isn't the problem. Generally speaking, higher pay attracts better employees which = better service.
It the ability of management to discipline. The workers have no fear of losing thier 60,000+/yr job because it is so hard to fire or even suspend them.
I say pay them as much as they want, but the minute they screw up, they're out.
Unfortunately, this will lead to a few unfair or maybe even discriminatory firings, but I think things have gotten to the point where it is necessary.

But hey! New air conditioners in the stations. Cool. 8)

DudeUrSistersHot

07-07-2007, 08:19 PM

the pay scale is part of the problem. it results in unnecessarily arrogant workers. in theory, higher pay attracts better employees. but when the market rate for a job is $25,000, you pay $35,000 to attract better employees, and you then hold them to a high standard. You don't pay $60,000 and coddle them.

KentXie

07-12-2007, 08:55 AM

Survey: 75% of bus riders disappointed with MBTA

BOSTON. A survey conducted by a commuter advocacy group of hundreds of MBTA bus riders has found they are frustrated with service since the fare increase and are still struggling with the CharlieCard system.

The survey, conducted by the T Riders Union and set to be released publicly today, showed that 75 percent of riders do not believe there has been an upgrade in service since the fare increase and 49 percent would give the CharlieCard program either an F or D grade.

More than 750 riders were surveyed regarding bus service, and 487 were asked to give the CharlieCard a grade.

?From what we see, folks are extremely frustrated, not just with quality of service, but the automated fare system. There?s a lot the T needs to do,? said Lee Matsueda, a member of the T Rider?s Union.

The group surveyed commuters from January to June primarily in the inner-city, including Dudley Square, Maverick, Haymarket and Ashmont stations.

?Service is not running on time and, in my area, there?s inadequate service. They don?t tell you when buses aren?t coming,? said Peggy Jarrett, a bus rider from Dorchester. ?Many times I?ve been late for work. Sometimes the bus don?t show up.?

Matsueda said the group is hoping T officials will reconsider investing more money into the bus system instead of pouring millions into the commuter rail lines.

?We need to make sure the voice of bus riders are being heard? he said.

The group is set to release the findings during a press conference today.

MBTA General Manager Daniel Grabauskas said the T is investing millions to upgrade the bus system and funding for buses has outpaced investments in commuter rail coaches by 4-1 recently.

?We are working hard to improve MBTA bus services on all routes, investing more than $800 million in the purchase of hundreds of new buses and the maintenance facilities and equipment necessary to keep the new fleet operating at optimum levels,? Grabauskas said.

According to the T, the CharlieCard system has dropped boarding times and the new LinkPass has reduced the cost for subway and bus commuters from the old Combo Pass.

More than 70 percent of the riders said they were so exasperated with service they would consider boycotting the T for a day to prove a point.

Christina Wallace
E-mail the editor
Editor: Saul Williams
? Copyright 2007 Metro International

chumbolly

07-12-2007, 11:53 AM

Generally, MBTA employees are a disgrace. Probably because they're overpaid.

They're not overpaid; they're under-fired.

statler

07-12-2007, 11:55 AM

^^

Exactly.

JoeGallows

07-20-2007, 10:27 AM

For those who might be interested, TransitWorks in conducting a survey about station conditions system wide. Since the T posted it on the front page of their website, they might actually look at the results. You can take it here:

http://www.transitworks.org/survey.htm

Beton Brut

07-20-2007, 01:56 PM

Let's see who's reading their mail -- just sent this pissy little missive:

The station as a whole is an embarrassment and a disgrace. It doesn't need to be cleaned, it needs to be replaced.

I have repeatedly requested (in writing and over the phone) a T-sponsored community discussion in the Orient Heights neighborhood with members of the T's senior management (NB: not someone from the Public Affairs office).

I attended a T-sponsored community meeting in 1989, where T officials assure the community that a new station would be constructed in Orient Heights prior to the fourth quarter of FY 1994. By my watch, the T's running a little behind schedule.

statler

10-11-2007, 07:20 AM

T gives music a test run

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | October 11, 2007

The roar of subway cars and chords of amateur musicians at the T station will now face competition from Neil Diamond songs, 1970s trivia, and live playoff updates from Fenway Park.

It comes from T-Radio, an experiment that began yesterday at three stations and may someday broadcast on every subway platform in Eastern Massachusetts. Disc jockeys and media personalities will mix in light news, weather, entertainment tips, and the like. If it proves popular enough to go full time, commuters will be subjected to eight to 10 minutes of commercials per hour.

MBTA officials say they want to break up the humdrum experience - some call it peace and quiet - of waiting for a train.

"People are pretty sick of hearing my voice drone on," said Daniel A. Grabauskas, general manager of the MBTA, whose recorded safety warnings have long been the closest thing to official entertainment on the platform.

During yesterday's launch at North Station, he made a halfhearted comparison to the dawning of the MTV era. Then he gave a signal, and T Radio played its first song: "Charlie on the MTA," the 1959 Kingston Trio hit that is the pride of transportation zealots in Greater Boston.

"It could be good, but it could also be obnoxious," said Paul Falconer, a therapist from Salem who was reading on the North Station platform when the music started yesterday. "We have enough noise in our environment."

The volume went up and down erratically in the first few minutes, drowning out conversation. But Grabauskas promised a discreet radio station that would allow people to talk and think if they so choose. He said microphones that will be installed throughout the system can pick up ambient noise levels and adjust the broadcast volume accordingly.

Most sports updates will not come live from the field. But programmer Ed McMann said Friday night's playoff game will be an exception because "we love our Red Sox."

The rest of the play list: top 40, Motown, classic rock, Latin pop. In between, local reporters and personalities, including one reporter from the Globe, will offer celebrity gossip, suggestions for tourists, dining tips, and advice for the weekend.

Programmers are considering enlisting the eclectic group of performers who already play at T station platforms to broadcast systemwide.

But don't expect to hear any news about the state's transportation financing woes or violence on the streets. McMann said the station doesn't have the money for a complete news report, and he does not want a half-baked effort.

Pyramid Radio, owned by former Boston radio station magnate Rich Balsbaugh, is running the pilot program without a contract from the T, Grabauskas said.

If it proves popular during the test run at the North, South, and Airport stations, the MBTA will go through government purchasing procedures to sign a contract, he said.

Grabauskas said he does not know how much profit, if any, the MBTA would reap in the deal. Pyramid radio, started two years ago, has been piping music into Logan International Airport and big box retail stores in recent months.

Students from Emerson College will spend the next couple of months gathering feedback from riders. Riders can also respond at MBTA.com.

Judging from the first day, however, the reviews may be mixed.

"It's great," Paula Welander, 31, said as she boarded a train. "It's not so quiet. There's something to listen to."

But Jessica Grant, an 18-year-old college student, found it "kind of cheesy" for the same reason.

"If I wanted to listen to music, I would take an iPod or a Walkman with me, instead of listening to Top 40," she said.

Noah Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com.
Link (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/10/11/t_gives_music_a_test_run/)

Riders now can track down tunes, gossip on T-Radio
By Jason Millman | Thursday, October 11, 2007 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

Instead of having to listen to the clatter of trains, passengers at select MBTA subway stations will now be soothed by the sound of music, comedy and even gossip.

MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas announced the launch of T-Radio, a new station playing over subway loud speakers , yesterday at North Station.

?We?ve got a little something for everyone,? said radio personality Ed McMann.

The pilot program also features Cambridge comedian Lenny Clarke, musician Livingston Taylor, former Bruin Lyndon Byers, restaurant critic Billy Costa and the Herald?s Inside Track, dishing daily gossip.

T-Radio, now in its pilot stage and funded by Pyramid Radio, debuted at North Station, South Station and the Airport station yesterday. It?s the first program of its kind in the nation, Grabauskas said.

Minutes after T-Radio launched - the first song appropriately enough was ?Charlie on the MTA? - riders said they generally supported the idea.

?It?ll pass the time,? said Kevin Mullen, 52, of Quincy. ?People get antsy.?

On the other hand, college student Alicia Ardin, 20, said T-Radio ?could be a distraction for people who like to read.?
Link (http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1037326)

Sounding off on T-Radio
Pilot's launch sparks concern

BOSTON. A new MBTA pilot radio program will belt out music, entertainment and sports news and service alerts at three T stations throughout the day, though some musicians who perform throughout the subway system are worried expanding the program would drown them out and eventually drive them away.

Yesterday at 2:15 p.m., officials flipped the switch to launch T-Radio, which will broadcast over the PA systems at North Station, South Station and Airport from now until Thanksgiving. The station, designed by Pyramid Radio, Inc., will provide news updates on a variety of topics, including entertainment, lifestyle, weather and sports.

The music selection will cover many genres, from ?60s Motown to today?s chart toppers. Local celebrities and TV personalities, such as comedian Lenny Clarke and WBZ?s entertainment reporter Joyce Kulhawik, will provide the voices to much of the content.

MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas said rider feedback will play a large part in whether the program is expanded or scraped. In addition, through a partnership with Emerson College, a team of students will survey riders over the next few weeks to get their thoughts on the project. The T will also add an icon on its Web site tomorrow or Monday to specifically comment on T-Radio.

?We want to make this something that people want, and if we can do that, we?ll be more than thrilled to roll this out to the rest of the MBTA system,? Grabauskas said yesterday.
However, some musicians who perform in the T stations have raised concerns that T-Radio would eventually replace their live performances.

?I think if the radio came on here, live music would be gone forever,? said Paulo Pereira, who?s been playing cello at Harvard station for three years.

At Park Street, another performer, who declined to give a name, expressed frustration over the new effort. ?It?s the atmosphere. It?s a long time tradition,? the musician said of subway performances.

But Grabauskas responded to those concerns by saying T-Radio isn?t meant to replace live performances, and that the T has even considered featuring those performers on the radio to give them greater exposure.

?I hope not,? Grabauskas said of T-Radio potentially forcing out live musicians. ?I think the performers in our stations add life, color and richness to the MBTA system.?

Greg St. Martin
Link (http://www.metrobostonnews.com/us/article/2007/10/11/02/5926-72/index.xml)

statler

10-11-2007, 07:26 AM

And now for something completely different:

Poll: Riders like the T
More than 70 percent would keep riding if given another option
Glen Cooper | BostonNOW
Galen Moore
Fed up with the T? It looks like you're in the minority.
More people who ride the T said the MBTA does "above average" or better at managing public transportation in the Boston area, according to BostonNOW poll results obtained last week.

Among Eastern Massachusetts residents queried in the poll,

* 40.2 percent rated the MBTA "excellent" or "above average."
* 32 percent rated the T "poor" or "below average."
* 70.2 percent said they would continue riding the T even if they could get around without it.

"It's encouraging," said General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas of the results. "You'll always hear the complaints when we fall down on service," he said, "but when you put together all the things we've been trying to do, I guess I'd like to believe more people still think we do a good job."

The MBTA's approval rating was consistent across respondents who said they ride the T "very often," to those who said they ride it "not much if at all."
The results are surprisingly good for the T, pollster Gerry Chervinsky said. "Generally, when you ask people about a public service institution or agency, they don't get good marks."

But local transit advocates disagreed as to whether the results should come as a surprise.
"Frankly, the T has gotten better," said Karen Wepsic, a member of the T Riders' Oversight Committee. "It used to be horrendous," she said.
Now, stations are cleaner, staff are more courteous, and people take pride in the system, but Wepsic thinks approval numbers would drop in a poll of bus riders specifically. "I don't think the T manages the bus system as well" as other modes, she said, adding the T should do more to ensure buses adhere to posted schedules.

T Rider's Union organizer Lee Matsueda said he hears a different perspective: from what he has seen, the T has gotten worse over recent years. "There's a lot of different folks who talk to us," riding every mode of transportation, he said. "By and large the experiences we hear are not positive ones."
Grabauskas admitted the T must do more to improve riders' experience. Although there's no "silver bullet," he said the most important area to improve is timeliness.

"There's 100 things," he said, "but the number-one thing is, do they get you there on time?"
Link (http://bostonnow.com/news/local/2007/10/11/poll_riders_like_the_t)

ChunkyMonkey

10-11-2007, 08:53 AM

I have a newfound appreciation for the T after a weekend using London's Underground. I won't complain as much now ;)

PerfectHandle

10-11-2007, 09:21 AM

I hope they don't expand T-Radio across the system. I hate being forced to listen to music when I want ambient noise.

touqen

10-11-2007, 11:29 AM

T Rider's Union organizer Lee Matsueda said he hears a different perspective: from what he has seen, the T has gotten worse over recent years. "There's a lot of different folks who talk to us," riding every mode of transportation, he said. "By and large the experiences we hear are not positive ones."

Simply because people who have a complaint are more likely to complain to the T Riders Union. If people are satisfied with their service, they generally aren't going to go around telling people about it.

Someone needs to teach this guy about self-selection bias.

whighlander

10-13-2007, 10:13 AM

I love the London Underground for its scale and complexity

On the other hand the T is small and simple and it generally works

The London Underground is broken so often that they regularly announce the list of non-working lines, closed stations, etc. However, these are typically only the planned outages. Beyond the scheduled shut downs there are any number of dead vehicles, vehicles without functioning lights, doors or PA's.

All in All the London Underground is a necessary evil and a vital aspect of an old and still vibrant uber Euro-city.

The T by comparison is mostly working and delivering its services mostly where they are needed in a more typically American-style city of Boston/Cambridge - -where the car is king.

Westy

Beton Brut

10-24-2007, 10:17 PM

I hope they don't expand T-Radio across the system. I hate being forced to listen to music when I want ambient noise.

Wanna stop it -- sign this (http://www.petitiononline.com/TRADIO/petition.html). I did.

touqen

10-25-2007, 11:47 AM

I'm pretty sure that online petitions don't hold any actual value. If you really want to show your disapproval, get a real pen and paper petition going.

snarl71

10-25-2007, 02:38 PM

I went to the MBTA website directly to comment on the T-Radio debate. They have (or at least had) a link where you could share your opinions/suggestions about it.

Apparently, T-radio hasn't been very popular as they've decided to silence the airwaves a month earlier than planned. This was the email I received this afternoon:

Dear MBTA Customer:

Thank you for taking the time to let us know your thoughts on T-Radio.
As we stated at the launch of this pilot test, MBTA riders would determine the fate of T-Radio. We have heard from a number of riders on a wide range of issues including the content and style.

Consequently, as of Thursday, October 25th, T-Radio will be suspended.
While it is suspended, personnel from the MBTA and Pyramid Radio (the operator of the pilot program) will review and discuss the hundreds of
emails received. Following a sufficient period of consideration, MBTA
staff will present a recommendation on how the comments and suggestions might be addressed and whether a resumption of the pilot program is advised.

As always, we will continue to try and make your commute better through various means, and always ask for your feedback.

Thank you again for taking the time to write and have your voice heard.
Its appreciated.

justin

11-26-2007, 01:30 AM

I just came back from my first visit to Boston in a while, and I must say that I was impressed by the accummulation of small improvements, instigated, I'm guessing, by Grabauskas: fresh paint in a number of places, better lighting, clear PA announcements of arriving trains, new black displays in stations which I assume will eventually give train info (anybody know when?), new maps in glass frames (easier to change than putting stickers on enamel) and uniform to boot, neighborhood maps at station exits.

I'd be more impressed with TBMs in the ground, but even doing the obvious counts as progress on the T.

justin

JimboJones

11-26-2007, 08:43 AM

The North Station Orange Line / Green Line terminal is quite nice.

Only complaints are: too many levels (I guess they had a small space in which to work?), meaning you have to navigate three or four staircases / escalators / elevators, and having the Green Line Outbound on a separate level from the other three seems kind of silly (again, I'm guessing they had to do so, since Outbound heads on up to Science Park).

Oh, and of course, the idea that you have to exit North Station to get on the subway is something I just can't comprehend ...

Smuttynose

11-26-2007, 12:56 PM

MBTA testing system that alerts commuters of delays

Article Date: Monday, November 26, 2007
BOSTON (AP) _ It won't prevent delays. But a new text message and e-mail alert system being tested by the MBTA aims to let commuters know about delays so they can better prepare.

The real time alert system is being launched this week for a test run among 3,000 riders.

It aims to let riders know specifically about delays or schedule changes on the routes they take.

MBTA general manager Daniel Grabauskas said the system is a customizable version of the alerts that appear on the authority's Web site.

He said the MBTA realized the alerts had to go mobile to fit the lifestyle of the average person.

The MBTA won't charge for the service. But commuters would face text message or data charges from their cellular service providers.

statler

11-26-2007, 01:01 PM

^^ Do other cities offer this?

Could the T actually be leading the way in something or are they playing follow the leader from somewhere else?

Smuttynose

11-26-2007, 08:37 PM

^It's relatively new, in North America anyway. Although, Washington and Toronto already has it and New York is in the process of implementing it.

justin

11-28-2007, 03:48 AM

The North Station Orange Line / Green Line terminal is quite nice.

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/3044/northstationkh1.jpg

Only complaints are: too many levels (I guess they had a small space in which to work?), meaning you have to navigate three or four staircases / escalators / elevators, and having the Green Line Outbound on a separate level from the other three seems kind of silly (again, I'm guessing they had to do so, since Outbound heads on up to Science Park).

There really was no room: if they were to build a New-York style four track/two platform station, the outbound green line would have to swing under orange line tracks and then back west, which would be bloody expensive even if the central artery weren't on the other side of the platform wall. They did pretty well with the current layout - makes the transfer at Haymarket completely redundant.

justin

ckb

11-28-2007, 12:27 PM

Makes the transfer at Haymarket completely redundant.

Which is good because that station is a complete maze between the two lines.

statler

12-23-2007, 08:18 PM

A year later, T riders see Charlie's good side

By Robert Preer, Globe Correspondent | December 23, 2007

The CharlieCard, which sparked widespread confusion when it was introduced a year ago, has found growing acceptance and even some affection among Boston-area transit riders.

Criticisms about the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's venture into automated fare collection, which arrived about the same time as a substantial fare increase, have diminished.

"I don't hear people saying I wish we had the old tokens back," said state Representative Jeffrey Sanchez, a Boston Democrat who also represents part of Brookline. "I think people accept that we live in a new age of technology."

The T reports that complaints about CharlieCards are about half what they were six months ago. The website BadTransit.com, which chronicles the woes of the MBTA, has logged few complaints about the CharlieCards in recent months.

"Either the T has worked out the issues or riders have giv en up. I'm really not sure," said Mark Richards, editor of BadTransit.

The CharlieCard derives its name from the Kingston Trio song about a man who found Boston's subway system so maddening that he was unable to exit and had to ride the trains forever.

Most of the glitches that plagued the system in its early weeks - cards that froze in cold weather, values that disappeared, a dearth of vendors - have been fixed. Most riders are getting to trains and buses a bit faster than they did before.

"I think they're a great idea," said Lynn Christman, a Falmouth resident, preparing to board a Red Line train with several friends at South Station recently. "I really like the CharlieCards. We come up from the Cape once a month and ride all around the city."

While most of the bugs have been worked out, some larger issues with the MBTA's automated fare collection remain unsettled.

Although CharlieCards were introduced in part to allow seamless connections among different transportation modes, they still don't work on commuter rail or commuter boats. Expansion of automated fare collection to those heavily used services is probably at least a year away, say T officials.

Also, unlike the rechargeable cards used by many stores today, CharlieCards cannot be managed online by cardholders. And unless you purchased your card through a corporate program, if you lose it, you're out of luck.

"Making them work on commuter rail and being able to manage them online are still needed," said Paul Regan, executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board, which represents communities served by the T. "If they can accomplish those two things it will be a clean sweep."

Some critics argue that the MBTA could do more with CharlieCards to make transit more efficient. With the cards in widespread use, the T could implement variable fares - perhaps charging more for longer trips or less for rides in off-peak hours.

"Even though the CharlieCard is great, it's a missed opportunity in Massachusetts," said Richard Arena, president of the Boston-based Association for Public Transportation.

Martin Wachs, director of RAND Corp.'s transportation program, who served for nearly a decade on the Transportation Research Board, said that with automated fare collection, transit agencies can develop frequent rider programs, like the airlines do. Measures like this, as well as lower off-peak fares, could boost ridership, Wachs said.

"In the end, the biggest benefit is that it enables transit operators to think about different fare structures," he said.

T spokesman Joe Pesaturo said charging more for longer rides or less for off-peak hours would clash with the T's commitment to "value pricing."

He said "customers value our core bus and rapid transit system in terms of whether it gets them to their destination safely and efficiently - not in terms of the distance or time of day they traveled or the connections they made."

The MBTA considers the CharlieCard a success, in large measure because of the high percentage of riders who use them instead of the paper Charlie tickets or cash on buses. In October - the most recent month for which data were available - 88 percent of subway riders and 83 percent of bus riders used the cards.

The T discounts fares for card users - 30 cents for the subway and 25 cents for buses. It also has promoted CharlieCards heavily, and it gives them away. Many transit agencies charge for the cards.

"We made the business decision we were going to hand the cards out for free, and we are continuing to do that," said Daniel A. Grabauskas, T general manager.

Implementation of the system cost about $192 million. There was no significant reduction in staff because fare collectors were reassigned as customer service agents, who help riders navigate the transit system.

The introduction of the cards coincided roughly with a 25 percent fare increase, which was intended to close a budget deficit of about $70 million last year.

Although the T does not tout CharlieCards as money savers for the agency, the automated collection system should produce some long-term financial benefits. When patrons add money to their cards, the T gets paid in advance.

"It's an obvious advantage to any agency to hold the money up front," said Regan.

Grabauskas said automated fare collection has made the system more efficient. Riders no longer have to fumble with change or tokens. A simple tap of the card opens the gate.

"I don't know if it's a money saver, but it's a time saver," Grabauskas said.

When the cards were introduced in December 2006, the machines and menus were vexing and counterintuitive to many riders.

"The front end was designed by computer people, and that's a dangerous thing to do when you are dealing with riders who have different languages and different skills," said Richards.

The MBTA reports that complaints about the cards have fallen significantly. In November, the agency received 160, down from 310 in July.

While smart cards are not a new technology - businesses have been using them for more than two decades - public transportation agencies have been slow to adopt them. Automated fare collection can be costly to install and there is no quick payoff for a public agency.

The MBTA was among the first wave of big transit agencies to switch. The T is seeking a vendor to implement the cards' use not only on commuter rail and boats, but also at T parking facilities.

The agency also is working to make the CharlieCards work as cash cards for authorized merchants, so that a rider could tap the card when picking up a cup coffee before the morning ride.

"The vision for the CharlieCard and the investments we have made should make the card your passport for the whole system," Grabauskas said.

Link (http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/12/23/a_year_later_t_riders_see_charlies_good_side/)

JimboJones

12-24-2007, 01:49 PM

I have a question and a comment (the article doesn't discuss either, unless I missed something).

Question: has the MBTA collected more money this year because of the CharlieCard and/or has ridership increased or decreased and can this be tied to the CharlieCard?

Comment: Too many people are still being allowed on-board without paying, mostly because drivers just wave them on, when there's a line. This is on the Green Line, of course, where the stops are above ground and riders can get on at any door.

statler

12-27-2007, 04:10 AM

'I'M ON THE T': Tunnels ready for cellphones

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | December 27, 2007

Passengers riding the T in tunnels underneath downtown Boston will now be able to chat on their cellphones, text-message their friends, or use hand-held devices to e-mail their bosses from platforms and underground tunnels in and around four of the MBTA's busiest stations.

Yesterday, AT&T became the third cellphone provider to offer a signal underground. T-Mobile and Verizon both connected their networks earlier this month, but without any announcement from the T, many customers were not aware they could use their phones.

The service is currently being offered in Downtown Crossing, Government Center, State, and Park Street stations, and all the tunnels in between. Expansion to other stations and tunnels is expected as cellphone service providers see demand and are willing to pay for the connection.

Most riders interviewed yesterday said they appreciate the freedom to use their phones. But some also said they regretted losing one of the last places in Boston where people can both get a break from their phones and not be subjected to the noise and unwanted intrusion of others' conversations.

"I'm glad it's happening," said Samuel Kelley, 20, a college student. But "it's kind of a nuisance to be next to the person who's blabbing away, trying to overpower the sound of the trains."

The MBTA acknowledges the potential for annoyance from loud talkers and is rolling out a campaign designed to encourage passengers to keep conversations brief and quiet.

Ads will be placed in train cars with the message: "Peace and quiet. It has a nice ring to it."

Robert Karash, 58, a semiretired professor, said cellphone chatter on the buses he rides has become prevalent, but he has learned to cope.

"The key is, people have to Zen out and not really listen," he said.

The nation's subways have been slow to introduce cellphone service, in large part because carriers have not wanted to spend the money to wire tunnels. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has tried to get cellphone service into the system for most of this decade; an earlier deal fell through when companies balked at the high cost of wiring the entire T.

T-Mobile built its own limited network, available on a handful of platforms, in 2003, but its customers could not get a signal in the tunnels.

Two years later, the T contracted with InSite Wireless, which installs the wiring and antennas necessary to provide cell service. InSite is paying the MBTA at least $4 million over 15 years for the right to charge cellphone carriers for use of the system it built. When service expands - probably first to South Station, North Station, and other busy stations - the fees paid by InSite to the T will rise.

"These are very complex projects that kind of fall outside the traditional infrastructure agreement that carriers get into, say, on a tower or a rooftop," said Christopher J. Davis, president of InSite Wireless.

InSite had been expected to wire the first four stations two years ago, but Davis said that negotiating deals with cell providers delayed the launch. He expects more cell companies will sign deals next year, now that three major competitors have committed.

Because InSite has built an equipment room and installed 89 small antennas for the first four stations, it should be technologically easier to expand, Davis said. New locations depend on collecting money from cell companies, so the order of expansion will be driven by demand, he and MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas said.

"The goal of all parties is to build out the entire system," Davis said. He declined to provide a timetable.

Grabauskas and cell company managers say text messaging and e-mailing from handheld devices may prove more popular than trying to talk on a noisy train.

"The whole data side is really where the growth of the industry is now," said Michael Murphy, a spokesman for Verizon Wireless.

Grabauskas believes most riders will embrace cellphone service as a convenience for getting work done and keeping appointments, as well as a way to report suspicious behavior. He also hopes to give commuters another reason to ditch their cars.

"It's a competitive advantage. People can let somebody else do some driving while you're able to do some work," he said.

Cell service on other subways is at various stages of development. Passengers who ride the MARTA in Atlanta have no cell service underground. On the Metro in Washington, Verizon customers have had cell access for more than a decade, but customers of other companies get no signal.

The Bay Area Rapid Transit added service in some San Francisco tunnels and on platforms a year ago and is expanding to other parts of the system over the next two years.

New York City Transit signed a deal this fall with an outside contractor to equip all platforms in the city with cellphone and wireless Internet service. But officials there decided not to include service in the tunnels because installation of cell equipment would disrupt too many trains, said Paul Fleuranges, a spokesman for the transit agency.

"The subway was never really built for a lot of modern technology that we're overlaying," Fleuranges said.

Globe correspondent Daniel M. Peleschuk contributed to this report. Noah Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com.
Link (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/12/27/i_m_on_the_t_tunnels_ready_for_cellphones/)

statler

01-10-2008, 08:13 AM

Ridership's down, it's broke, but the T needs to keep you happy
Galen Moore Reporter

The T is "structurally broke," but General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas has resolved to continue spending big money in 2008.

"It doesn't sound like a company that's broke, the way we're spending money," he said in a wide-ranging interview with BostonNOW covering the MBTA's plans for the new year, "but if we don't do that, we're going to spiral into a much worse condition."

Riders on Commuter Rail, bus and subway can look forward this year to improvements costing multiple millions, Grabauskas said. Although the MBTA faces a widening budget deficit, "2008 will not see a fare increase," he said.

Operating costs are expected to rise, but MBTA funding is tied to the state sales tax. If a talked-of recession materializes, that will hit the T hard, said former Transportation Finance Commission member Stephen J. Silveira.

"It's not like they can say, well, we're not going to run these 25 bus routes this year," he said.

Instead, closing the gap will be up to Gov. Deval Patrick and the state Legislature, Grabauskas said. Patrick has proposed casino revenue and a cost-saving state transportation merger. All Grabauskas can do is work on the one factor that may be within his control - ridership, he said.

"The death knell in any transit system - unless all avenues have been exhausted - is to reduce service or reduce quality of service, because then you have fewer riders," he said.

MBTA ridership has fallen slowly but steadily since Grabauskas took over in 2005. In 2008, he hopes to reverse that trend.

By the end of the year, bus riders can expect an end to long waits that end when three buses arrive at once, he said. Using GPS technology to be deployed by the end of the year, "We will be able to track our bus fleet the way we track our subways."

Meanwhile, new LED signs at every subway station will display late-train announcements. New Commuter Rail LED signs will tell riders how many minutes until their train arrives.

Behind-the-scenes, equipment overhauls and replacements will hopefully increase the most important factor: reliable on-time service, Grabauskas said.

"I think we have a chance to boost ridership," but even if that happens, the T will still need more money that can only come from additional state revenue support, he said. "That's at higher pay grades than mine to determine."

Planned improvements

Subway

Service alerts on new LED signs in all stations by mid-2009
Blue Line: platform replacements
Red Line: fix at Columbia Junction, responsible for 70 percent of delays
Green Line: New low-floor cars on "D" Line; overhaul of older "No. 7" cars
Orange Line: Ongoing signal project to be completed May-June

Commuter Rail

Next-train countdown on new LED signs in all stations
Fitchburg Line work begins
75 new bi-level coaches to be ordered (delivered by 2011)
28 new locomotives to be ordered (delivered by 2011)

Bus

155 new buses
Surveillance cameras to be added on 300 buses (out of 1040)
GPS tracking of bus fleet to reduce traffic delays
Route-wide service alerts via on-board public address systems

BostonNOW - Dan Interview MBTA
2:18 minutes (2.11 MB)
* Download audio file (http://www.bostonnow.com/node/64924)

Published on January 9, 2008
Link (http://www.bostonnow.com/node/64927)

unterbau

01-10-2008, 09:11 AM

It's nice to see the T continuing to invest in infrastructure and keeping up with the times. I just hope that they can keep this up...

statler

01-10-2008, 09:34 AM

All Grabauskas can do is work on the one factor that may be within his control - ridership, he said.
He may be forgetting one small thing...union contracts.
Though, in reality, he doesn't have that much control over them, as it really lies in the hands of arbitrators and courts, but I still think he would have a good shot at some concessions if he tried. Especially if he was willing to cut some management fat along with them.
Piss off too many people and it could cost him his job however.
In short, I don't have good answer.
I don't think anybody does.

KentXie

01-10-2008, 12:59 PM

Comment: Too many people are still being allowed on-board without paying, mostly because drivers just wave them on, when there's a line. This is on the Green Line, of course, where the stops are above ground and riders can get on at any door.
Normally it happens on the green line during the end of school days but during other times, they only open the front door. Though normally when they do this, a few people get on with out paying but I believe the T has a legitmate reason. I know for a fact that at the Longwood Medical Center stop on the E line, if the trolley did not open all the doors allow the students on and instead choose to open only the front door to make sure everyone pay, it would take at least 5-10 minutes to get everyone on board, especially when the students refuse to move to the back of the train to allow more riders on.

czsz

01-10-2008, 03:25 PM

KentXie

01-17-2008, 08:30 PM

The aboveground Green Line fare collection system is ridiculously inefficient. They should just install turnstiles at the entrances to every station. You can do this even on the narrowest of mid-street platforms: it's prevalent on the Istanbul light rail system.

Except that it will be easy to jump the gates. Most likely it will end up costing more on maintaining the turnstiles than to leave the station without them especially when they are exposed to the weather.

saltbox

01-18-2008, 10:00 AM

Jaime Lerner's plan for Curitiba is the best example of this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Bus_Stops_2_curitiba_brasil.jpg

KentXie

01-18-2008, 01:00 PM

Yea that was what I was thinking they should do but seeing how the T is practically broke, I don't think they will ever put up something like that.

statler

01-28-2008, 06:44 AM

Wi-Fi to reach the rails this week
MBTA?s pilot program welcomed

http://wtimg.ny.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=WT&Date=20080127&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=801270418&Ref=AR&Profile=1116&MaxW=250
By John J. Monahan TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
jmonahan@telegram.com

BOSTON? The trains from Worcester to Boston will not be moving any faster, but starting in the middle of this week, passengers will be able to surf the Web on their laptops, iPhones and hand-held PDAs as the MBTA starts a free high-speed Wi-Fi Internet service.

The pilot program, one of the first of its kind in the country, will be tested on the Worcester-Framingham-Boston commuter trains with the hope of soon installing it on all 13 commuter rail lines in the state.

Initially, at least one car per train will provide free wireless fidelity, or Wi-Fi, service to passengers.

For the thousands of commuters using the rail line, officials said they expect the service will come as a major breakthrough, allowing the commuters to make better use of their time or catch up on reading and e-mails on their way to and from work.

Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray, who has occasionally used the train to get to the Statehouse, said he has been working with Daniel A. Grabauskas, general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, to get the wireless service on the trains since he was mayor of Worcester.

He and MBTA officials said Friday they expect the service will provide a new incentive for commuters and others to use the commuter rail and allow those already commuting to be more productive during the time they spend on the trains.

Mr. Murray said while other train systems in some parts of the country have ?tinkered with this? in recent years, the pilot program and yearlong test of the service here will put the state ahead of all other commuter train systems.

?I believe this is a great opportunity for Massachusetts because we are a high-tech state and pride ourselves on our well-educated work force,? Mr. Murray said. ?This allows that connectivity to take place and encourages and incentivizes people to take the train as well.?

Posters on the inside and outside of the train cars will identify which coaches are equipped with the service. Other commuter rail lines may also have Wi-Fi access from time to time as well, when the MBTA may move Wi-Fi coaches from one line to another to meet service demands, officials said.

The Worcester-Framingham-Boston line, Mr. Murray said, is a good place to start testing the service, in part to make up to commuters for some of the problems with periodic delays. ?This is a way to mitigate some of the problems we have had over the last year as we try to improve service, and we really want to bring it to the whole commuter rail system,? he said.

Mr. Murray said while some commuters have used air cards on laptops, cell phones and BlackBerry hand-held devices while on the train, until now service to those devices often was ?in and out? and frequently interrupted as the train moved through different service and blackout areas along the route.

Kris Erickson, MBTA deputy chief of staff, said Friday the technology involves the installation of a 10-inch antenna to the outside of the train to pick up Sprint wireless signals; those signals are then fed by wire to a wireless router and a device that converts the signals to a free open Wi-Fi system in the train car.

?We?ve been working on this for more than a year, and we are also starting to test it on other lines as well,? Mr. Erickson said. The work has focused on the ways the signals and the routers interact, trying to eliminate low signal areas as much as possible.

So far, the MBTA has spent $262,000 on the project, including the cost of installing wireless routers on 45 passenger coaches, but the agency hopes the investment will pay off through increased ridership.

Mr. Erickson said signal strength on the Worcester-Boston line is strong throughout almost the entire route, with the signal dipping in some areas, including a spot in Southboro, as well as occasional dead spots.

?We have always heard this is one of the top requests from commuter rail riders,? he said, but it has proven difficult to provide the service on trains that cover lengthy routes with varied signal strengths.

?There is not one commuter rail system in the country that has this right now,? Mr. Erickson said. ?We know there are going to be some technical glitches, but we want to get in there and test it in a real environment and get a much better idea how to do it.?

While testing the system as it was being worked up, he said, some commuters picked up on the signals and figured out what was happening, and e-mailed reactions to the discovery to the MBTA.

?Awesome! Keep it going! This is a great idea. So far the network seems pretty fast. Might change when there are more riders connected,? said one rider.

?Yes! Yes! Yes!? read the subject line from Alec, who picked up the signal on a train from Boston to Providence while passing through Attleboro during a test on Jan. 18.

?Hello from an ecstatic rider on the Providence/Boston line,? he wrote. ?I work with European clients, so being able to work on the train as I?m heading in would be extremely valuable ? an extra hour with the time zone thing.? He said he turned on his laptop and found a very strong signal on the ?ridership connection.?

?Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!,? he wrote.

?The Wi-Fi service is awesome!!!! Best thing the MBTA has done in many, many years to improve the rider experience,? wrote a rider named Charles in an e-mail he sent to top officials at the MBTA after coming upon the signal Friday.

?What does this mean?? he added. ?I can leave the house later and start work on the train, spending more time with my kids. I can leave work earlier and work on the train to again spend more time with my family. ? This gives me a one-up on the competition. Seriously thank you!!?

Mr. Murray said, ?This will allow people to work this into their daily work plan and it really goes to the issue of productivity? faced by commuters on the hourlong trips between the two largest cities in the state. Besides getting work done, he said, it will give commuters a chance to use whatever Internet activities they enjoy while they are going back and forth to work.

?This is an important first step in our commitment to improve commuter rail services throughout the commonwealth,? Mr. Murray said, commending MBTA officials for getting the pilot system up and running.

The 45-mile line, from Union Station in Worcester to South Station in Boston, passes through 17 communities and serves 17 stations, carrying more than 18,000 passengers daily.

Contact John J. Monahan by e-mail at jmonahan@telegram.com.
Link (http://www.telegram.com/article/20080128/NEWS/801280573/1116)

statler

01-28-2008, 06:52 AM

Wi-Fi gets trial run on commuter trains

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | January 28, 2008

Passengers on one of the Commonwealth's busiest commuter rail lines will be able to e-mail clients, exchange YouTube videos, or amuse themselves with details of Tom Brady's personal life from their laptops beginning this week.

The MBTA announced a pilot program yesterday that makes free wireless Internet access available along the Worcester/Framingham rail line to South Station.

The program officially begins Wednesday, but many riders have noticed they already have Internet access in some train cars.

Daniel A. Grabauskas, general manager of the MBTA, said he believes the program is among the first in the nation to offer wireless Internet access on a commuter rail.

The service has become routine in airports and coffee shops, and is even appearing on airplanes. But commuter trains have taken longer to adapt.

"If we really want to try to boost commuter ridership, then the way to do that is to have a difference that gives a competitive advantage for people getting on a train rather than getting in their car," Grabauskas said in a phone interview.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority began developing the service more than a year ago after Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray, then mayor of Worcester, suggested it.

The agency has spent $260,000 so far on development. Recent testing showed service available throughout the 45-mile line, with some weak spots near Boston but no loss of signal, Grabauskas said.

By Wednesday, one designated Wi-Fi car in each Worcester/Framingham train will be marked with a sign explaining the program.

Riders in other cars might be able to pick up a signal as well, but the strongest signal will come from the designated car.

Because the MBTA rotates trains throughout the commuter system, some passengers on other lines might occasionally get one of the 45 Wi-Fi cars outside of the Worcester/Framingham area. In those cases, the service will work, but it will probably be spottier.

Riders will know they have a Wi-Fi car by the poster advertisement inside. The MBTA plans to post a guide on its website that will indicate how strong or weak the signal is in various parts of the commuter network.

Eventually, Grabauskas wants continuous strong service throughout the system and he wants it to be free to commuters. But at this point, he says he has no cost estimates or timetable. Much will depend on what managers learn from users during the pilot program, he said.

"The goal is to work out the bugs on the Worcester/Framingham line," he said.

The MBTA says 18,000 passengers rely on the Worcester/Framingham line on a typical weekday. It has been plagued by delays in recent months, largely because it is the only line dispatched by CSX Transportation, which also runs freight on the line.

Because bandwidth is limited, the T is also looking at technology that would limit how much bandwidth individual commuters can use so the signal spreads among more people. That could mean commuters would have to wait until they get to work to download videos.

Noah Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com.
Link (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/01/28/wi_fi_gets_trial_run_on_commuter_trains/)

statler

01-28-2008, 01:24 PM

Crime on T hits 10-year low
January 28, 2008 12:40 PM

Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

Crime on the T decreased in 2007 to a 10-year low, as violence dropped 18.5 percent from the year before, according to a statement released today by transit police.

Serious crime fell 10 percent from 2006, with robbery dropping 20 percent, according to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The likelihood of a passenger being a victim of a crime while riding the transit system is now less than 1 in 400,000, said acting Transit Police Chief Paul MacMillian.

Authorities credit a number of initiatives for the decrease in crime, including visible uniformed patrols and the "See Something, Say Something" campaign that encourages riders to report suspicious behavior.

"No matter how insignificant they feel it is, they should let us know,? MacMillian said in a statement. ?It's better to err on the side of caution."

The expansion of the closed circuit television system has also helped transit police investigate crimes and identify suspects.

Link (http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/01/crime_on_t_hits.html)

kz1000ps

01-30-2008, 11:55 AM

T may get edge on Beacon St.

By Julie Masis
Globe Correspondent / January 27, 2008

The T may be ready to get in synch with Beacon Street's new traffic lights.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority plans to hire a consultant to analyze costs and benefits of giving Green Line trains priority at the computerized lights.

The use of trolley-recognition devices would allow traffic lights to extend the green, letting an approaching trolley pass through an intersection, or shorten the red, so a trolley does not have to wait as long at a red light.

Four MBTA officials met with Brookline officials on Dec. 21, nearly three weeks after the Globe ran a story about the new traffic light system on Beacon Street. The article reported that the Green Line was not integrated into the system, and that the T wanted the town to provide more information about how the system would benefit the trolleys.

"We spoke after the last story ran and decided that it was a good idea if the city and the authority got together and [discussed] what each side was working on," said MBTA deputy chief of staff Kris Erickson.

As a result of that meeting, the MBTA is going to hire a consultant in a "couple of weeks or so, [February] at the latest," he said, to perform the analysis.

HNTB Engineering, which the MBTA is looking to hire, this month submitted a preliminary proposal to complete the cost-benefit analysis for $61,000 in 22 weeks after being hired.

Even if the MBTA goes through with the cost-benefit analysis, however, trolleys might not get priority at Beacon Street intersections.

"The time savings might not be worth the cost to implement the system," said John C. Lewis, the MBTA's director of systemwide maintenance and improvements. "If we're going to save minutes then the cost may be worthwhile, but if you're [talking] seconds or milliseconds, the cost may not be the best option."

Lewis added that having trains run faster between St. Mary's Street and Cleveland Circle might create a bottleneck at the Kenmore station, where three Green Line branches converge and share the same track.

And, he said, trolley prioritization can work only at some of the intersections. "Can't do it at every traffic light because [then we will] have a potential of a massive traffic jam in Brookline if [we] always give the Green Line priority," he said.

William MacLellan, a signal engineer with HNTB, said it isn't a good idea to "constrain any vehicular traffic either."

"You don't want to be throwing red lights in front of a car approaching" an intersection, he said.

Twenty-one computerized traffic signals have been installed on Beacon Street, replacing 25- to 40-year-old mechanical lights. Five of the 21 signals are at intersections that had stop or yield signs before.

The new traffic signals on the corners of Charles Street and Pleasant Street will begin working this month, while the traffic signal on Hawes Street and Beacon is expected to go online by early or mid-February, according to Bill Smith, who manages the Beacon Street reconstruction project for the town.

Once the project is complete, the computerized lights will vary the length of the signals depending on pedestrian and vehicular demand on the street, with sensors that will provide information about how long the line of cars is at the intersections.

If trolley-recognition devices are installed on Beacon Street trolleys, the street will become the first in the Boston area to use the technology.

Commonwealth Avenue in Boston used to have devices that allowed traffic lights to detect trolleys about 15 years ago, but that system no longer works.

Erickson said trolley prioritization never worked on Commonwealth Avenue because the trolley sensors, which were buried underground, were ripped up each time the street was plowed. "It was a different kind of system," he said.

He added that it is too early to say if trolley recognition on Beacon Street could serve as a model for aboveground trolleys elsewhere in the MBTA system.

? Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/01/27/t_may_get_edge_on_beacon_st/

czsz

01-30-2008, 02:36 PM

The fact this hasn't been thought of/done before is astonishing.

jass

01-30-2008, 05:45 PM

Its like these people dont understand how it works.

In California, where I spend time, even the bike lanes have sensors to activate the lights. Every single intersection has sensors; between 12am and 5am every light in the city is red until a car or bike approaches.

statler

01-31-2008, 07:47 AM

Contactless payment trial goes live on San Francisco's BART

Posted Jan 31st 2008 8:24AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation
We knew full well that a contactless payment trial would soon be underway in the city by the Bay, and now it's finally ready for use by 230 guinea pigs. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of details on the Samsung handsets and the technology itself, but we do know that the program is being closely watched in hopes of it operating quite smoothly. If indeed that happens, it could be "expanded," presumably allowing others in the area to have their bank account dinged with the swipe of a cell each time they need a lift. Furthermore, a video clip at CBS5 shows the pilot phone being used to snag some totally nourishing grub from Jack in the Box.
Link (http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/31/contactless-payment-trial-goes-live-on-san-franciscos-bart/)

This should be easy enough to implement with the Charlie system.
Let San Fran work out the kinks first.

KentXie

01-31-2008, 08:11 AM

Link (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/01/28/wi_fi_gets_trial_run_on_commuter_trains/)

I have to say this is a waste of money. They should have spent the money on other things like upgrading trains, maintenance, etc. The MBTA is already in debt and making this thing is pointless. You don't need wi-fi on the train.

statler

01-31-2008, 08:26 AM

^^ It's just a matter of convincing cell providers to put a Charlie chip in their cell phones. It shouldn't cost anything, really.
In fact, if you are the clever sort you can do it yourself by slicing open a Charlie Card, removing the chip and taping it inside the phone.

caravaggiste

02-02-2008, 10:55 AM

When it rains, it pours at some T stations
Subway stops weren't sheltered from the storm
By Tania deLuzuriaga, Globe Staff | February 2, 2008

A funny thing about subway stations in Boston: When it rains outside, it pours inside.

As a winter deluge soaked the city yesterday, water stains the color of coffee spread across the ceiling at Kendall Station and oozed down the walls. Maverick resembled a site for water torture. State Street sounded as if a river ran through it. At North Station, where MBTA officials have spent more than $262 million renovating the station, water poured in through the ceiling.

"I'd like to see a discount for every drop that hits us," said John Shields, 43, of Kingston, N.H.

The problem of water in T stations is almost as old as the T itself. And these days, MBTA officials say, construction projects and renovations are allowing more water than normal to seep into some stations, a problem that should end when the projects are complete. But in other stations, it is simply a fact of life when the weather gets wet. The solutions employed yesterday by the T are about as old as the problem: buckets and mops.

At many places yesterday, receptacles like garbage cans were used to catch leaking water. In some places, signs or orange traffic cones warned of wet floors.

"It shouldn't be like this, not at all," said Mike McNeil, 25, of Jamaica Plain. "One little sign is not going to stop people from slipping."

At the Orange and Green lines on the subway at North Station yesterday, would-be riders stepped gingerly and dodged the streams of water pouring through the roof of the Causeway Street entrance. T employees eventually cordoned off a soaked section of stairs, and a worker dressed like a Gorton's Fisherman in yellow plastic pants tried in vain to battle the water with his mop.

Downstairs, commuters stood waiting for trains as water poured steadily onto the benches by the track. A few towels did little to sop up the mess.

"It's a new station, isn't it?" said one commuter as he jogged off to catch his train.

North Station has a history of water problems. In 2005, it was plagued with leaks, most notably a yellow liquid streaming from the ceiling near the northbound passenger platform of the Orange Line that caused problems with escalators and elevators.

Joe Pesaturo, MBTA spokesman, said yesterday that leaks in the underground tunnels are normal and that the particularly problematic ones are a result of construction projects that expose the tunnels to the elements.

But T officials have sometimes lost the battle with Mother Nature. In 2005, train service on three subway lines was interrupted after 3 inches of rain fell on the city in a matter of hours. In 1996, the Muddy River flooded twice in two months, throwing the Green Line into chaos and causing at least $15 million in damage.

"The tunnels are underground; it's like your basement at home," Pesaturo said.

At North Station, the ongoing construction of a private apartment building over the station has meant near constant leaks near the Causeway Street entrance.

Pesaturo said that the construction company will soon replace the sieve-like plywood and tarpaulin covers that were placed over the skylights with something more watertight.

"The developer has acknowledged this is their issue," he said. "They're addressing any problems associated with the water."

The problems at Maverick, on the Blue Line in East Boston, and State Street station near City Hall are also temporary, Pesaturo said, since both stations are undergoing major renovations.

"During construction activity there are areas that are open to the elements," he said.

Maverick is undergoing a $55 million renovation that includes platform extensions, new elevator and escalators, and updated mechanical and electrical systems. State Station will also get new platforms and improved lighting, communications equipment, and historical graphic panels.

The drips aren't simply annoying to some riders. "The leaking is troubling," said Damon Clark, a law student who takes the T nearly everyday.

"It just suggests there's something not stable."

But while the tunnel leaks might appear troubling, they don't indicate any danger, Pesaturo said. "We have a very elaborate drainage system and a lot of pumps."

Not everyone is worried by the water. Jameer Nelson of Roxbury said he doesn't mind the leaks in North Station, even though the water dripping onto a bench meant he couldn't sit down to wait for his Orange Line train.

"I can't complain," he said, "as long as they get the Big Dig taken care of."

link (http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/02/02/when_it_rains_it_pours_at_some_t_stations/)

JoeGallows

03-03-2008, 03:53 PM

Chance for those of you with the time, know-how and desire to try to change the T to do something. Looks like the MBTA Rider Oversight Committee is trying to fill some vacancies. Here's the press release PDF (http://www.mbta.com/uploadedFiles/Smart_Forms/News,_Events_and_Press_Releases/Call%20to%20Action%20Letter.pdf). The actual press release on the website doesn't have any info on it, but here it is anyway (http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/news_events/?id=14628&month=&year=).

Does this committee have much power at all? I'm not sure I've heard of it.

Beton Brut

03-03-2008, 07:38 PM

Maybe they have a seat for this guy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Jude#Veneration). He may be able to help them out.

Waldorf

03-03-2008, 09:05 PM

statler

03-06-2008, 09:20 AM

The Globe - March 6
T card has security flaw, says researcher
Cracked code could lead to counterfeits, study team warns

By Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff | March 6, 2008

A computer science student at the University of Virginia asserts that he has found a security flaw in the technology behind the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's CharlieCard system.

German-born graduate student Karsten Nohl specializes in computer security. Nohl and two fellow security researchers in Germany say they've cracked the encryption scheme that protects the data on the card. The team warns that their breakthrough could be used to make counterfeit copies of the cards, which are used by commuters to pay for MBTA bus and subway rides.

"You could have thousands of cards and sell them in the underworld," said David Evans, an associate professor of computer science at the university, and Nohl's adviser. Nohl himself is on spring break and could not be reached.

The CharlieCard uses a Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID, chip. The card is pressed against a detector, which reads data from the chip and deducts the price of a subway or bus ride from the owner's account.

The T spent $192 million to introduce the CharlieCard in 2006. The system replaced cash and tokens.

A press release issued by the University of Virginia said Nohl's research team obtained the same kind of chip, then used abrasives to scrape away the chip layer by layer. By examining the chip circuitry, they were able to figure out the encryption algorithm it uses and found weaknesses that made it easy to break. Next, the team was able to use commercially available RFID readers to capture data from any RFID-equipped cards that came within range. They could then decrypt the data on those cards and copy them. Nohl said that his team needed only about $1,000 worth of equipment to dismantle the chip and crack the code.

Nohl said that the RFID chip they compromised, the MiFare Classic by NXP Semiconductors of the Netherlands, is the one used in London's subway system and in the MBTA CharlieCard. But MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo refused to confirm or deny this. "It's MBTA policy not to discuss security measures around its smart card technology," he said.

A 2004 policy analysis of the CharlieCard system produced by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said that it would be based on MiFare technology.

NXP Semiconductors issued a statement saying that Nohl's team breached only one of several security features built into the MiFare Classic chip. "This does not breach the security of the overall system," the company said. "Even if one layer were to be compromised, other layers will stop the misuse."

Evans said it might be hard to solve the issue. "There are chips that have a much higher security level available," he said. "They cost more and it is not a trivial matter to upgrade the system."

Ari Juels, chief scientist and director of computer security company RSA Laboratories in Bedford, said that Nohl's research illustrates that there are serious security flaws in many smartcard applications. "The vulnerability is most certainly for real," Juels said.

Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com.
Link (http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/03/06/t_card_has_security_flaw_says_researcher/)

statler

03-06-2008, 09:28 AM

The Globe - March 6
T will dip into reserves for $20m
Rainy day fund will fall to $35m No fare increase seen for 2009

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | March 6, 2008

The MBTA board is expected to approve a spending plan today that will depend heavily on money from its rainy day fund and on refinancing its current debts to cover a $75 million gap. There will be no fare increase in 2009, but the head of the T refused to rule out a 2010 hike.

"You can't keep doing this," Daniel A. Grabauskas, general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, said of the plan to plug the deficit for 2009.

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.

Grabauskas has also been lobbying state and federal government leaders to put more money into the system. In an interview yesterday, he declined to comment on fare hikes beyond the coming year.

"I don't think you can predict that far ahead," he said. ". . . Everybody knows there's a problem. We're trying to find a solution."

Spokesman Joe Pesaturo added later that "the MBTA is not developing plans for a fare increase."

Grabauskas called the latest spending plan "the lesser of two evils." Last month, in an interview, he called the MBTA "broke."

The depletion of the rainy day fund could have serious consequences. The T's own budget standard calls for $100 million to be kept in the fund, which is supposed to be used in emergencies. The 2009 plan will take it down to $35 million. The T has dipped into the fund to balance its budget two of the last three years.

In 1996, the T had an actual rainy day, when it needed $50 million to repair radio, signaling, and power equipment on the Green Line after a flood, said Jonathan Davis, chief financial officer of the authority. Some of the costs were reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But a similar event or another unpredictable disaster could put the transit system at risk.

"That really is the only fund that we have to draw upon in the case of unforeseen circumstances," Davis said.

The T has been struggling financially for several years, despite fare hikes.

The agency owes $8.2 billion in debt and interest payments, a constant drag on its budget. In 2000, the state stopped giving the agency a blank check every year to cover its expenses and required that it live off a subsidy from the state sales tax. But the sales tax has grown much more slowly than projected, generating $200 million less than even the most conservative estimates projected in 2000, Davis said.

In addition, the T is the state's largest power customer. As the cost of oil has gone up and the T's old contract expired, its annual power expenses have grown from $41 million to $110 million.

The T hiked fares twice since 2004, most recently in January 2007.

Noah Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com.
Link (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/03/06/t_will_dip_into_reserves_for_20m/)

palindrome

03-07-2008, 09:04 AM

I love the T. Last night in Cleveland Circle i was boarding an inbound train with one of my friends, and the T driver just waved my friend and I, as well as 3 other people on the train without having to pay fair. Who cares if there is a fair increase? You only have to pay half the time. Shit drives me crazy. There was no reason for us not to pay.

Scott

03-08-2008, 06:26 AM

MBTA: Our schedules ?lie? JP Gazzette (http://www.jamaicaplaingazette.com/node/2600)

The MBTA for years has failed to run all of its scheduled bus and subway service under a money-saving policy of deliberate understaffing, General Manager Dan Grabauskas revealed last month in the Boston Herald...

statler

04-03-2008, 12:10 PM

Boston.com - April 3, 2008 (http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/04/high_gas_prices.html)
High gas prices credited for spike in T ridership

April 3, 2008 10:57 AM

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

High gas prices may be sending more commuters to public transportation, with a nearly 10 percent spike in MBTA trips in January and February compared with a year ago.

Almost every category ? commuter rail, subway, bus ? saw big increases this year in the number of riders, according to statistics released by the MBTA. Commuter boat traffic was the exception as some riders probably fled to the new Greenbush commuter rail line.

The T can use the money. The agency has a heavy debt load and plans to dip into its reserves to cover operating expenses beginning in July. The T last hiked fares in January 2007.

statler

04-04-2008, 06:55 AM

Boston Globe (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/04/04/t_ridership_jumps_with_gas_prices/) - April 4,2008
T ridership jumps with gas prices
Traffic easing with drivers off streets

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | April 4, 2008

The high cost of gasoline has helped fuel a sharp increase in MBTA riders over the first two months of the year and a decrease in the number and length of traffic jams, according to T officials and traffic specialists.

The number of T trips rose from 27 million in February 2007 to nearly 30 million last month, up more than 11 percent for the month, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials said. The numbers were up about 5 percent for January. Combined, the average increase is 8.3 percent.

The rising MBTA numbers follow a national trend. More Americans rode public transportation last year than at any time in history, according to the American Public Transportation Association, which also cited gas prices as a major factor.

People who monitor traffic patterns said the price of gas, which has risen about 50 cents per gallon in Massachusetts over the past year, has also played a part in a smoother ride on the highways.

The higher gas prices get, the easier the math becomes.

"It was costing me, easily, a couple hundred dollars a week for gas," said Janet A. Lee of Braintree, who drove a sport utility vehicle to her old job.

She was laid off in September, found a new job in the Financial District, and now gets a ride to the Braintree station so she can take the T. She estimates that the $59 she spends on a T pass is saving her hundreds per month.

The arguments for switching to the T keep getting stronger, said Daniel A. Grabauskas, the general manager of the MBTA.

"We had a really good case when prices were where they were a year ago," Grabauskas said. Now, he said, the T has a "great case."

Ridership is up for buses, commuter rail, and subway. It is down on commuter boats, possibly because the T introduced the Greenbush commuter train line along the South Shore late last year. The train drew about 2,500 daily round-trip riders in February, many of them former boat commuters.

The increased ridership is especially remarkable, given the poor economy. In past economic downturns, - including the years following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks - the T has lost riders.

Grabauskas said gas is a major factor in the overall ridership increase. He also attributes it to the Greenbush train, the change to all two-car trains on the Green Line last year, and a rebound from the January 2007 price increase that prompted a temporary decline in ridership.

T statistics show ridership was higher in January and February 2006, before the fare increase. But the T's counting method changed when it introduced the Charlie Card in 2007. The automated system measures the exact number of paying riders, whereas the old tallies were estimates based on the total amount of money collected.

The MBTA, which is dipping into reserves to pay its own rising gas bills, is hoping to ride the recent wave of popularity by promoting more weekend rail travel to local beaches and nearby mountains this summer as families cut down on long-distance vacations to save money.

The weekend train to Wachusett Mountain Ski Area, in its second year, has been growing in popularity.

Art Kinsman, director of government affairs for AAA Southern New England, calls the move to public transit and the subsequent reduction in traffic congestion the "silver lining" in the gas hike.

"The gas prices, coupled with the uncertain economy, equals people traveling a little less," he said.

The average price of a gallon of regular-grade gasoline in Massachusetts was $3.14 yesterday, up from $2.66 a year ago, according to AAA surveys. The increase was higher for premium grades.

Jeff Larson has also noticed the difference. He runs SmartRoute Systems, which monitors traffic for drivers who call 511 for alerts. Larson said traffic back-ups around hot spots like Route 128 have been shorter and less frequent in recent months. He is also getting fewer calls from frustrated drivers trying to figure out the bottlenecks, another indicator that things are getting better on the roads.

"It's not like there's no traffic out there," he said. But overall, "it's easier to get around the city now."

The biggest downside is crowded buses, subway cars, and trains. Rider groups have complained that the T cannot keep up with demand, leaving commuters cramped on some popular lines during rush hour.

Grabauskas acknowledges the problem, but said it is not a bad one to have. He said the T's dire financial situation, including more than $5 billion in debt, means he will not add trains or buses as demand grows.

"I'm just struggling as hard as I can to maintain the service I've already got," he said.

Still, even some drivers who find public transit inconvenient are making the switch.

"There's something about having your own car, your own wheels; it's a little more comfortable and you're not on that deadline," said Joe M. Grillo, who increasingly uses commuter rail to get between his home in Medway and his job in Boston. "This increase over a period of months, weeks, and years has really started to flip the equation, if you count the dollars."

Noah Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com.

lexicon506

04-04-2008, 10:31 AM

these high gas prices are personally hurting my wallet since there isn't much alternative transportation down in Virginia. but I get so excited each time gas prices reach a new high, because this is the only way that Americans will get out of their damn SUVs and politicians will actually pay more attention to public transportation and alternative energy. it's a win-win situation with a little temporary loss on the side. i hope gas prices keep going up for a looooong time!

unterbau

04-04-2008, 11:21 AM

jass

04-04-2008, 04:19 PM

"T statistics show ridership was higher in January and February 2006, before the fare increase. But the T's counting method changed when it introduced the Charlie Card in 2007. The automated system measures the exact number of paying riders, whereas the old tallies were estimates based on the total amount of money collected."

Ehm, so ridership did NOT go up... just the counting method. Its like the Worcester line, trains are on time now because the schedules were changed.

""Grabauskas said gas is a major factor in the overall ridership increase. He also attributes it to the Greenbush train, the change to all two-car trains on the Green Line last year, and a rebound from the January 2007 price increase that prompted a temporary decline in ridership."

Two-car trains do not run all the time.

underground

04-30-2008, 08:32 AM

statler

05-06-2008, 06:46 AM

The Globe (http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2008/05/06/drivers_leave_cars_home_put_t_use_on_record_pace/) - May 6, 2008
Drivers leave cars home, put T use on record pace

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff | May 6, 2008

Their wallets siphoned by high gas prices, more Americans are taking the subway, bus, or commuter train, particularly in Boston, where officials say the number of subway riders is increasing faster than in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.

MBTA officials said yesterday that the number of rides on the Red, Blue and Orange lines surged almost 10 percent in the first three months of the year, an unusually high increase that they say has put the transit system on track to smash its previous record of 354.1 million rides in 2001.

While MBTA officials hailed the figures as very exciting news, commuters who have given up their cars expressed mixed emotions. They said crowded trains and buses reflect a bitter economic trade-off - the affordability of public transit over the freedom of the road.

"I used to always drive in the morning, but with these gas prices? Forget about it," said John Garceau, a 53-year-old construction worker waiting at South Station for a commuter train to his home in Middleborough yesterday.

"It's downright ridiculous, what with prices now $3.50, $3.75," said Garceau, adding that his wife just bought a Ford Explorer that costs more than $60 to fill with gas. "The way to go, I would say, is the MBTA."

Apparently, thousands of other beleaguered drivers agree. Over the first three months of the year, the number of rides on all branches of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has risen nearly 230,000 - or 6.2 percent over the same period in 2007. The figure includes increases of 5.6 percent on the Green Line, which is considered light rail and is measured separately, 4.8 percent on buses, and 1 percent on the commuter rail.

Virginia Miller, spokeswoman for the Washington, D.C.-based American Public Transportation Association, said transit officials have long known that when gas prices hit $3, it signals a "price point" in the minds of many consumers. AAA of Southern New England said gas prices yesterday hit an average of $3.56 for a gallon of self-serve unleaded in Massachusetts, up 51 cents since the start of the year.

"They say, 'I can't afford that anymore,' and they start looking for other options," Miller said. "Now, we're way beyond $3 - $3.50, $3.75, $4 in some places - so there's a whole other level of people who are going, 'Whoa. This is just too much money, and I'm going to look into taking a bus or train."

MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas credited the increase in part to trains, buses, and subway cars that he said are faster, cleaner, and safer than in past years. But he acknowledged the surge also is coming from riders who have been driven by "scary" gas prices to "dump the pump."

"Absolutely, no question, we are seeing gas prices drive up the ridership numbers here in Boston and in transit agencies across the nation," Grabauskas said at a press conference yesterday at Ruggles T station in Roxbury.

The Orange, Red, and Blue lines have seen the biggest increases: 9.5 percent in the first three months of the year compared with the same period last year.

Los Angeles and Washington, by contrast, have seen about 5 percent more subway riders during the period, while Philadelphia has seen about 4 percent more. New York has seen 7 percent more subway riders in the first two months of the year compared with the same period last year. Its March figures were not available yesterday.

The MBTA may be outpacing other systems because Boston has a higher share of its jobs in its downtown than other cities, said David Luberoff, executive director of the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston at Harvard.

"It's the benefit of having an economically vital downtown and having some [nearby] places served by transit," Luberoff said. "It's the folks who are living relatively close-in who have some access to the subway."

The MBTA, of course, is itself suffering the effects of higher gas prices and will have to pay $16 million more this year to run its transit system, Grabauskas said. The increase will eat away at least some of the increased revenue from the boost in riders, he said.

The system appears to be benefiting from small shifts in people's commuting habits. For years, Mike Avery, who commutes twice a week from South Attleboro to downtown Boston, took the train one day and drove the other day. Now, he takes the train both days.

"You factor in parking, frustration, and gas prices, it's the better way to go," he said yesterday, as he waited for a train home from South Station.

He noted that he seems to have more company, too. "The train is looking more crowded these days," he said. On his 8:20 train yesterday morning, "it was standing room only," he said, "and that's usually not the case."

Geoffrey Campbell, who gives tours of historic sites around Boston Common, drives from his home in Plymouth to the Braintree MBTA station, then takes the Red Line to Park Street.

Yesterday, he said he planned to start driving to the commuter rail station in Kingston, which will save him about 40 miles of driving a day. Campbell, who was riding the Red Line in his uniform of a feathered tricorn hat and blue Revolutionary War coat, said the change made economic sense.

"People don't have the disposable income that they had to dump into the gas tank," he said.

Michael Levenson can be reached at mlevenson@globe.com.

unterbau

05-06-2008, 08:02 AM

To ease the passenger crunch the commuter rail trains need to stop making the three-person seats, since they're rarely occupied by three passengers, and make more standing room- which people seem to prefer.

jass

05-06-2008, 02:28 PM

Ron Newman

05-06-2008, 02:30 PM

If there are three seats, people should sit in the three seats. No reason to reconfigure the cars.

statler

05-06-2008, 02:36 PM

This is all very nice for now, but since the MBTA commuter rail system relies on diesel, and the subway electricity is fossil fuel based, fares will go up.

If we had electrified commuter rail, and renewable or nuclear power, then the MBTA would be in an excellent position.

True, but it's still more economical than driving. There is a much greater passenger mile/unit of power ratio in mass transit than automobiles.
I'll also assume it doesn't take much more electricity to move 100 people than it does to move 10 people. Most of the power goes towards moving the equipment itself, so the more people, the more economical.

Lurker

05-06-2008, 06:26 PM

USS JFK as a museum in South Boston with the reactor running the city's power grid or perhaps Harbor Island wind power. New complete downtown network of trolleys and trackless trolleys, oh how one can dream.

unterbau

05-06-2008, 07:24 PM

If there are three seats, people should sit in the three seats. No reason to reconfigure the cars.
I agree that people *should* just sit in these seats (I certainly do). But nobody can make them, and they just stand there clogging up the aisles and entrances and the. I see it time and time again. If people prefer standing to sitting in tightly packed seats, the MBTA should take note.

unterbau

05-06-2008, 07:26 PM

True, but it's still more economical than driving. There is a much greater passenger mile/unit of power ratio in mass transit than automobiles.
I'll also assume it doesn't take much more electricity to move 100 people than it does to move 10 people. Most of the power goes towards moving the equipment itself, so the more people, the more economical.
There's also the astronomical cost of converting the rail lines to electric and buying new locomotives and cars. The MBTA is in no financial position to make these sorts of investments, even if it does save them money in the long run.

Beton Brut

05-06-2008, 09:07 PM

USS JFK as a museum in South Boston with the reactor running the city's power grid...

Nice idea, but the JFK is oil-powered (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_JFK#Ship_history).

AdamBC

05-28-2008, 08:51 PM

It'd be nice if the T wasn't always trying to kill their riders. Between the B line derailment/fire, the red line fire and the D line crash, it's looking less safe than ever to ride with Charlie.

Lrfox

05-28-2008, 08:57 PM

unfortunately sometimes it takes events like today's/ yesterday's and others to make people see the need for improvements. Expect a knee-jerk reaction because of all this. Hopefully everyone is O.K. I'm curious to hear about the cause of this one.

KentXie

05-28-2008, 09:13 PM

One T conductor has been reported dead from the accident.

statler

06-03-2008, 12:03 PM

Boston.com (http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/06/mbta_reports_an.html) - June 3, 2008
T reports ridership increase -- again

June 3, 2008 12:06 PM

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

With gas reaching $4 a gallon, more people appear to be taking public transit instead of driving their fuel-guzzling cars to work.

The MBTA says that the number of riders on the system's subways, buses, trains, and boats has shown another increase this month.

In April 2008, an average of 1,337,000 trips a day were made on the system, compared with 1,268,000 a day in the same period a year earlier. That's an increase of 5.5 percent.

Over the first four months of the year, there's been a 6.1 percent increase in trips.

"This is good news for the economy. This is good news for the environment. And certainly, good news for our mobility," said state Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen.

Rising MBTA numbers since the beginning of the year have followed a national trend. More Americans rode public transportation last year than at any time in the past 50 years, according to the American Public Transportation Association, which cited gas prices as a major factor.

MBTA officials also unveiled at a news conference this morning a new jumbo information board at South Station that will replace the existing Amtrak and commuter rail display boards.

The board is fully automated, but it's been programmed to make the old-style clickety-click sound to alert customers that information is changing.

caravaggiste

06-19-2008, 12:34 PM

http://www.mbta.com/uploadedFiles/documents/CharlieCard_Discount%20Booklet.pdf

statler

06-24-2008, 01:45 PM

Boston.com (http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/06/sailing_the_har.html) - June 24, 2008
Sailing the harbor, surfing the Net
June 24, 2008 01:34 PM

By Maddie Hanna, Globe Correspondent

Free wireless Internet service is now available on the 11 MBTA commuter boats that ply the waters between Boston, Hingham, Hull, Quincy, and Logan Airport, the authority announced this morning.

Adding wireless access, a move that comes several months after the MBTA started a pilot WiFi program on its Worcester-Framingham commuter line, is an effort to retain current riders and lure new ones, said MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas.

"It's natural. There's tables, people can sit, they're here for 30, 45 minutes," Grabauskas said after a morning press conference at Long Wharf.

If escalating gas prices aren't enough to draw commuters to the boats, Grabauskas said, the MBTA hopes WiFi will be.

He said the organization continues to receive positive feedback regarding WiFi on the Worcester-Framingham line. Ideally, he said, he hopes to further expand the service to other MBTA commuter lines by the end of the year.

With the growing popularity of the iPhone and other WiFi connected handhelds (or even sub-notebooks) this might even be feasible on the subway as well.

Arborway

06-24-2008, 02:00 PM

With the growing popularity of the iPhone and other WiFi connected handhelds (or even sub-notebooks) this might even be feasible on the subway as well.

Excuse me while I pull my Macbook out on the Orange Lin...

statler

06-24-2008, 02:02 PM

^^ Pardon me as I accidentally bump into you and send your $2000 toy crashing to the floor. :)

Suffolk 83

07-10-2008, 09:16 PM

This is close enough to the right thread

Transportation secretary wants new subway cars -- soon
Email| Text size ? + July 10, 2008 06:40 PM
By Christopher Baxter, Globe Correspondent

Noting that rising gas prices have spurred an increasing amount of people to take the MBTA, Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen said today he would like to accelerate the deployment of 146 new Orange Line cars and 74 new Red Line cars.

"While I don't think fuel prices are going to go down in the near future, we really have an opportunity to take advantage of a change in the marketplace and a shift toward public transportation," Cohen said. "But we are going to need vehicles to carry people."

The Orange Line vehicles are currently scheduled to arrive by 2012, and the Red Line vehicles by 2015, MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas said in a phone interview earlier this week.

Cohen, the chairman of the MBTA board, asked Karen McGann, the authority's director of vehicle engineering, at a board meeting today whether the new vehicles could be brought on line sooner. She said she would look into it.

Ridership on the system was up 5.3 percent in May, compared with the same period a year earlier.

As a primary Red line rider, I'd give up the new cars to the orange line: it seems to need it far more. Granted, the old red line cars are more bumpy, and sleeping on them is difficult when your head keeps getting knocked, Orange deserves it and needs it

underground

07-11-2008, 08:33 AM

Yesterday, UniversalHub.com was reporting that Grabauskas showed up at a MBTA sponsered "Dump the Pump" event in his SUV.

statler

07-11-2008, 08:42 AM

Cohen, the chairman of the MBTA board, asked Karen McGann, the authority's director of vehicle engineering, at a board meeting today whether the new vehicles could be brought on line sooner. She said she would look into it.

Which, of course, is the bureaucrat way of saying "no".

atlantaden

07-11-2008, 09:21 AM

Yesterday's Herald said he drives a hybrid. But my question is why does it take so long for new subway cars to be built? 2015 for Red Line deliveries? They're subway cars for pete's sakes!

underground

07-11-2008, 09:30 AM

His hybrid SUV gets ~36 mpg per wikipedia. My monthly T pass gets a slightly better mileage.

statler

07-11-2008, 09:32 AM

unterbau

07-11-2008, 11:58 AM

Yesterday, UniversalHub.com was reporting that Grabauskas showed up at a MBTA sponsered "Dump the Pump" event in his SUV.

Yeah, I saw the Herald decided this was front page news. Slow season, I suppose.

underground

07-11-2008, 12:14 PM

Lurker

07-11-2008, 04:51 PM

I've seen him ride the green line and buses before. He's usually with an inspector or some other employees.

chumbolly

07-15-2008, 02:35 PM

Yesterday's Herald said he drives a hybrid. But my question is why does it take so long for new subway cars to be built? 2015 for Red Line deliveries? They're subway cars for pete's sakes!

Because first they have to build them, then test them and learn they can't make the tunnel turns, then retrofit them, then test them to learn the wheels fall off, then retrofit them again, then have them refurbished because they've been rusting on a siding for so long, and then deliver them. It's a long process.

bbfen

07-15-2008, 04:16 PM

I actually have no qualms with Grabauskas driving to/from work. He is the head of major transportation authority. I could see where he may be called to places on a daily basis where the T does not provide services. I get the irony in the situation, but it's not like the guy is a regular desk jockey downtown.

Um ... why would the head of the MBTA get "called to places on a daily basis where the T does not provide services."

I mean, what's his business being there if not for T-related business? Seems to me if the T doesn't provide service to an area, he would have no business there ...

I (sort of) get the argument for driving a vehicle, but does it really need to be a SUV? Hybrid or not, it's like obese people who use Diet Coke as a justification for chowing that extra bag of donuts.

Eh, screw, it's time for Grabauskas to go. He's been ineffective since about February 14.

statler

07-25-2008, 07:30 AM

Boston Herald - July 25, 2008
CharlieCards gain ground as T works out the kinks
By Marie Szaniszlo | Friday, July 25, 2008 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Politics

It took 18 months, but the CharlieCard has become a hit with T riders once accustomed to using tokens, the latest figures show.

In June, 66 percent of subway riders, 70 percent of bus passengers and 76 percent of Green Line and Mattapan trolley riders used the CharlieCard - the highest percentages to date, according to MBTA figures.

And from June 2007 to June 2008, CharlieCard-related complaints dropped from 215 to 138, said T spokesman Joe Pesaturo.

MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas attributed the card?s growing acceptance to the convenience and benefits it affords, among them a 30-cent discount for subway passengers and a 25-cent discount for bus riders.

Because many customers use debit or credit cards to add value to their CharlieCards for future trips, the cards also have cut down on the amount of cash the T has to sort, saving the authority $1.3 million in overtime last year alone, Grabauskas said.

But the card does have its drawbacks.

Lee Matsueda, community organizer at the T Riders Union, said many people are missing out on the discounts because the cards and the machines that allow people to add value to them aren?t always readily available.

?We know and we see people still using cash - and paying more as a result,? Matsueda said.

The CharlieCard also can?t be used on commuter rail lines and can?t be registered and managed online, noted Paul Regan, executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board. So if a card is lost or stolen and you?ve already paid for future rides, that money is lost if you don?t know the the card?s serial number.

All of that could be resolved in the coming months, when the card goes online, Grabauskas said.

?We are taking extra pains to go through the testing, triple-checking the security features and safeguards to protect people?s privacy.?
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/politics/view.bg?articleid=1109033

statler

07-28-2008, 06:47 AM

Boston Globe (http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2008/07/28/riders_flock_to_t_in_record_numbers/) - July 28, 2008
Riders flock to T in record numbers
Increase gives lift, challenge to agency

By Keith O'Brien, Globe Staff | July 28, 2008

In a world of $4-a-gallon gasoline prices, grocery bills that break the family piggy bank, a seemingly endless home foreclosure crisis, and rising anxiety about the unsettled state of the US economy, there is at least one winner: the MBTA.

In fiscal 2008, according to numbers to be released today by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, nearly 375 million people took public transportation, 21 million more riders than the state agency had in fiscal 2007, a 6 percent leap and the highest ridership total in the agency's 44-year history.

"Many tons of people, in fact," said Daniel A. Grabauskas, the MBTA's general manager. "It's pretty exciting. We were definitely trending toward a good year and it turned out to be a phenomenal year for ridership for the MBTA, a historic all-time high."

The fiscal 2008 ridership totals smashed the previous record from 2001, when the MBTA recorded more than 354 million riders. The largest increases last year, according to the agency, came from people riding buses and light rail, such as the Green Line. And because gas prices did not hit $4 a gallon until May - near the end of the fiscal year - transporta tion officials and analysts expect interest in public transportation to continue in the months ahead.

"It's apparent to me that the high price of gasoline has finally hit home for people and caused travel behavior changes that we did not see when gasoline was $2 a gallon or $3 a gallon," said Bernard Cohen, the state secretary of transportation. "Four dollars a gallon seems to be the turning point here in terms of people rethinking modes of travel."

What is happening in Boston is happening all across the country, according to data from the American Public Transportation Association. In 2007, 10.3 billion trips were taken on US public transportation - the highest total in 50 years. And this year, the group's spokeswoman Virginia Miller said, the trend is continuing, with US public transportation use rising 3.4 percent in the first quarter.

At that rate, Miller said, last year's national mark will not stand for long. But the high fuel prices driving people to their nearest train stations and bus stops is really a "double-edge sword," Miller said, presenting public transportation with new challenges, such as how to accommodate the new riders while adjusting to the same increases in fuel prices.

"More people in record numbers are choosing public transportation," Miller said. "However, just like high gas prices are affecting the family budget, so too do high fuel prices impact a transportation system's budget."

The MBTA's budget is especially troubled. The state agency recently had to deplete its rainy-day fund to plug a $75 million deficit for fiscal 2009. An arbitrator ordered it to shell out $150 million in wage increases and back pay over the next two years. And it is already carrying a weighty debt of some $5 billion.

"Ridership equals revenue," Grabauskas said, "insofar as I'm adding more people to existing service." But the agency's general manager concedes that the ridership growth alone cannot solve the MBTA's financial crunch, especially as it looks to expand service on certain bus lines and on the Blue Line this year.

The new service, long planned, comes at a fortunate time for the agency, Grabauskas said. With more people riding public buses and trains in Boston than they have in generations, the MBTA has a chance to convert commuters for good. And that would benefit everyone, reducing highway traffic, air pollution and the pace of global warming, said Eric Bourassa, a transportation policy analyst for the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group.

"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."

Bill O'Donnell, 78, of Cambridge, who was getting off a Red Line train at Park Street station yesterday afternoon said that although he owns a car, he usually rides the T because of "the price of gasoline and the density of traffic."

In the past few months, O'Donnell said, he has seen more people riding the T.

"As soon as the price of gas went up, I noticed an increase," O'Donnell said.

Many riders agreed yesterday that there was a spike in ridership and it was crowding the trains.

"I used to be able to sit down," said Reginald Busby, 40, of Quincy, who was riding a Red Line train heading into the city yesterday.

The construction worker said he noticed the jump in the number of passengers when the train he takes to work from Quincy Center around 6 a.m. started arriving full of riders.

"There's standing room only, even early in the morning," he said.

The MBTA, which last raised fares in January 2007, has no plans on doing so again any time soon. And Grabauskas says the agency plans to do whatever it can to keep people riding public transit, even if gas prices fall.

Fares for the subway are $1.70 with a Charlie Card and $2 without; bus fares are $1.25 with the card and $1.50 without.

In addition to adding bus service and expanding Blue Line service this year, Grabauskas said he is open to considering creative ways to fit more people onto existing trains. In Chicago, for example, where ridership increased by almost 7 percent last month, mass transit authorities are considering removing seats on some train cars to make room for more people.

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."

Globe correspondent John S. Forrester contributed to this report. Keith O'Brien can be reached at kobrien@globe.com.

vanshnookenraggen

07-28-2008, 07:21 AM

It's times like this I hate politicians the most. People want to use the system and the T wants to do everything it can to get more people riding but in the end it is the politicians who don't give the T the funding they need to really make a difference. But this is typical in America. Vote Obama and we'll see what happens.

statler

07-28-2008, 07:48 AM

I was going to call BS, but after a very quick check of the two candidates sites, you may be on to something:

barackobama.com (http://www.barackobama.com/issues/urbanpolicy/)
Build More Livable and Sustainable Communities: Our communities will better serve all of their residents if we are able to leave our cars, to walk, bicycle and access other transportation alternatives. As president, Barack Obama will re-evaluate the transportation funding process to ensure that smart growth considerations are taken into account.

I haven't been able to find anything comparable on McCain's website, but I haven't checked out the whole thing yet (to be fair, I spent the same amount of time on both sites). The closest I've found so far is a lot of straight talk about domestic drilling and alternative fuels. (http://www.johnmccain.com//Informing/Issues/17671aa4-2fe8-4008-859f-0ef1468e96f4.htm) I'm willing to be corrected on this.

I should also point out that just because a politician says they will do something, that doesn't mean it will happen. But at least someone is talking about it. :/

Edit: Found this on McCain's website (http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/65bd0fbe-737b-4851-a7e7-d9a37cb278db.htm):
Open Space
Economic development is essential to a strong American economy but urban sprawl shouldn't be allowed to expand unabated at the expense of our remarkable wild and scenic public lands. Instead we should promote responsible growth and encourage state and local officials to implement open space initiatives and establish green corridors within our communities. This will require strengthening federal tools like Land and Water Conservation Fund that emphasizes recreation and the protection of wildlife areas.

atlrvr

07-28-2008, 08:24 AM

Obama talked about the US's need for a high-speed national rail network too....

Still, I think that transit is a low priority on his social agenda, though hopefully gas prices are changing that.

The only candidate who really had public transit as a main talking point (and in my opinion would have pushed to get it the funding it needs) was Bill Richardson, but since he was the most qualified and least polarizing candidate, he was quickly ignored by the populace....

----

In regards to good customer service, there are some pleasant T drivers. I once had a Green Line driver write me and sign a "late pass" to show my boss, after a disable train kept us from moving for 20 minutes. While there are some assholes and assholettes just like in any workplace, I tend to think many customers think they are their personal chauffers who are subject to looks of disdain, especially when they are kept waiting for reasons beyond the employees control. They're just people doing a job that for the most part is thankless, and the magnitude of the service the provide compared to the way the public treats them seems a bit unfair. They are just the easy targets of a broken system.

vanshnookenraggen

07-28-2008, 10:07 AM

I said "we'll see what happens" fora reason. I didn't say Obamawill make everything better. He is the only candidate who has talked about public transit and our rail network in a meaningful way, but all he has done is talk. We'll see what happens.

jass

07-28-2008, 11:17 AM

I was going to call BS, but after a very quick check of the two candidates sites, you may be on to something:

barackobama.com (http://www.barackobama.com/issues/urbanpolicy/)

I haven't been able to find anything comparable on McCain's website, but I haven't checked out the whole thing yet (to be fair, I spent the same amount of time on both sites). The closest I've found so far is a lot of straight talk about domestic drilling and alternative fuels. (http://www.johnmccain.com//Informing/Issues/17671aa4-2fe8-4008-859f-0ef1468e96f4.htm) I'm willing to be corrected on this.

I should also point out that just because a politician says they will do something, that doesn't mean it will happen. But at least someone is talking about it. :/

Edit: Found this on McCain's website (http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/65bd0fbe-737b-4851-a7e7-d9a37cb278db.htm):

McCain has always voted to shut down Amtrak. Only recently, after gas hit 4$, did he try to pretend he was pro transit.

Beton Brut

07-28-2008, 11:47 AM

^^ Being pro-transit, and being pro-Amtrak are two very different things.

And to be fair to both candidates, I think it's more important what our senators and congressional reps think than either candidate. And our elected officials in Massachusetts. If the money allocated to transit gets eaten up in ill-conceived union contracts and poorly planned (or no-bid) deals for construction or service and support, where does that leave us?

vanshnookenraggen

07-28-2008, 12:42 PM

It leaves us where we are today so, really, no worse off.

Beton Brut

07-28-2008, 12:49 PM

^^ Exactly.

Shouldn't "Better" be on America's to-do list?

ablarc

07-28-2008, 09:31 PM

In addition to adding bus service and expanding Blue Line service this year, Grabauskas said he is open to considering creative ways to fit more people onto existing trains. In Chicago, for example, where ridership increased by almost 7 percent last month, mass transit authorities are considering removing seats on some train cars to make room for more people.

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."

Huh? Only to the smartness-challenged.

Beton Brut

07-28-2008, 10:04 PM

...expanding Blue Line service this year...

I live on the Blue Line -- what does this mean? Six-car trains?

Arborway

07-28-2008, 10:34 PM

I live on the Blue Line -- what does this mean? Six-car trains?

Yes - theoretically.

statler

08-07-2008, 04:18 PM

Boston.com (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/08/07/mbta_general_manager_dan_grabauskas?mode=PF) - August 7th, 2008
CHAT TRANSCRIPT
MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas

August 7, 2008

MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Hi, this is Dan Grabauskas, and I will be happy to answer your questions for the next hour or so. So let's get started.

OMP: I've asked a few questions to the online customer support link on the MBTA website, however I have never received a response. What's the expected service level?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: I'm sorry if you have experienced any delay in response. We have a good team there and I will pass along your concern. But if you or any of the other folks on the chat today have any other problems please feel free to email me at gm@mbta.com.

Dot_Rat: How goes the progress of the Dorchester Stations?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Progress is going well. We currently have three bridges under construction. We have four stations in design. Four Corners station is expected to be advertised in late fall and the three remaining stations Talbot Ave., New Market, and Blue Hill will be advertised in 2009.

Mrs__M: I read on Boston.com that the T plans on raising fairs again...please justify this.
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: As the Boston Globe pointed out in its editorial today, the MBTA has three major funding sources: one penny of the state?s five cents sales tax (more than 55% of our income), assessments from MBTA member cities and towns (about 10 % of our income), and fares. Nearly 65% of our income is beyond the T's control. Only one of those revenue streams is controlled by the MBTA- fares. So absent some type of external action to address the T's structural financial problems ($8.1 billion in debt, woefully underperforming revenue from the state sales tax, rising energy and fuel costs, increases in wages, etc.), the MBTA will be forced to choose one of the following: increasing fares or service cuts or deferring maintenance and modernization projects, or delaying new subway car procurements, or a combination of all of the above. These are obviously all bad choices, especially at this point in time with the highest ridership in the T's history. We believe its important to not miss the opportunity being given the T to retain all of the new riders who have started using public transit. We have made improvements in customer service, on-time performance, reliability, elevator/escalator availability, and the system has never been cleaner, the safest in 10 years, and is more accessible than ever. But we fear that much of the progress may be reversed without a long-term solution to the T's budget dilemma.

MassMikMouse: I can't seem to find the commuter rail schedules that easily anymore at North/South Stations and Back Bay. Why aren't they out like the bus schedules?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: We do our best to distribute schedules but you should have seen at North Station, South Station and Back Bay brand new large schedule boards as well as new boards at the end of each track for your daily travel. And all schedules are available at www.mbta.com which you can get on your computer or PDA.

Jay: I have noticed that many of the ads on my bus (route 7) are outdated, which leads me to wonder if the T is still being paid and whether more advertising could help the T in its current financial situation.
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: I will check with our Marketing Dept. with the Ads on the Route 7 but we are very aggresivly advertising throughout the entire MBTA system and have seen good increases in our ad revenue over the last couple of years. I might mention that there have been those that have been critical about the amount of advertising that we are doing but I want you to know the reason we are doing it is to keep fares as low as possible.

rtep: If a bus is supposed to be running every 8-10 minutes, why are there periods of 30 to 90 minutes with no service? Even in perfect weather!
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: We do our best to fight traffic and construction and weather on occasion to keep our buses on schedule. If experience problem on your route please email us or call so we can track down any potential problem. That being said you should be pleased to know that we are in the process of putting Global Positioning Systems (GPS) on all MBTA buses so that we can better track and deploy our fleet. And it is my focus to finally address one of the biggest complaints we get about bus service namely bus bunching, where buses come one after the other and are not evenly spaced. The new system should be installed and operational by the end of this year.

bz: Was it necessary to buy new hybrid SUV's, when the MBTA is already in so much debt?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: We have a number of non-revenue vehicles that our personnel use throughout the MBTA system for repair, maintenance, emergency response, snow removal, and alike. We have made a commitment that as we replace these older vehicles we are buying Hybrid in order to be environmentally responsible.

Ttime: A colleague of mine takes the Framingham/Worcester commuter rail. She is going to cancel her monthly passes and purchase 12 ticket rides, because the conductors do not check passes when the train is crowded. What are your plans to enforce that every rider has to show a pass or have their tickets punched? I would imagine that this is costing the T quite a bit of money!

JM: Why are so many trains taken "out of service" at Gvm't Center? On several occasions, I have missed my train at North Station because I had to wait more than 15 minutes for a North Station bound train. And even when it arrives, half of us can't get on, because the train is then crammed full of other commuters from previous stations who have also been waiting for the North Station train. All of the trains go through Government Center; why is it necessary for them to end the route there?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Two of the four routes that we run are schedule to turn at Government Center. We try to run Greenline service to match ridership demands and we are constantly tweaking that schedule. I will ask folks to look at your comment. But I have to say I think it is a misnomer to say that the trains are being taken out of service they are actually being scheduled to turn. And since I have the MBTA Chief Operating Office Rick Leary sitting with my right now I am sure that we will change how the announcements are made in the future.

bunko: Will that GPS info in any way be public? I know, for one, MY mood would be improved if I knew up front that I'd have to wait X minutes for the next bus, instead of waiting and wondering
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Real time customer service information RFP will be going out sometime next week so we will be able to bring to the MBTA Customers just the information you are looking for. In effect every cell phone or PDA will be able to give you that information at any of our 8500 bus stops. This process will take 24-36 months to implement. We will keep you informed of progress.

yuppiescum: With the T in as much debt as it is, increasing revenue is important but what is being done to reduce inefficiency, streamline costs, reduce completely unnecessary/undeserved employee benefits, etc?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: We are doing many things to try to responsibly contain costs. We maintain a total headcount under our budget for the last couple of years, we have reduced overtime by 34 1/2% over the last three years, last year total wages were less than the year before while adding service thereby boosting productivity. As you may also have heard or read we recently won a number of significant conscessions from our unions regarding health care costs. For the first time in T history people who retire from the T will now pay for a portion of their health care. In addition the arbitrator tripled and in some cases quadrupiled the co-pay and deductibles for health care-and that change applies to all 6 thousand active employees as well as all 6 thousand retired employees immediatly. And many other instances we are trying to do more with less in order to demonstrate that the MBTA is not only a great economic resource to greater Boston but a well run good investment for the State and taxpayers and farepayers.

stuckworkin: why is when there is a red sox game and all the the green line trains get packed when people are trying to jsut get home from work why are there not more trains running?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: For every game we add as many Greenline trolley as we can to accomidate the crush of people exiting Fenway Park as well as to accomodate the regular ridership. We face similar challenges as NOrth Station for games and events there.

pierceleavitt: Dan- When will you allow Inner Express Bus Passes on a CharlieCard? It was supposed to be last year, but it keeps getting pushed back. I've lost $100+ because CharlieTickets - the only current way you can get these passes - got ruined in the washing machine by mistake!
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: The MBTA Board of Directors three months ago authorized us to higher a firm to help us role out the CharlieCard/Smart Card system to Commuterrail, COmmuter Boats and Parking throughout the MBTA system. This will also include the inner express buses. We are hoping to pilot a sample program sometime late next year.

factorykid: Dan..good afternoon. I ride The Commuter Rail from Providence to South Station 5-6 days a week. I am, overall, pleased with the service. (some glaring exceptions recently..but). My question is: The 808 train has almost never arrived at South Station at 8:16, per the schedule. 8:20 is the earliest this train ever arrives...usually 8:21 or later. Why not update the schedule with a "real" arrival time
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: We are going through a process of revising our schedules. We do it twice a year. We are currently analyzing anywhere there are current delays so the service we deliver. With the increase in ridership more people are getting on and off our trains which adds some time at each station. Therefore we do need to adjust schedules to have truth in advertising. We recently did this to great success to the Worcester Line-those schedules had not been updated in nearly 10 years despite tremendous increases in ridership over that period.

janet: Dan I'm a big fan of what you did with the registry! But to my question: is there plans to add more parking at T and commuter rail stops? It is so frustrating that we living in the suburbs can only use these on weekends due to the parking being taken by commuters.

24hour_T: Why isn't the T open until after bars close? Is it because the taxi cab union will not allow it?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: No, the MBTA subway system is almost exclusivly a single track system and the four hours we close every night allows us to do necessary repairs and maintenance. New York for instance was built as a multi track system which affords the opportunity to remain open 24/7.

D: Kenmore Square has been under construction for three years now. Any thoughts about that project?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: If you haven't been to Kenmore recently, substaintial work on the installation of the glass shingles on the bus canopy is about 80% complete and ongoing work on the road and sidewalk improvements as well as installation of escalators and platform improvements will be done by the end of this year. Elevators will complete April 2009. I know many people have watched what has been slow progress but we have faced many constraints for our construction I am just pleased that the end is in sight. All the surface work will be complete by the end of this year.

D: What initiative currently underway at the T has you the most excited?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Top on my agenda are these:
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: New Buses that continue to come in this year. In fact I was just in Lynn this morning with our team to announce 70 new buses that will be operating out of Lynn. By the end of this yeat we will have replaced almost 1/3 of the bus fleet in the previous 24 months. And since 40% of our riders spend all or a part of thier commute on a bus this is very important. (I might mention that we had 11 mil more riders on our buses last year than the year before)
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Also, I am very excited about the real time information that we have been able to make available to customers. We have an award winning website www.mbta.com where you can sign up for T alerts a free service that notifies you of any service changes or disruptions. And you can tailor it to your trip. On our Silver Line real time count down. And as I said earlier we will be rolling out a similar type program for all our buses as well as subway and commuter rail.
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: In addition, bringing cell phone service to the core of our subway for customers and the very well recieved Wi-Fi service on Commuter rail and commuter boar are real "difference makers" which I believe give us a real competative advantage over traveling in your car.
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Finally, we are in the process of bringing brand new Blue line cars into service which will allow us to run six car trains on the Blue Line for the first time. This means 50% increase in capacity at just the right time with all the extra riders we have.

A_2: On bus route 66, why are there not more busses running? They do not come very 10 min during rush hours, more like every 20. When they do come they are over crowded and one often has to wait for a second time. I had to stop using the bus to get to work as it was so unreliable. Any plans for more 66 buses??
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: We did add an extra bus on the Route 66 recently to try to address over crowding. It is one of our longest routes going from Dudley to Harvard Square and has to contend with construction, traffic, and lights. We are constantly continuing to look at ways to improve service on Route 66.

Mike: Bababooie
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Is Howard Stern on this chat?

Ian: Hi Dan, The MBTA runs single car service on the "E" line of the Green Line on Sundays. Often times these cars are packed, even in the evening especially as they transverse through the core. Are there any plans to start running 2 car service on the E line on Sundays?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Last year we boosted all trolleys Monday through Friday to two car trolleys on all four branches. And we increased some service on some branches on Sat to two cars. I will ask our operations and planning staff to look at the E Line on Sundays and see if it merits additional service.

MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Time for one more.

OMP: Why can't I use a zone 4 individual ride pass on the F1 commuter boat? a zone 4 monthly is accepted... why not a single ride?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: To ride a commuter boat you need to have a zone 5 pass or greater.

MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Thank you everyone.

vanshnookenraggen

08-07-2008, 05:05 PM

Mike: Bababooie
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Is Howard Stern on this chat?

That's pretty awesome.

statler

08-07-2008, 05:10 PM

BTW, I'm thinking that "D"=MBTA PR plant.

Beton Brut

08-07-2008, 07:34 PM

That's pretty awesome.

Yeah, it is!

BTW, I'm thinking that "D"=MBTA PR plant.

Wouldn't surprise me.

I'm bummed this little chat got past me. I have a legal pad full of questions for him.

statler

08-09-2008, 10:14 AM

The Register (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/09/defcon_speakers_sued/) - August 9, 2008
Agency sues to stop Defcon speakers from revealing gaping holes
Sorry, Charlie
By Dan Goodin in San Francisco → More by this author
Published Saturday 9th August 2008 06:08 GMT

Defcon - A transit agency in New England has filed a federal lawsuit to stop three Massachusetts Institute of Technology undergraduates from publicly presenting research at Defcon demonstrating gaping security holes in two of the agency's electronic payment systems.

The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) also named MIT in the 17-page complaint, which seeks unspecified monetary damages for violation of the computer fraud and abuse act, negligent supervision and other causes of action. It also requests a temporary order preventing the students from "publicly stating or indicating that the security or integrity" of the MBTA's systems has been compromised.

The three speakers are Zack Anderson, 21, RJ Ryan, 22 and Alessandro Chiesa, 20, who on Sunday were scheduled to present research into both of the MBTA's automated payment systems. Although one method uses magnetic strip technology and the other radio frequency identification, the researchers say it's trivial to manipulate both cards to add hundreds of dollars in fare amounts.

"Disclosure of this information - if what the MIT undergrads claim is true - will significantly compromise the CharlieCard and CharlieTicket systems," the complaint states. "This in turn will harm the overall functioning of the MBTA's transit services."

Perhaps the MBTA hasn't heard of the Mifare Classic, the world's most popular RFID card, which just happens to be included in the CharlieCard. Last year researchers announced a way to crack the smartcard in a matter of minutes. The trio's research into the CharlieTicket is based on other weaknesses.

"It's pretty disappointing," Anderson told El Reg. "We initially called them to offer them our help in fixing these vulnerabilities. We have no intention of releasing details that would allow someone to replicate the attacks that can be done."

Representatives from the MBTA and MIT weren't available for comment.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in US District Court in Boston, capped a week of sometimes tense negotiations between MBTA officials, the students, and their instructor, MIT Professor Ronald Rivest (the R in the RSA cryptography algorithm). Earlier this week, a meeting at MIT was convened that included the students and their instructor, a MBTA official and a special agent from the FBI cyber crimes division.

"The MBTA official made clear the level of concern reached all the way up to the governor's office," Anderson said. "They wanted to know exactly what types of details we were revealing. They were pretty concerned about the tools" the students planned to release.

According to the complaint, the students refused to provide MBTA officials with the materials they planned to present at Defcon. The MBTA is the fifth biggest US transit agency with a ridership of about 1.4 million per day. Average weekday revenue is about $700,000.

The complaint takes issue with a presentation description that read in part: "Want free subway rides for life? In this talk we go over weaknesses in common subway fare collection systems. We focus on the Boston T subway, and show how we reverse engineered the data on magstripe card, we present several attacks to completely break the CharlieCard, a Mifare Classic smartcard used in many subways around the world, and we discuss physical security problems."

The description was later changed to remove the first line.

Anderson said the tools scheduled to be released helped streamline research into whether payment systems from other transit agencies were vulnerable to the same types of attacks. The students never planned to give tools or instructions showing how to add fares to the MBTA cards, he stressed.

This isn't the first time a powerful interest has sued to muzzle a Defcon speaker. In 2005 Cisco Systems took action against researcher Michael Lynn after he promised to demonstrate how to run a shellcode on a router without authorization. The two ultimately settled. NXP Semiconductor, maker of the cryptographically challenged Mifare card, has also taken legal action to silence researchers who poked holes in fare collection systems used in the Netherlands. A Dutch judge rejected the request.

AdamBC

08-10-2008, 12:40 AM

And buried in this article:
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/08/injunction-requ.html
was this link:
http://www-tech.mit.edu/V128/N30/subway/Defcon_Presentation.pdf
posted by the MIT student newspaper with the actual hack.

Very interesting that someone could 'clone' my card by walking past me with an antenna and use my stored value to get onto the T.

Arborway

08-10-2008, 12:49 AM

Very interesting that someone could 'clone' my card by walking past me with an antenna and use my stored value to get onto the T.

Sadly, this was theorized to be a possible hack from Day 1. It's a reoccurring issue with RFID these days, with potentially hilarious implications for RFID passports the gov is trying to push on everyone.

JimboJones

08-23-2008, 06:09 PM

bbfen

08-24-2008, 08:06 AM

This is gonna suck, especially if you're an abutter! Imagine having to look out at an advertisement every hour, every day, every year.

From this week's Boston Courant, by Galen Moore:

The MBTA plans to adorn large outdoor structures like brick ventilation towers at Back Bay and Hynes Convention Center with banner ads ...

... The new banner ads range in size from 20 by 22 feet on the ventilation building across from the Hynes Convention Center to 180 by 20 feet on South Station's southerly facade.

A Supreme Judicial Court decision earlier this year affirmed that state law allows the MBTA to circumvent city laws and sell ads on its property, even if they do not meet local zoning requirements.

Included with the story was a photo of the exterior of the Back Bay / South End Orange Line station, with the caption, "The MBTA plans a banner ad on this Back Bay Station ventilation tower facing Clarendon Street."

Um, the ventilation tower at Hynes isn't actually across from the convention center though. It's on ... uh, Newbury Alley (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=382+Newbury+St,+Boston,+Suffolk,+Massachusetts+0 2115,+United+States&sll=42.348471,-71.086033&sspn=0.001935,0.005493&ie=UTF8&ll=42.349426,-71.085041&spn=0.007739,0.013819&t=h&z=16&iwloc=addr) behind the Harvard Club (or whatever it's called after it's Newbury Street but not quite the Extension).

/bangs head on desk

/repeatedly

statler

08-26-2008, 06:36 AM

Boston Globe (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/08/26/t_crises_controversies_sully_mr_fix_it_image_of_gr abauskas/) - August 26, 2008
T crises, controversies sully Mr. Fix-it image of Grabauskas

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | August 26, 2008

Daniel A. Grabauskas arrived at the MBTA as the guy who could fix the unfixable.

He had transformed the state's Registry of Motor Vehicles, a pit that held drivers virtually hostage for two or three hours when they renewed their licenses, into a place with Wal-Mart-style greeters at the door, a modern computer system, and 15-minute waiting times.

But three years later, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is far from fixed, and there are more political darts aimed at Grabauskas. He has earned praise from transportation activists for putting a focus on efficiency and access and has instituted customer service improvements such as the automated CharlieCard and the beginning of cellphone service on subways. But overwhelming debt, political infighting, and a recent series of controversies and crises at the T have tarnished his image.

In May, a trolley operator was killed in a jolting Green Line crash that highlighted the old equipment's susceptibility to human error. Soon after, Grabauskas fended off criticism for letting employees drive home state cars. This month, a federal lawsuit against a group of MIT students exposed how the T's electronic fare tickets could be reprogrammed to give free rides, leading one of the T's board members to say she had "lost all confidence" in the ability of Grabauskas to manage the agency.

"We're moving the ball in the right direction," he said. "But in this particular job, there is no end zone. You're either moving in the right direction, or you're moving in the wrong direction."

His team provided reams of lists and graphics, including a monthly system accountability book he initiated, to show where he is improving service and saving money. Canceled trips on buses and subways are down, and the fleets are running longer without breaking down, with fewer speed restrictions. Commuter rail, however, continues to run late more often than promised.

As Grabauskas grappled with the fare card public relations problem, he stumbled into another, when he granted nonunion employees a 9 percent pay increase days after warning that hefty fare increases may be necessary in 2010. The ill-timed raises led to a rebuke from the state's top transportation official and a reversal that displeased many of his managers, who have gone three years without a raise.

"That is one tough place," said Jim Stergios, executive director of the Pioneer Institute, a free market think tank, comparing the T to the Registry.

Increasingly, the confident face of public transportation in Boston has become a target, one of the last Republican holdovers in state government and, some allies contend, a scapegoat for a system struggling with decades of debt.

"There's a little surprise that he's not able to get things done like he did" at the Registry, said Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who is generally a fan. But at the T, Grabauskas has less control, more factions, unions, boards, and internal politics to deal with, Menino said. "Somebody's always trying to undercut what he's doing."

Governor Deval Patrick's office declined to answer questions for this article, only issuing a statement through Secretary of Transportation Bernard Cohen asserting that the two men have a "constructive working relationship" while pointing to the need for the "MBTA board's continued vigilance."

But Cohen's public responses to the pay raises last week revealed what many see as growing antagonism from the administration. Cohen also serves as chairman of the nine-member MBTA board, which signed Grabauskas, who makes $255,000 a year, to a five-year contract in 2005.

Much of this discussion of debt and politics is academic to the system's hundreds of thousands of riders, who simply want to get to work on time, with some level of comfort.

Walk into a subway car, and everyone, whether they have heard of Grabauskas or not, can tell you about tardy service, late construction, crowded trains, or "boiling hot" stations.

"Some of the bus drivers are rude," said Michael Greg, a 53-year-old construction worker from Boston.

Grabauskas hears it all, even at dinner parties, though he says he also gets compliments on the CharlieCard and constructive suggestions about routes and schedules.

He points to his efforts at communications, such as newer sound systems and digital signs. He fortified the call center so operators answer more calls, speak more languages, and report back to him with more consistent feedback. Stations are generally cleaner, he said. Employee overtime costs are down.

Grabauskas is proudest of his efforts to settle a disability lawsuit and improve access on the T, something he said helps everyone get on and off buses and trains with more ease.

But some problems, such as the ongoing construction of the Kenmore station, leave many with the impression that the agency is unable to complete tasks. The station near Fenway Park is already at least 20 months overdue.

"That's kind of become legend," said Michael Dukakis, the former governor and frequent T rider, citing a string of construction delays.

Grabauskas, 45, looks as if he sleeps in a pressed shirt and necktie. He lives in Ipswich with his partner of nearly 20 years, Paul Keenan. Grabauskas drives to work, but takes the T when he travels around town. He jokes with friends that he will grow a bushy beard and open a garden center when he leaves public life.

His polished and assured presence in front of a camera has helped him accelerate through the public sector. Early in his career, when he ran the state's office of consumer affairs, he was on the nightly news exposing how lobstermen were padding the price of their catch by including the weight of the water.

He built a reputation as a manager there and was asked three times by former governor Paul Cellucci to fix the Registry before he accepted. He started by setting clear goals, putting managers to work on the front lines so they could understand motorists' problems, and turning over some staff, said Kimberly Hinden, his top deputy at the Registry, who later replaced him.

Then he persuaded the state to invest about $16 million to replace green-screen computers from the 1980s with a modern system called the Q-Matic that spit out customized tickets to customers, with estimated wait times.

The reputation from the Registry was not enough to elect him when he ran for state treasurer in 2002 against Timothy P. Cahill. So Grabauskas moved to transportation, appointed first as Governor Mitt Romney's secretary of transportation and then as general manager of the MBTA.

There, he learned quickly that $16 million didn't go far at the MBTA. The T's debt is more than $8 billion including interest payments, mostly because of expansion projects.

Record high ridership, the result of $4-per-gallon gas prices, has not been enough to compensate for the debt payments, the smaller-than-expected sales tax subsidy, and the rising cost of gas for buses.

His talk of substantial fare hikes earlier this month has put pressure on the agency to save money and avoid the appearance of wasting it. Grabauskas stood by his decision to let employees take home cars, arguing that they need to respond to emergencies and that the financial impact was relatively small. He held that managers deserved the pay raises after three years without one and were being compensated in line with new union wages.

State Senator Steven A. Baddour, a Methuen Democrat who leads the Transportation Committee, suggested criticism of these decisions has been driven by politics.

"Just because he was appointed by a Republican governor and he ran for treasurer against the current treasurer shouldn't prohibit him from doing his job," Baddour said.

Grabauskas is keenly aware that his time is running out, one way or another. He said he will probably work in the private or nonprofit sector next and doubts he will seek public office again.

"I've got about 20 months left here, at the most," he said. "That's when my contract expires."

The Patrick administration, which controls the MBTA board, could oust him immediately. But it would require a costly payout, nearly a half-million dollars, and would be politically difficult.

"They have to buy me out," said Grabauskas. "And I don't intend to quit."

Noah Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com.

PaulC

08-26-2008, 07:48 AM

Boston Globe (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/08/26/t_crises_controversies_sully_mr_fix_it_image_of_gr abauskas/) - August 26, 2008leading one of the T's board members to say she had "lost all confidence" in the ability of Grabauskas to manage the agency

That would be Janice Loux. Think this union hack might have an agenda of here own?
http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/leadership/?id=1046

statler

08-27-2008, 07:48 AM

I think the Metro has a deal with Grabauskas. If he does their weekly(?) Q&A column for their paper, they will run a softball PR story occasionally.

Here is today's:
Boston Metro (http://www.metrobostonnews.com/us/article/2008/08/27/05/5915-72/index.xml) - August, 27, 2008
Putting it all ?on the line?
T?s customer service representatives handle high call volume

Riders call the MBTA to ask about fares or confirm bus routes, but they also call when the country?s oldest subway system malfunctions. When buses break down, delays wreak havoc and someone needs to be accountable, they?re the ones on the other end of the line.

Though they say the majority of callers ask about trip planning, the T?s 26 full-time customer support representatives are often also the first to hear it when something goes wrong for riders. They?re desks are chock full of maps and schedules, and they speak seven languages as a group. Each representative handles between 120 and 160 calls a day, and as a group, they take between 60,000 and 80,000 calls a month.

According to Crystal Reid, the T?s deputy director for customer support services, the T?s recent rise in ridership is also bringing in new callers with questions about riding the system. Then there are the regular callers, some of which the representatives recognize because they ask about the same schedule at the same time every day.

In addition, Reid said calls are now being logged and tracked under a new department-wide system put in place last year. T officials admit the customer service department?s old way of handling comments ? which had different phone numbers for different types of questions ? was ?disjointed,? all calls are now handled through one number ? 617-222-3200.

?Every call is different,? said representative Noemi Pineda. ?We just try to focus on getting the customer whatever they need.?

General Manager Dan Grabauskas has praised the representatives, who go through more than a month of training and are expected to be well informed on virtually every part of the agency.

?They?re the voice of the MBTA,? he said.

Beton Brut

08-27-2008, 07:58 AM

?We just try to focus on getting the customer whatever they need.?

With that attitude, it's a shame this person doesn't work in construction management or capital procurement.

bbfen

08-27-2008, 06:52 PM

I think the Metro has a deal with Grabauskas. If he does their weekly(?) Q&A column for their paper, they will run a softball PR story occasionally.

I thought the MBTA wrote all of the columns and the Metro just published what was submitted ...

statler

09-02-2008, 10:24 AM

There usually something interesting in these Q&A's so I'll try to post them when I remember.

T Q+A with General Manager Dan Grabauskas

Each morning I commute to work via the commuter rail which stops at North Station. From there I attempt to grab the next Orange Line train headed towards Forest Hills. The problem is, most mornings I find the trains are already filled by the time they arrive at the North Station stop. This makes it difficult to board the subway car. Many times I am forced to take the next train that arrives but only if I am able to fight my way onto the train. Is there any way an Orange Line train can depart for North Station with some capacity to allow riders to board without fighting each other for a spot? The time I find I have a problem most is around 8:30 to 8:40 a.m. M-F. Dave Clairmont

Dear Dave,
With MBTA ridership at record high levels, our subway system is at maximum capacity at the height of the morning rush-hour period. While we have very limited options for increasing capacity or service levels at that hour, subway staff can look into possible schedule adjustments to help address the situation you described.
The schedules for the fall have been established, but I have directed the MBTA?s Service Development team to examine the feasibility of an adjustment to the winter schedule, which takes effect in December.
Meanwhile, the Chief of the Orange Line will consider more immediate solutions, such as the possibility of adding an extra train or making a temporary adjustment to the newly established fall schedule. Please keep in mind that we can?t take such action without first considering the impact that a temporary adjustment would have on the Orange Line as a whole.
Finally, it?s important to know that there is a long-term solution in the works. We recently began the process of procuring an entirely new fleet of cars for the Orange Line. By the time the procurement is complete, the Orange Line will have, at the very least, twenty-two more subway cars than it does today.

Dear Sir,
I am a weekday rider for the 1/CT1 to and from University Park and Hynes Convention Center. Just about every other week, I get on a bus that is not accepting fares, the bus driver has his/her hand covering the Charlie Card/Ticket machine and is waving on the passengers. Just yesterday the 4:00 p.m. CT1 (bus No. 0271) heading to Boston from University Park did such a thing. My question is why is this occurring? How much in revenues are being lost by the bus drivers waving on the passengers without collecting the fares? Amy Adyanthaya

Dear Amy,
After reading your question, I sent personnel from our Automated Fare Collection department to inspect and test the fare box on bus No. 0271. My staff tells me it was found to have an earlier (and outdated) software version. After updating the software, the fare box was tested and found to be fully functional.
Unlike our fare vending machines, the fare boxes do not communicate on a ?real time? basis with our Revenue Department staff. Automated Fare Collection personnel rely heavily on receiving fare box status information from bus operators and dispatchers. Since the Revenue Department had no record of this fare box being out of service, I have directed the head of Bus Operations to reinstruct operators and dispatchers on the importance of reporting any problems immediately. It is absolutely unacceptable for any employee to adopt an attitude that fare collection is an ?option.? Technicians will monitor this fare box closely over the next few weeks to ensure that the new software continues to function properly. Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention.

Does anyone think Amy was the girl who would write names on the board when the teacher was out of the classroom?

Beton Brut

09-02-2008, 10:31 AM

Does anyone think Amy was the girl who would write names on the board when the teacher was out of the classroom?

Seems like a conscientious tax-payer to me. I hope she votes in November.

Ron Newman

09-02-2008, 12:06 PM

Beton Brut

09-02-2008, 01:25 PM

It's surprising how often people blog or write about this issue...

BadTransit (http://www.badtransit.com/) was my favorite, but it seems dead or dormant.

...I had a free ride from Sharon to Ruggles because the conductor was too inattentive or lazy to collect fares.

Could this be the dark side of organized labor?

bbfen

09-02-2008, 04:44 PM

It's surprising how often people blog or write about this issue, though more often on the commuter rail than buses. Just this weekend, I had a free ride from Sharon to Ruggles because the conductor was too inattentive or lazy to collect fares.

It's an incredible problem that the MBTA has simply not addressed (or, addressed in a wrong manner).

It burns the hell out of me to purchase a fare and then see these bastards pay bubkis ... and get away with it. All the more infuriating when the conductor or operator condones this theft.

statler

09-04-2008, 07:36 AM

Boston Globe (http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/09/04/mbta_bolsters_rush_hour_train_bus_service/) - September 4, 2008
MBTA bolsters rush-hour train, bus service

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | September 4, 2008

After another month of record public transit use, the MBTA is adding rush-hour trains and buses in hopes of taming some of its burgeoning crowds, general manager Daniel A. Grabauskas said yesterday.

"We're hearing more and more about people having to wait for the next bus or the next train," Grabauskas said. "If we can't offer you a seat, let alone a place to stand on a bus or a train, then we're going to lose those passengers."

The changes - some previously planned, others new - are limited in scale and Grabauskas concedes they will not completely solve the T's crowding problems. But the agency does not have a lot of money to work with. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is operating out of its reserve accounts to keep its budget balanced and could implement a potentially substantial fare increase in 2010 to combat its multibillion-dollar debt.

Later this year, the MBTA board will consider a much broader change in service that could eliminate some lesser-used routes and add capacity on others.

But yesterday on the T riders said they would welcome even modest additions.

"In the morning, it's almost impossible to find a seat," said Roberto Gonzalez, an attorney from Providence who takes one bus and two subway lines to get to work in Boston every day.

Grabauskas said the 34.7 million trips taken in July represent the busiest month in at least a decade, though all counts before 2007 are considered less reliable because they were estimated. July was also the seventh month in a row to record an increase in passengers over the same month last year. Transit systems around the country have been attracting more riders since gas prices began rising sharply late last year.

Except the commuter boat, every form of transportation the T runs attracted more riders in July. Overall, the increase in average weekday trips was 6.9 percent over the previous year.

"I'll often wait for the next train. I don't want to stand the whole time," said Linda Bain, a financial executive from Lexington who takes the subway between Alewife Station and South Station.

Riders say commuter rail parking lots and trains are also packed. Sitting down with room to unfurl a newspaper is becoming a rare luxury.

The biggest addition, phasing in longer trains on the Blue Line, has been anticipated for years and was expected to begin in the summer. Grabauskas said the first three long Blue Line trains - six cars per train set instead of four - will begin rush-hour service Sept. 15. Others will be phased in by the end of next year, as the T continues integrating its fleet of 94 cars purchased from Siemens Transportation Systems Inc. and introduced in February.

Additional cars on the Green and Red lines and additional buses might be more difficult for commuters to recognize because they involve shifting existing resources in some cases and, in others, dispatching cars to crowded areas on an as-needed basis.

The biggest cost - $136,974 to maintain and power the new Blue Line cars - was already set aside this year in the T's operating budget. Costs for other changes will be about $120,000 and will be made up by shifting employee schedules, Grabauskas said.

The T has been exploring other ways to increase capacity, including getting rid of some seats on subway cars and adding more straps. A recent study found that it would cost $40,000 to $60,000 per car to reconfigure Red Line trains. Grabauskas said that he would try it in Boston only if experiments in New York and Chicago demonstrate that it effectively serves more commuters.

"Before we spend money, let's see whether it works there or not," he said.

Noah Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com.

statler

09-09-2008, 07:26 AM

Boston Metro (http://www.metrobostonnews.com/us/article/2007/09/24/02/3106-72/index.xml) - September 9, 2008
T Q+A with General Manager Dan Grabauskas

Kind Sir,
In these most trying financial times, it strikes me as odd the MBTA has not figured a way to marry ridership to cycling. With gas prices so volatile, it seems that dedicating one car of the train to riders biking from home to the train into work and back home again should be a no brainer. Obviously there will be those that don?t want bikes touching them during the stair climb. I?m hopeful, however, that the riders that would be taking advantage of such a service would be respectful, courteous and careful towards others. It shouldn?t be anymore trouble to police than every-day riders. Renovation of the ?Cycle Caboose? will be warranted (removal of the seats and adding more straps for instance; we wouldn?t need NEW cars) but the reduction of congested roads, relief to our ecosystem and the health benefits may prove worth the experiment in any event. Your thoughts and opinion are welcomed. P. Stallworth

Thanks to a series of MBTA initiatives, more and more bicyclists who pedal around Greater Boston, are using the MBTA as part of their trips to work, home, or other destinations.
Helping bicyclists commute safely and efficiently, the MBTA is proud to be one of the few transit systems in the United States to offer unrestricted opportunities for bicycle access on trains.
Enhancing bicycle access to transit is important not only for achieving improved mobility, but also for lowering air pollution emissions, reducing highway congestion, and creating healthier neighborhood environments.
Bikes are permitted on all MBTA trains except for trolleys, due to lack of space.
If a train is already full, or if space at the end of the car is already occupied by customers in wheelchairs or with baby strollers, cyclists may be asked to wait for the next train.
The MBTA has become one of the most bike-friendly public transit agencies in the nation:

* Close to 90% of MBTA Subway and Commuter Rail stations provide parking for bicycles. The goal of 100% will be achieved.

* More than 35% of the buses in the T?s fleet now have bike racks. This includes 330 buses that travel on 55 bus routes serving Boston and 31 other communities. The installation of bike racks for approximately 1,000 additional bikes will be complete by next summer. The MBTA will install 150 bike racks a year with the entire bus fleet bike rack equipped by 2012.
* With over 250 cyclists parking at Alewife Station each day, two new 'bike cages' will provide relief to overflowing bike racks. Each secured bike cage, to be accessible with a swipe of a CharlieCard, will accommodate approximately 150 bicycles, and be monitored by surveillance cameras. The cage will be ready for use next week.
* After last year's success of the Rockport Line Commuter Rail bike coach carrying cyclists to beaches in Gloucester, and Rockport, the T this summer introduced a Greenbush Commuter Rail Line bike coach that has carried many cyclists to South Shore beaches, including Nantasket. The bike rack-equipped coaches accommodate close to 40 bikes each.

jass

09-09-2008, 03:13 PM

The Alewaife bike cage is new to me, but does this mean theyll be charging for the storage?

Also, some other systems allow bikes in trolleys and have special racks that allow you to hold your bike vertically to use the least amount of space possible.

buju b

09-09-2008, 09:49 PM

As a guy who, for the better part of the last 8 years, has often commuted from Dedham to Wilmington via bike and one or two legs of commuter rail (S. Station from Dedham/Hyde Park and/or N. Station to Wilmington)--at least once per week as my job normally has me traveling out of state for a majority of the week, I submit the following unsolicited comments about bikes and the MBTA (at least the Commuter Rail) . . .

The understandable prohibition of non-collapsable bikes on rush hour trains (the shaded portion of a particular line's routes, normally the trains into the city in the morning in out of the city in the afternoon/early evening) does present a challenge. Fortunately, I can either ride into N. Station or take the very first train (which I can catch at 5:48 am) to make the 6:45 am train from N Station to Wilmington. On a good day with southerly winds, there is no significant difference (time-wise, not effort-wise) between riding all the way to North Station (about 12 miles) versus riding .75 miles to Endicott, waiting a couple minutes, riding the train to S. Station (about 20-25 minutes), the disembarking at S. Station and riding to North Station (about 1.25 miles and 10 minutes, give or take, with actually getting out of S. Station). The early train is about half full and there is normally room to get on with my bike without much hassle.

The ride from N. Station to Wilmington (about 30 minutes in duration) in the morning is easy as this is a reverse commute and the train is barely 1/8 full.
For what it is worth, the 4.5 miles from Wilmington to my office is pretty easy and takes about 15-20 minutes. The North Wilmington station is a couple miles closer to the office but the service to that station is rather infrequent and thus not a viable option for me in the morning.

Coming back into the city in the afternoon from Wilmington is also a reverse commute and equally easy to get on with my bike. However, unless I donk off work really early (2pm or sooner), there are no outbound afternoon trains from S. Station after about 3:30pm that allow bikes on them (they are all designated rush hours trains and remain so designated until about 6:30 pm or later, depending on the line). As a result, I end up getting a little extra exercise dodging my way back from N. Station to Dedham with the afternoon vehicular traffic--normally causing about an extra ten minutes of time to make the trip.

The good news is my company pays for my monthly T pass (I use it to get into and out of the airport when I fly) and since my wife and I only have one car (modest 2001 sedan that has been paid for for years), the transportation portion of our family budget is pretty small. Further, with my laptop, I can get a ton of paperwork done while on the train. Lastly, burning about 30-40 calories per mile on the bike adds up when I pedal between 13-33 miles per day when I commute this way.

The down side is that what takes about 40-45 minutes each way to drive (albeit costing about 12-15 dollars in gas per round trip), takes at least twice as long (and often longer) to bike/ride the train.

I say all this because from a biker's perspective, one of the chief benefits of biking (aside from all of the obvious ones already mentioned) is that when I am actually on the bike, it is very enjoyable to cover ground more quickly than my motorist counterparts--it is kinda the icing on the cake and makes the extra time, as a whole, that the trip takes worth it.

While I acknowledge the utility and appeal of a bike caboose for many (perhaps most??) existing and potential bike/train commuters, I, for one, would prefer not to have a bike caboose for the following two reasons: 1) My bike, while not top of the line by any measure, IS my car and I would not want it out of my sight--the same reason I would never lock my bike at any T station. And 2), having to but my bike on such a caboose would only add time to the entire process, which is already long enough.

A better option, from my selfish point of view, would be more of the passenger cars that are configured to have several inboard-facing jump seats that rest in the up postion when not being sat in. These cars (many of the newer single-level cars in the fleet) can easily accommodate well over a dozen bikes per car and still have about 2/3rds of the car outfitted with 'standard' passenger seats.

Sorry for the diatribe, this was a topic I can finally provide some first-hand insight on.

jass

09-10-2008, 07:30 PM

So how about them discounts?

http://www.mbta.com/riding_the_t/CharlieCard_Discount_Book/

Tim Jackson

09-11-2008, 09:35 AM

Residents split on proposed bus route changes

By Sara jacobi, Correspondent
Thu Sep 11, 2008, 08:25 AM EDT

Allston-Brighton -

Although some Allston-Brighton residents have requested diverting the MBTA?s Route 64 bus from Hobart Street onto Brooks Street, the change was met with opposition at a community meeting held Monday night.

The Route 64 bus runs between Oak Square in Brighton and University Park in Cambridge, via North Beacon Street and Cambridge Street. During rush hour on weekdays, the bus continues on to Kendall/MIT.

The section of the Route 64 in question is where the bus, heading outbound to Oak Square, turns from Brooks Street onto Hobart Street and then on Falkland Street before turning onto Faneuil Street. Faneuil Street and Brooks Street connect several blocks later, so some residents questioned why the Route 64 bus even travels onto Hobart instead of staying on Brooks and meeting up with Faneuil Street.

Proponents of the change said that Hobart Street is a narrow, residential road with both elderly residents and families with young children.

?It would decrease congestion and problems with parked cars,? said Melissa Dullea, manager of service planning for the MBTA. Dullea added the proposed change route is the current route the buses take during snow emergencies.

However, according to the MBTA, with the proposed change, 86 people would be affected. Residents said at the meeting that many of the affected are elderly citizens who can?t make the six- to ?eight-block trip to the next nearest bus stop.

?[86] people is a lot of people that would be affected,? said Kristy Avino, who lives in the neighborhood. ?Many of them are elderly folks.? Avino added that there is a group home for disabled citizens in the neighborhood, and although none of the five adults living there currently use the MBTA, other adults who have lived there in the past have used the service.

This particular concern was brought before the MBTA two years ago, but the service was never changed because the MBTA found the diversion would indeed affect a number of elderly residents. It was added to the service plan draft this year because some Brighton residents had asked City Councilor Mark Ciommo?s office to propose the issue to the MBTA to see if there was enough community interest in changing the route.

But Michael McLaughlin, community and policy director for Ciommo?s office, said Ciommo only brought up the issue with the MBTA because he had been hearing from residents who wanted to divert the bus. However, McLaughlin said Ciommo has begun hearing from the side that was opposed to changing the route.

?We are simply presenting it as something some residents have come to us suggesting,? he said. ?We didn?t want it to sound like he endorsed one side or the other.?

Dullea said the changes to the Route 64 bus route would only be instituted if there was a consensus among residents to do so.

The meeting also considered the recently instituted practice of turning back Route 57 buses heading from Kenmore to Watertown Yard at Oak Square during rush hour. Residents applauded the idea, but cautioned the MBTA that the buses need to be clear about which ones will continue on to Watertown and which ones will stop at Oak Square.

Frederick Maloney of Montfern Avenue in Brighton suggested renaming the buses 57 and 57a depending on what their final destinations were instead of showing the final destination on the rotating, neon-orange sign that is displayed on the front and sides of the buses.

?Sometimes it says ?Go Red Sox? or ?Go Pats,? and you can?t always see where it?s going in time,? he said.

Other bus route changes

Dullea also mentioned that trips for the 66 bus would increase to every 18-20 minutes at 7 a.m. to prevent crowding that has been occurring during that time; that the Route 500 bus that goes from Riverside to the Financial District would be discontinued; that more service would be added to the Elliott Street section of the Route 59 bus; and the Route 60 bus would improve to hourly service on Sundays.

LINK (http://www.wickedlocal.com/allston/news/x1056111104/Residents-split-on-proposed-bus-route-changes)

Tim Jackson

09-15-2008, 09:02 AM

Six-car trains to debut today on Blue Line

September 15, 2008

With high gas prices driving more and more commuters out of their cars and into public transportation, the MBTA is adding capacity by replacing four-car trains on the Blue Line with six-car trains. The first of the longer trains is scheduled to leave this morning from Wonderland Station in Revere. Officials say all of the four-car trains on the Blue Line will be replaced in the coming months. By early 2009, the Boston-area transit system expects to have 84 subway cars operating during rush hour, compared with 56 prior to the introduction of six-car trains. The T says overall ridership has increased for seven consecutive months. Average weekday ridership on the Blue Line was 66,933 in July, up from 53,424 last December. (AP)

LINK (http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/09/15/six_car_trains_to_debut_today_on_blue_line/)

vanshnookenraggen

09-15-2008, 09:09 AM

Are all the stations long enough? I hadn't heard any info on State Sts status. Also isn't Orient Heights still too short? Are they closing Bowdoin now?

Beton Brut

09-15-2008, 10:08 AM

The Heights is plenty long enough. The platform is literally falling apart, but that's another issue. I expected this 6-car announcement to be "in the mail" as they've recently (i.e. in the last 2 weeks) modified the stopping-point for cars at several Blue Line stations, including Orient Heights.

Ron Newman

09-15-2008, 01:14 PM

The unloading platform at Bowdoin can handle a 6-car train, and it's the only platform that matters there.

Beton Brut

09-15-2008, 02:02 PM

^^ If what Ron says here is true, there really isn't a reason to close Bowdoin, unless:

1.) Cars with passengers "handle" differently going around the loop;
2.) Union rules or contracts prevent operators from entering the loop with passengers aboard.

cden4

09-15-2008, 02:41 PM

Arborway

09-15-2008, 03:39 PM

I remember reading recently that when operating the 6 car trains in Bowdoin, the first car will actually pull ahead of the platform, meaning that if you want to exit the train, you better be in one of the 5 remaining cars.

All doors in all cars will be available at all platforms except the outbound one at Bowdoin where there (should be) no passengers on board prior to the doors opening.

Even if someone were to stay on in one of the two cars in the tunnel, they wouldn't be in danger unless they activated the customer operated doors and willingly stepped into the tunnel.

Ron Newman

09-15-2008, 03:54 PM

There's no reason for passengers to remain in the cars as they go around the loop. That was true before and is still true now.

Beton Brut

09-18-2008, 08:12 AM

Riding on a six car train as I type.

Tim Jackson

09-18-2008, 10:11 AM

T plans to kill JP Loop bus

By JOHN RUCH September 12, 2008

The troubled Route 48 bus service?known as the JP Loop?is marked for death in the MBTA?s latest Service Plan.

?The elimination of this route is recommended due to very low ridership and high costs per passenger,? says the Service Plan, a biennial guide to the MBTA?s proposed transit service for the next two years.

Killing the route would strand residents of 125 Amory Street?a public housing development for the elderly and people with disabilities?without front-door MBTA service. The MBTA proposes re-routing the Route 29 bus to include a 125 Amory stop.

The JP Loop links Monument Square in central Jamaica Plain with local Orange Line subway stations via residential streets. It is known for running off-schedule with very low ridership. The route serves an estimated total of 135 riders, according to the report.

Transit advocates on the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC) have said for years that the JP Loop would gain ridership if service improved?especially if the route used small vans or mini-buses instead of full-sized buses, as it did when the Loop was created in the 1970s.

But the MBTA tried a different tactic in 2005, controversially making drastic changes to the JP Loop?s route. In fact, it stopped being a single loop. Egleston Square and Washington Street were lopped off and a direct link from Green Street T Station to the Monument disappeared.

The JPNC protested loudly about those changes?which were announced only after they were made?but the route has stayed the same. Within months, the MBTA reported the change was ?unsuccessful? in improving service.

The JP Loop began as a popular mini-bus service connecting central JP with the Orange Line, which at the time ran on elevated tracks on Washington Street. Ridership declined after the Orange Line started running on the Southwest Corridor, closer to Centre Street.

Today, the JP Loop route actually makes two loops. Buses start by heading north on Centre Street from the Monument. Then they loop around Paul Gore, Lamartine and Amory streets to link the Jackson Square and Stony Brook T stations.

From Stony Brook, buses head down Amory to the Green Street T Station. The route loops again around Green, Lamartine and New Minton streets. Finally, it follows Amory and Boylston streets back to Centre Street and returns to the Monument.

If the Route 29 bus is re-routed to include 125 Amory Street, it would only provide residents there with a connection to the Jackson Square T Station. And the Route 29 runs only on weekdays, so 125 Amory Street would have no direct T service on weekends. The JP Loop currently runs on weekdays and Saturdays.

The Route 29 currently runs between Jackson Square and Mattapan Station on Columbus Avenue, Seaver Street and Blue Hill Avenue. Adding an Amory Street detour would add five minutes to the trip, resulting in a violation of the MBTA?s own trip-frequency standard, according to the Service Plan. But, the report adds, the delay is worth it to continue serving the apartment building.

The re-routing might also ?require the elimination of one or two on-street parking spaces,? the report says.

The Service Plan proposes no other changes to JP routes. It does note that several Forest Hills-based bus routes, as well as the Orange and Green rail lines, run in violation of schedule or passenger load standards. But, the report says, the MBTA lacks resources to fix most of those problems. The Orange Line is undergoing upgrades to its signal system that are expected to boost on-time runs.

The Service Plan notes that the state Executive Office of Transportation (EOT) is running a separate process for improving the Route 39 bus, a major JP transit option and one of the city?s busiest bus lines. ?A Citizens? Working Group is advising EOT, the City of Boston, and the MBTA? about Route 39 improvements, the report says, though the advisory group actually has yet to be formed.

The Service Plan is still a draft proposal that is open to public comments through Sept. 30. The MBTA is holding a series of public meetings about the Service Plan, including one in JP on Sept. 16 at the State Lab. [See JP Agenda.] To view the entire Service Plan, see www.mbta.com. Comments can be sent to serviceplan08@mbta.com or MBTA Service Planning Unit, 45 High St., Boston, MA 02110.

LINK (http://www.jamaicaplaingazette.com/node/2996)

Ron Newman

09-18-2008, 12:42 PM

If it runs only on tiny residential side streets, why can't it stay on schedule?

Tim Jackson

09-18-2008, 11:27 PM

Two new articles, one regarding bike cages, and another about customers complaining about T employees. This first one is about the bike cages:

MBTA opens bike cages at Alewife

CAMBRIDGE. The MBTA opened two new bike cages at Alewife station Thursday morning, a move officials hope will encourage greater ridership and take more cars off the road.

The outdoor cages, located at opposite sides of the station, include 150 spaces each for bicycles. Space will be available for free on a first-come, first-serve basis, but to gain access, riders will have to use a new Bike CharlieCard. That card, also launched Thursday, works just like a normal CharlieCard, but it allows bicyclists to enter the cages by tapping it against a sensor panel next to the cage door.

Riders can pick up the new Bike CharlieCards at either Alewife or Downtown Crossing station.

Alewife station is one of most popular for bicyclists, and MBTA officials said they hope the cages will provide a safe place for bike storage. With the T?s recent spike in ridership, more and more bikes are being chained to railings and benches nearby. The T hopes to prevent bike theft by monitoring the free cages with multiple security cameras.

?A lot of folks spend a lot of money on their equipment, and when they get back to the station from work, they want to make sure it?s safe,? T General Manager Dan Grabauskas said.

Officials from the MBTA and the city of Cambridge, along with cycling advocates, began discussing the idea of bike cages in May. Grabauskas said Thursday the T is considering adding cages at other stations but will wait to see how the Alewife cages are received.

LINK (http://www.metrobostonnews.com/us/article/2008/09/19/00/5153-72/index.xml)

And this one is in regards to customer complaints:

Boston riders rail against MBTA

By Marie Szaniszlo / Herald Exclusive
Friday, September 19, 2008 - Updated 1h ago

Fifteen months after vowing to crack down on churlish employees, the MBTA is still being bombarded with thousands of complaints about subway and bus drivers doing everything from chatting on cell phones to cursing at riders, a Herald review shows.

One passenger on the Route 501 bus called the agency to complain that ?the operator is constantly angry, always has an attitude and makes a lot of faces at people,? according to T records.

?Customer stated the (bus) operator saw someone running for the bus, he slowed down and then just pulled off.?

Douglas Armstrong, 48, of Roxbury recalled being berated by a Route 28 bus driver because he didn?t have the right fare.

?I said, ?I have $5. Can I ask someone for change?? ? Armstrong said Wednesday. ?She said, ?No, you?re supposed to have it when you get on. If you don?t, get the (expletive) off.? ?

When another passenger gave him the change, Armstrong said, the driver told him, ? ?Next time, (expletive), you have the right change when you get on my bus.? ?

From April to August, the MBTA received 14,335 bus, subway and commuter rail complaints in all, up more than 13 percent from the same period last year, when the T began tracking complaints electronically.

Subway complaints climbed the most - 25.58 percent - followed by commuter rail (17.10 percent) and bus beefs (7.77 percent).

All told, riders registered 3,460 complaints about T bus drivers, 751 about subway workers and 521 about commuter rail employees.

To address obnoxious employees, the T said in June 2007 it had replaced its ?Positive Performance Counseling Program? with an actual discipline policy.

Yesterday, spokesman Joe Pesaturo said offending employees get a written warning, followed by a progression of one-, three- and five-day unpaid suspensions, with a final warning on the third and, afterward, firing.

However, Pesaturo could not specify how many had been disciplined as a result of complaints, adding that the number of complaints compared to the number of T riders each day is ?infinitesimal.?

The agency recorded 134,456,000 trips from April to July, up from the 129,968,000 trips in the same period last year.

?I would imagine the number of complaints would increase with the number of riders we?ve seen,? T boss Daniel A. Grabauskas said. ?My goal is to maintain the increase in ridership and decrease the overall complaint volume.?

Asked this week if he had any complaints of his own, 39-year-old commuter Anderson Gray of Dorchester said, ?Where do you want me to start??

Gray recalled a recent incident in which a bus driver refused to lower a ramp for a disabled woman struggling to get on board.

Then on Wednesday, he said, he was on a half-full Route 23 bus when the driver picked him up and proceeded to bypass the next stop, leaving people there waving at her to no avail.

?Other drivers will be on their cell phone and almost miss a stop and slam on the brakes so you almost fall,? Gray said. ?But when you call to report something, a lot of times all you get is a recording, or you?re on hold for so long, you hang up.?

Asked how the T could be improved, Jen Boyden, 23, of Arlington said, ?Maybe an attitude adjustment.?

Boyden recalled a 45-minute delay last week on the Red Line. By the time the full train reached Kendall Station, she said, the conductor was ?yelling at people? over the intercom.

LINK (http://bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view/2008_09_19_Boston_riders_rail_against_MBTA_/srvc=home&position=0)

jass

09-19-2008, 12:23 PM

I had the exact opposite experience today.

I got on the 57 bus. The driver was closing his door but saw me hurrying to the stop and waited for me.

My connection at kenmore was fine.

I got on the 1 at Hynes, and it said I didnt have money, so I asked the driver if I was supposed to have a free ride because of the transfer. He said he wasnt sure, but that I could go ahead anyway and try to find out for the future. A girl asked the driver if he stopped at Albany street, and he promised to tell her when we got there.

He then wished people a good day as they got off.

jass

09-19-2008, 12:51 PM

Oh and also, look what was working today.

(The display was fine, I dont know why it came out like that, the second one says Next Silver Line / Now Arriving)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/jamesinclair/IMG_6213-1.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/jamesinclair/IMG_6215.jpg

Where are the cops?
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/jamesinclair/IMG_6216.jpg

Ron Newman

09-19-2008, 01:54 PM

Did the free transfer work? (I think not since it was a second transfer, but I'm curious now)

jass

09-19-2008, 02:21 PM

Did the free transfer work? (I think not since it was a second transfer, but I'm curious now)

It worked fine from the bus to the green line (deducted 45 cents) but then tried to take money when I transferred to the 1 (I had 80 cents so it said invalid).

The driver was nice enough to let me on anyway.

They really should allow more transfers, for legit rides like mine.

Ron Newman

09-19-2008, 04:01 PM

Some cities do that -- a fare is good for a fixed amount of time, no matter how many vehicles you take. But that's not the T's system.

jass

09-19-2008, 04:33 PM

Some cities do that -- a fare is good for a fixed amount of time, no matter how many vehicles you take. But that's not the T's system.

When the system was put into place, it was said to be fair as one trip = one price every single time. Thats not the case.

I believe people using the mattapan line have the same problem (they can transfer to red but not to a bus)

cden4

09-19-2008, 04:36 PM

Yeah unfortunately there is no bus-subway-bus transfer. You only get one transfer per trip.

unterbau

09-20-2008, 11:42 AM

Some cities do that -- a fare is good for a fixed amount of time, no matter how many vehicles you take. But that's not the T's system.
As the fares continue to climb, I think we'll hear the cries for this sort of system get louder. Running an errand would just be prohibitively expensive once you're paying 2.50-3.00 each way...

Tim Jackson

09-22-2008, 11:41 PM

Tough times for disabled

2 years after suit, many stations still inaccessible

By Marie Szaniszlo
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 - Updated 43m ago

Two years after the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority settled a class-action lawsuit with people with disabilities, one-third of the MBTA?s 127 stations remain inaccessible, a Herald review shows.

What?s more, only 95 of the Green Line?s fleet of 207 cars have low floors that can be easily bridged to meet subway platforms, according to T figures. The rest require crank lifts that are awkward and time-consuming to operate.

Deirdre Lucas avoids taking the T, even though she lives on the Green Line.

?It?s a degrading place to be,? she said. ?I don?t want to put myself through that.?

Lucas ticks off a list of bad experiences she has had on the T, from not being able to take a train or get off at a stop because it isn?t accessible, to watching other passengers? reactions when a train is held up because a conductor has to help her on or off.

?People roll their eyes and look at you like, ?You?re holding us all up,? ? she says. ?The other passengers and staff may not tell you directly that you?re a second-class citizen. But you sure feel like one.?

Under the 2006 settlement the MBTA reached with the Boston Center for Independent Living and 11 individual plaintiffs, the T agreed to make numerous changes, including revising employee training; purchasing new, low-floor buses; installing or improving station elevators; and hiring an assistant general manager to ensure compliance with the settlement - all things it has done.

T officials say it will take another five to seven years to make America?s oldest transit system 100 percent accessible but insist they have made progress. Of the T?s 127 stations, the number of those accessible has climbed from 26 to 81 over the past eight years.

?The progress we?ve made in the last two years has exceeded expectations,? T General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas said. ?But it?s not completed by any means. . . We?re trying to go beyond compliance with the law.?

Andrew Forman, one the lawsuit?s plaintiffs, is legally blind but doesn?t use a cane or guide dog. He says that only a few years ago, it wasn?t uncommon for him to get on the wrong train or bus or to get off at the wrong stop.

If he asked for guidance, Forman says, the driver often would say, ?Why are you asking me? It?s right up there on the sign.? Or, if the driver nodded and Forman asked again, the driver might say, ?I just told you.?

Today, automated announcements tell riders what the next stop is and when the next train is due to arrive.

?I don?t get lost anymore,? he said.

LINK (http://bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view/2008_09_23_MBTA_story/srvc=home&position=1)

Ron Newman

09-23-2008, 05:28 AM

> It will take another five to seven years to make America?s oldest transit system 100 percent accessible

What will they do about Hynes station?

AdamBC

09-23-2008, 06:52 PM

> It will take another five to seven years to make America?s oldest transit system 100 percent accessible

What will they do about Hynes station?

There is enough room for them to make it handicapped accessible on the side closest to Hynes. Since they don't use that entrance now, it wouldn't take too much to redo that side with elevators and the like (as opposed to trying to swing something on the Mass Ave side.

underground

10-02-2008, 11:50 AM

The state completed the purchase of a bunch of the CSX tracks. The aim being to improve service to Worcester and open up the line to NB/Fall River. Story here: http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/10/state_to_buy_tr.html

choo

10-02-2008, 12:03 PM

This is good news on many fronts. Not only can service be improved and expanded, but the article also mentioned CSX shifting some of its loading facilities to Central Mass. and out of Allston. In the long run this will hopefully begin to open up the Allston railyard for development. A whole new neighborhood in allston could be created (with better T access too). This was a good move by the state, even though any significant action seems a decade away.

jass

10-02-2008, 12:20 PM

"The most immediate change will occur Oct. 27 and will primarily affect Worcester. Several trains on the western line that now end in Framingham will be allowed by CSX to make the entire roundtrip from Worcester to Boston. That will increase the number of daily trips leaving Worcester from 10 to 13. It will also boost the number of trains from Boston to Worcester from 10 to 12."

Awesomeness. Please make the 11:25 outbound trip go all the way to worcester.

jass

10-02-2008, 12:22 PM

In the long run this will hopefully begin to open up the Allston railyard for development. A whole new neighborhood in allston could be created (with better T access too).

I disagree. That railyard is a good thing, and any development should be over it, not in place of.

At most, Id advocate removing one track to create a new commuter rail/urban ring station.

Lrfox

10-02-2008, 02:31 PM

This is receiving big press on the South Coast as well.

BOSTON ? Massachusetts officials have reached a deal to buy more than 30 miles of CSX Corp. tracks in Southeastern Massachusetts, removing a major obstacle to the governor's plan to bring commuter trains to Fall River and New Bedford.

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081002/NEWS/810020345/1011/TOWN10

It's great news for Worcester, and great for the South Coast as well.

ablarc

10-02-2008, 03:25 PM

Amazing to me that passenger trains can be at the mercy of freight.

statler

10-13-2008, 06:51 AM

Boston Globe (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/10/13/t_betting_on_untried_firm_to_build_fleet/) - October 13, 2008
T betting on untried firm to build fleet
Korean outfit has scant US presence

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | October 13, 2008

The MBTA, which has a history of long delays in its rail car purchases, is relying on a South Korean company that has never built a passenger rail car in the continental United States for a vital set of train coaches needed to upgrade its aging fleet.

For years, commuters have been demanding newer equipment on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's commuter rail, a key cog in the state economy, which carries 72,000 people to and from work every day. Managers have promised that the 75 new double-decker cars will reduce crowding, cut down on maintenance delays, and prevent the type of widespread air conditioning problems that dogged the system in the summer of 2006.

To deliver on that promise, the T has placed a $190 million bet on a company, Hyundai Rotem, that has yet to open an assembly plant on American soil, a requirement under federal law. The company must also learn how to negotiate the country's much stricter safety standards, which have bedeviled many other large corporations, including Daimler and General Electric, when they tried to break into the rail car market, said Jonathan Klein, a consultant and former chief mechanical officer at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and Amtrak.

Rotem officials and the T employees who evaluated the contract proposals say the company made the best offer - both technically and financially - and that it has a strong worldwide reputation. The train cars, they say, will arrive on schedule, with four pilot coaches due in October 2010 and the rest of the fleet beginning to arrive the following August.

"Even if someone's produced very good trains elsewhere in the world, doing it in the United States is a whole new drill," said Fred Salvucci, former Massachusetts transportation secretary and now a lecturer at MIT.

MBTA general manager Daniel A. Grabauskas, through a spokesman, declined an interview request, but issued a written statement. "While the procurement process is only in its infancy, the MBTA is more than satisfied with the contractor's level of responsiveness and diligence to this point," Grabauskas said.

T officials said their choice of Rotem was not influenced by the fact that former T official John K. Leary, who also once led the Philadelphia transit system, has worked as a consultant for the company. Leary's son, Richard, is now head of operations for the MBTA.

As a result of the potential conflict, John Leary declined an offer to work for Rotem on the MBTA bid and Richard Leary recused himself from the local bid process, according to a March 8, 2007, letter to the MBTA. John Leary did not return numerous phone calls seeking comment.

For the last five years, Rotem has been aggressively pursuing American rail car contracts with very low bids, well-placed connections, and promises to match or surpass the quality of more established competitors like Kawasaki, the Japanese company that has built rail cars for the MBTA and many of the nation's largest transit agencies for two decades. To win the MBTA contract, Rotem bid $30 million less than Kawasaki, its only competitor. The MBTA's staff rated Rotem slightly higher than Kawasaki in technical quality, despite Kawasaki's American track record, according to bidding documents obtained by the Globe.

Omar Messado, manager of contract administration and marketing for Kawasaki, said the company complained to the MBTA about the rating process on the recent contract, but did not file a formal protest because Kawasaki wanted to preserve its relationship with the T. Still, he acknowledged that Kawasaki could not match Rotem's low price.

Hyung Wook Kim, president of Hyundai Rotem USA Corp., acknowledged that the company was on a tight schedule. "But within our experience earlier - in different markets or different projects - it could be a quite achievable target schedule," Kim said.

Kim said a Philadelphia factory will open in March. The four pilot cars will be built in South Korea.

Karen V. McGann, the MBTA's director of vehicle engineering, who led the technical evaluation team, said the T is pleased with Rotem's progress with its factory and satisfied with the company's progress on its other two contracts.

Rotem has fallen months behind schedule on its other two American commuter coach orders, in Philadelphia and Southern California. Officials at Southern California's Metrolink commuter line and Philadelphia's SEPTA said they expect delivery of their trains about six months later than first promised because of problems Rotem has had buying the specific type of steel required on US train cars. Kim said the delays would be no more than three months in either city. Despite those delays, Metrolink and SEPTA officials say they are pleased with Rotem.

But until they deliver the real thing, there will be questions. Boston commuters have suffered through delays and quality concerns in two recent high-profile rail car purchases.

A 1995 contract to build Green Line trolley cars with the Italian company now known as AnsaldoBreda resulted in accusations of shoddy work - including derailments and leaky air conditioning systems - and a $50 million lawsuit against the MBTA. The T halted delivery in 2004 after frequent breakdowns. The order was completed this year.

Production snags and manufacturing flaws delayed new Blue Line trains by at least three years. German-based Siemens began delivering cars this year after bolstering its US-based workforce and transferring a manager to oversee the operation.

"There is a lot of self-delusion by car builders," said Klein, who was not involved in the Rotem purchases.

Unlike European commuter coaches, American cars must be built to withstand the intense pressure of a rail crash with a heavy freight train, requiring specialized steel alloy.

"The European theory on how to keep people safe on railroads is to avoid collision. The American theory is to expect that collisions will happen and to build the vehicles like tanks," Salvucci said.

Companies new to the US market can also have problems establishing reliable relationships with subcontractors and suppliers. Siemens Transportation learned that lesson on the MBTA's Blue Line project. Before reconciling last year, the T accused the German company of substandard work.

The MBTA order will be third in line at Rotem's Philadelphia plant. But Rotem and its project management partner, Sojitz Corp., promised that will not be an obstacle.

"Once the engineering issues are all done and the prototypes are completed, it's just a matter of repetitious work and it's a question of how much productivity you have, one shift, two shifts, or three shifts," said Hats Kageyama, vice president of Sojitz.

Kageyama said Rotem and its partners would do whatever it takes, realizing rail passengers are impatient for new cars as more commuters flock to public transportation.

"Time is money," he said. "If we spend more time than expected, whoever's fault it is, still we lose money."

Noah Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com.