According to the BostonNOW! article in the last post, the MBCR claims that only one out of their 333 commuter rail coaches lacks working air conditioning.
Tonight on the way home I learned otherwise.
The train was my usual, the #715 Franklin departing South Station at 4:10 PM. It had six single-level coaches, the usual inadequate complement. And of those six, two of them - coaches #641 and #629 - had no air conditioning. The temperature outside was in the low 90s, and in the middle of the coaches it had to be close to 100 degrees if not higher.
People packed themselves into the other cars like sardines. It was literally impossible to squeeze any more people in. I saw young children in the hot coaches, fussing and asking their parents over and over when they'd be able to get off.
I also saw that although coach #516 had working AC, the door was broken on one side. It was stuck more than half-open, making the AC pretty ineffective on that end of the coach. There was a repair tag stuck to the door handle dated 7/31.
So the so-trustworthy T claimed that only one coach in their entire fleet lacked working AC. This was repeated as fact in the BostonNOW! article. But I can testify that as of today, August 2nd 2007, at least TWO coaches lacked AC - and that was only on a single train! If you see a coach without working AC, please note the coach number if you can (it's located on the inside doors and on the roof near both ends of the coach) and record it here.
I have a very hard time believing that those are the only two coaches in the fleet without AC. But I find it very easy to believe that the MBCR just decided it would be easier to lie to the press and the public, figuring that they wouldn't be caught.
Or maybe a second coach broke down the minute after the spokesman spoke to the reporters, and the MBCR decided to put their only two broken coaches on the Franklin #715. How likely does that sound?
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4 comments:
Just for the record, tonight's engine was #1068, pulling six coaches.
It's probably a waste of time, but I filed a "concern" with the MBCR:
On this evening's train, coaches #641 and #629 had no air conditioning. Temperatures in the middle of the coaches approached 100 degrees (or higher). Young children were fussing and begging their parents to take them off the train.
The other four coaches were packed beyond all reason. Entrance was impossible.
I recently read that the MBCR claims that only a single coach out of 333 lacks working AC. This is obviously not the case. Please don't bother apologizing; I'm only writing this to make sure that the MBCR can't claim in the future that it wasn't aware of the problem, when some poor passenger suffers a heat-induced heart attack or other medical emergency.
That car gets around. I walked through it a few days ago, on the Fitchburg line.
I think the air conditioner at that rail got no serious or major problems. Just a regular servicing is needed. These air conditioners need regular checking. http://www.air-conditioning-companies.com/ is a good source to know more
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