tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48532722383333282802024-03-05T00:46:32.403-08:00Charlie On the Commuter RailMad about bad service and overcrowding on the Massachusetts commuter rail? Do you feel that talking to the MBCR is like talking to a brick wall? Post your story here!Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-29581108164115789252011-03-20T21:26:00.000-07:002011-03-20T21:48:54.695-07:00The End?Perhaps you're wondering why I stopped posting here. Did the MBTA or MBCR suddenly make huge improvements in the Franklin line? Did I die, or flee the country?<br /><br />No, no, and no. The explanation is much more mundane: I became a telecommuter. After thirteen years in the office, and eight or nine of those years commuting four hours a day from Rhode Island to Boston (round trip), my employer gave me the option to work from home. Deeply as I have always loved the city of Boston, I have to admit that the daily commute was taking a real toll on me. So I agreed.<br /><br />It's a different life. Instead of waking up to a tortuous alarm clock before the sun rises and forcing my family to get up so they can drive me to the train station, I sleep late and wake up with plenty of time to stroll down the hallway to my work area. I can have lunch with my wife, and see my son as soon as he comes home from school. It's a whole new life, and a better one. I only wish that more people had that option!<br /><br />But I do take the T in to Boston once in a while for meetings. And on a recent late-night trip home, I took another look at the crumbling staircase at Ruggles. A couple of photos came out clearly enough:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGiHrjFyI2mrXog4f2O_4RBb2Ske7nTSVusD6fFY2UF650fXmw_OAKaMj9jVOi1n-36GfXeBeN9pS1wZR3BnOqBYcQMLxS9MPmRZYys6MXjeytYX5R-d5QLMJi6AYJib7Uis93mfvr9XO/s1600/2011-03-10+18.24.11_Boston_Massachusetts_US.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGiHrjFyI2mrXog4f2O_4RBb2Ske7nTSVusD6fFY2UF650fXmw_OAKaMj9jVOi1n-36GfXeBeN9pS1wZR3BnOqBYcQMLxS9MPmRZYys6MXjeytYX5R-d5QLMJi6AYJib7Uis93mfvr9XO/s400/2011-03-10+18.24.11_Boston_Massachusetts_US.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586386951834964098" border="0" /></a>The side of the staircase is deteriorating badly. In this shot, you can actually see <span style="font-weight: bold;">through</span> the inner wall all the way through the interior hollow and to the inside of the outer wall. The other side of the outer wall is bulging worse than ever.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi209ZVsTVvvUZ0HCJ44TlPLrjf-EgnMHRccwkc2dU-9eqF72q3IUXfOnzxaK5zbUU2_iAoJ3uwo_KLJBS7KgHxW4U3osQ-P1dq0_HC3AQSiZa6Q7uROn0b63i03M43ZjwK7NLhWcu6oplm/s1600/2011-03-10+18.22.59_Boston_Massachusetts_US.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi209ZVsTVvvUZ0HCJ44TlPLrjf-EgnMHRccwkc2dU-9eqF72q3IUXfOnzxaK5zbUU2_iAoJ3uwo_KLJBS7KgHxW4U3osQ-P1dq0_HC3AQSiZa6Q7uROn0b63i03M43ZjwK7NLhWcu6oplm/s400/2011-03-10+18.22.59_Boston_Massachusetts_US.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586387449650956690" border="0" /></a>On the other side of the staircase, the situation is equally desperate. It's literally falling to pieces, as you can see here. Now, I actually led a T representative physically to this staircase last year and showed him what was going on, and he seemed to realize that there was a real danger. So I can't say why nothing has been done to rectify the situation, although I'd bet a shortage of funds will be blamed.<br /><br />Other than that, I'm sorry to see that the T's thirty-minute money-back policy is apparently going to be discontinued, if it hasn't been ended already. This is nothing but an encouragement for even <span style="font-style: italic;">worse</span> service.<br /><br />So...am I glad to be off that train? Well, yes. I'd be dishonest if I didn't admit it. But I'll admit that I <span style="font-style: italic;">miss </span>Boston, and once in a while I miss taking the train. I even miss the comic misadventures, lousy service, and rude conductors (noting, as always, that most conductors are <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> rude).<br /><br />I'll continue to keep an eye on things on my rare trips to town, so this isn't the final post. But realistically, there certainly won't be as many posts as I used to make. I just don't have the material any more!Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-56541668407555626402010-01-13T18:45:00.001-08:002010-01-13T19:03:23.482-08:00Slow-motion crash<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvcC0OzGoxQGg3SqU8-U5d9HlTipT1ziaMtKUL6jjZ0XlHc09plb0FZrj8nGgEu7hh4T9uPTEHn3Mw_1A_qqZ_ErtMwIq468-7NtTZeI37x6-mGUB2zrquAN0Laq5fhon-rTW7sJ6RTkeX/s1600-h/01-13-10_1557.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvcC0OzGoxQGg3SqU8-U5d9HlTipT1ziaMtKUL6jjZ0XlHc09plb0FZrj8nGgEu7hh4T9uPTEHn3Mw_1A_qqZ_ErtMwIq468-7NtTZeI37x6-mGUB2zrquAN0Laq5fhon-rTW7sJ6RTkeX/s400/01-13-10_1557.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426422232470741042" border="0" /></a><br />The stairs at Ruggles continue to decay. The morter is crumbling away.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoi8eYfVjLTY2gOj8s3MZ_B3W_eCHyKs5GIg8sKGdajvAPwzKUQkbD9L9ra9lgC2_UGMkhmP4_6QQDpWVnRz_BllXB2fq3AoavQRsrSrnIQUuisjkglmx2PgvGib_x8l9U8n2T3CYXxGCs/s1600-h/Copy+of+01-13-10_1554.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoi8eYfVjLTY2gOj8s3MZ_B3W_eCHyKs5GIg8sKGdajvAPwzKUQkbD9L9ra9lgC2_UGMkhmP4_6QQDpWVnRz_BllXB2fq3AoavQRsrSrnIQUuisjkglmx2PgvGib_x8l9U8n2T3CYXxGCs/s400/Copy+of+01-13-10_1554.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426422442639591586" border="0" /></a><br /><br />As you can see above, the whole structure has shifted so much that the<br />internal holes in one of the bricks have been exposed.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVYNV5JnDgiditBuX5aIJBDXeuN8KZ0YPOotuM-RAcEejMpg_VRC_kZJ-QTqb0U3Z_S2cSO5qZFkWqQUGdznUDU9LHdw5yS2WZkDpNwmXwQooDE_2fWeOM92wQfnWVHVzcMwD8jQSyWKkc/s1600-h/01-13-10_1555.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVYNV5JnDgiditBuX5aIJBDXeuN8KZ0YPOotuM-RAcEejMpg_VRC_kZJ-QTqb0U3Z_S2cSO5qZFkWqQUGdznUDU9LHdw5yS2WZkDpNwmXwQooDE_2fWeOM92wQfnWVHVzcMwD8jQSyWKkc/s400/01-13-10_1555.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426422684597883538" border="0" /></a><br />The staircase is slowly spreading outward at the base; another effect of this slow-motion collapse has been to pull apart the railing on the left side, as you walk downstairs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZb5jE4qt8bT9uf1E23_Fdzu6-bkX0lXbDnmXxT3klqpHJE5CaDBVcE8hHZ0ZKBHS8P4O1b5WQaP0RVOKsJLJdBuFtG10f_ddNgWB0nxgSOIkh_nib00VgsgAQ_dcNGUQdi118uwTCfCI2/s1600-h/01-12-10_1604.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZb5jE4qt8bT9uf1E23_Fdzu6-bkX0lXbDnmXxT3klqpHJE5CaDBVcE8hHZ0ZKBHS8P4O1b5WQaP0RVOKsJLJdBuFtG10f_ddNgWB0nxgSOIkh_nib00VgsgAQ_dcNGUQdi118uwTCfCI2/s400/01-12-10_1604.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426423271917799586" border="0" /></a>On the outer side of the staircase, you can see that the wall is visibly <span style="font-style: italic;">bowing outward</span>. I can't imagine that this is a safe situation! Would any public safety inspector allow a staircase in this condition to be used by the public? I have to doubt it.<br /><br />The weird thing, of course, is that those stairs were closed for at least two years for repairs, and only re-opened in August 2007. Will they make it to August 2010? I don't know. Will they be closed for another two years for repairs again? I couldn't say. Will the next set of repairs last longer than three years? I'd like to believe so - but see no reason for hope!Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-18498855511321378242010-01-13T18:37:00.000-08:002010-01-13T18:44:57.667-08:00MBCR ComedyOn January 6th I got one of the funnier emails that the MBCR has created so far. It included the following gem:<br /><br />"<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Please enter and exit <b><i>only</i> </b>through a door that is attended by a crewmember."<br /><br />Apparently whoever writes those emails has never actually <span style="font-weight: bold;">ridden</span> the commuter rail. Because if that rule were ever enforced, every train in the entire system would be consistently 20 minutes late, or more, every day. Why? Because each train would have only <span style="font-style: italic;">one working door</span>.<br /><br />There AREN'T conductors at most doors - <span style="font-weight: bold;">ever</span>. I haven't exited a door on the evening train <span style="font-style: italic;">once</span> since I got that letter that had a conductor within two coachlengths. Today I looked around, out of curiousity. For the five-coach train (three singles, two doubles) there was exactly ONE conductor visible.<br /><br />If they're providing enough conductors to be at each pair of doors on each train, I don't know where those conductors are disappearing to! But it seems more likely that MBCR management is shorting the trains and the public of the staff needed to carry their own rules. This way, when something goes horribly wrong, they can point to this email and say "See? We <span style="font-style: italic;">told</span> people not to use unsupervised doors!".<br /></span>Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-61744046399907780282010-01-13T18:27:00.000-08:002010-01-13T18:37:41.981-08:00RIP, Franklin Dean StationThey closed the Franklin/Dean College station down permanently a couple of months ago - another cost-cutting measure, presumably. I can't say that the timing was great. That station was definitely being <span style="font-style: italic;">used</span> - it was always packed with commuters, dozens of them, every weekday morning.<br /><br />Especially on cold mornings, of course. Which is why the timing is so particularly bad. The Franklin/Dean parking lot is quite small, so a lot of people are dropped off at the station in the mornings. Now they have no place to stay warm while waiting for the train.<br /><br />And god help them if a train is <span style="font-weight: bold;">late</span>, as they still sometimes are. At least once every couple of months a train has serious problems and has to be canceled, resulting in a wait of an hour or more until the next train comes by.<br /><br />Apart from that, though, I have to say this: that was a really interesting old station. It was very shabby, with a lot of personality. There used to be little model trains in it, here and there; my son loved to look at them. The coffee and donuts weren't at all bad, and there was a nice rack of used books that weren't too expensive. The bathroom was tiny and, well, <span style="font-weight: bold;">odd</span>; a minuscule little sink, an old-fashioned radiator, and a few faded decorations.<br /><br />Down a corridor in the back, there was a dark room with an old sofa on it. It didn't seem to be for the public. Sometimes several people were sitting on it, but I got the impression that it was for station personnel. It was strange, but interesting. The station was an oasis of old-fashioned quirky shabbiness in a world of impersonal grunge and decay.<br /><br />I suppose it will just fall apart, now.Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-50551373970440140252010-01-13T18:19:00.000-08:002010-01-13T18:27:13.841-08:00CrowdingThe Franklin 1719 continues to have adequate seating, to my surprise. The same can't always be said of the Providence #811, departing South Station at 3:45 PM.<br /><br />It's not <span style="font-style: italic;">always</span> jammed, but in the past several months I've seen passengers jammed into the vestibules several times. Here are a couple of photos from a couple of months ago:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pNdiaWiZpWDeEAmCbIDA5OQWX1gJoRWL-ean4nk8WqS5CSLMcmoVyuk4Qb1M9pZ9GxKSK1FQ6cKDJFMhU5HjbMeXhw8ul7f6qtPt3f95i92mIuZi3_slcMGcZPqlHFQgdfukvDhor9kA/s1600-h/11-25-09_1601.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pNdiaWiZpWDeEAmCbIDA5OQWX1gJoRWL-ean4nk8WqS5CSLMcmoVyuk4Qb1M9pZ9GxKSK1FQ6cKDJFMhU5HjbMeXhw8ul7f6qtPt3f95i92mIuZi3_slcMGcZPqlHFQgdfukvDhor9kA/s400/11-25-09_1601.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426415570777328434" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Once they crowded into the vestibule, that's pretty much where they had to stay. Every aisle was <span style="font-weight: bold;">packed</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zOq9kCZWVMdOQJtANHb4P7SEvdlltv_Mk-vgXVcJroKdKpQJ5iJBHyf3fO-M6a1jyQRx2gMuiQ-PAWoIMQVcjb_gfLYYBO0zrcsSMkVwWTnu4iXu4aFXcu78IVEIbr5ykqeHsiGMQIxv/s1600-h/Providence+Train+11-25.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zOq9kCZWVMdOQJtANHb4P7SEvdlltv_Mk-vgXVcJroKdKpQJ5iJBHyf3fO-M6a1jyQRx2gMuiQ-PAWoIMQVcjb_gfLYYBO0zrcsSMkVwWTnu4iXu4aFXcu78IVEIbr5ykqeHsiGMQIxv/s400/Providence+Train+11-25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426415736392081730" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-50181031613599234412009-10-15T08:17:00.000-07:002009-10-16T08:09:57.168-07:00Strange morning, courtesy of the MBCR<div>Strange things were happening on the #708 train out of Franklin this morning. It was a double train, with an engine in the middle; I heard that the prior train had broken down, and was being pushed along.<br /><br />I also saw my first "wrapped" coach, a double that had been turned into a huge advertisement for some bank. Here's a photo: </div><div> </div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-zCnWRp92__yI7o9RjeoapTdn75yYNCUoD_VlZrI5VyXqF0LhO35zoyD6hCx1NyRlgNU_izkc4WYDNUC96JxFZeodMsbbu9rUSEmGgUA_zQOp4WOwZ-xoWSTTkWCtKaxd9XEwq6BlSbA/s1600-h/10-15-09_0712.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393214418310967842" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-zCnWRp92__yI7o9RjeoapTdn75yYNCUoD_VlZrI5VyXqF0LhO35zoyD6hCx1NyRlgNU_izkc4WYDNUC96JxFZeodMsbbu9rUSEmGgUA_zQOp4WOwZ-xoWSTTkWCtKaxd9XEwq6BlSbA/s400/10-15-09_0712.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><div><br /></div><div>On the train, a woman had a large brown dog sitting on the seat next to her. It was some sort of hound, and was letting out a near-continuous high-pitched whine. I didn't see anything to indicate that it was a service dog. I couldn't tell if a ticket had been purchased for it, although it was using a full seat and it was VERY crowded on the train that morning. People were jammed in the aisles.<br /><br />The train was due in at Ruggles at 7:50 AM, but didn't arrive until 8:24. So accordingly I put in for the on-time guarantee. I guess that will make up for the $8.75 I was charged for forgetting to change my pass on the 1st!<br /><br />The stairway at Ruggles continues to deteriorate. Intriguing deep <em>holes</em> are opening up in the sides of it:<br /></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhGtGAntjZaE03C2CPO22SU7-k9YwM52gasCsnveNl1MOIcKYPzUPfdfi7f6UktMSh2-ZO8W4sbvTxa-FuiI796b5mcuFYb3MEv7mv2_AUH_rwxMjn2PLB4uqlRHgSQaC-TPF5h_59OyD/s1600-h/10-09-09_1550.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393214675966976162" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhGtGAntjZaE03C2CPO22SU7-k9YwM52gasCsnveNl1MOIcKYPzUPfdfi7f6UktMSh2-ZO8W4sbvTxa-FuiI796b5mcuFYb3MEv7mv2_AUH_rwxMjn2PLB4uqlRHgSQaC-TPF5h_59OyD/s400/10-09-09_1550.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><div>A week ago I saw that the afternoon Providence train (stopping at Ruggles on the outbound trip at roughly 3:56 PM) was incredibly crowded. People were jammed into the vestibule areas, between coaches - the areas with signs that say "PASSENGERS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO RIDE IN THE VESTIBULE". I counted at least ten people in one vestibule, and more than that in two others.<br /><br />I also had an interesting ride home last week; when I got on the coach, it was <em>pitch black</em> inside. I mean really black; the only light came from a laptop that some guy was using down at the other end of the coach. </div><div><br /></div><div></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DSiMx7fBUWpMBmSyseG2KkCuOEPmrSn_AJ_i7kHE5zoqXw1wxfe_iV1IRINBtV9-OOg6ACyhtKsvC680GU47JaJN3UPlnX3HXRX9znpC21pNe_r-8i_92MY9bJ2j7PpRjr4IJq2Dpeos/s1600-h/10-13-09_1453.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393214940704878210" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DSiMx7fBUWpMBmSyseG2KkCuOEPmrSn_AJ_i7kHE5zoqXw1wxfe_iV1IRINBtV9-OOg6ACyhtKsvC680GU47JaJN3UPlnX3HXRX9znpC21pNe_r-8i_92MY9bJ2j7PpRjr4IJq2Dpeos/s400/10-13-09_1453.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><div><br /></div><div></div><div>It was eerie! The power came back after about fifteen minutes, though.</div>Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-86766032962321196642009-10-01T19:48:00.001-07:002009-10-01T19:59:18.795-07:00Mysterious ThingIt's boring, waiting for the train at Ruggles in the evening, so once again I was looking at the stairs. The disintegration continues, but today I saw something new:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPOQqs2kBgV3JANfzwaMg4SpiJrhyZBD1HS7xYVPLlqk8nnYpWoMA9UOuS-KUR6uTZ5_yCCSpM1OAqSU4QpRV9hue8tLVSoxYG74SmBihinotiOPOBqmFhSKHy5Vljmcjm29eA2dtWi5dX/s1600-h/09-30-09_1558.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPOQqs2kBgV3JANfzwaMg4SpiJrhyZBD1HS7xYVPLlqk8nnYpWoMA9UOuS-KUR6uTZ5_yCCSpM1OAqSU4QpRV9hue8tLVSoxYG74SmBihinotiOPOBqmFhSKHy5Vljmcjm29eA2dtWi5dX/s400/09-30-09_1558.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387829483339494402" border="0" /></a></div><br />What <span style="font-weight: bold;">IS</span> that thing? It looks like a heavy cable, almost like a motorcycle lock, clamped around the base of the stair railing - and the other end goes into the concrete. Where the insulation doesn't cover it, it's clearly a multiple-wire cable. It <span style="font-weight: bold;">can't</span> be electrical. It doesn't look as if it has any <span style="font-style: italic;">structural </span>purpose - how could it be holding anything in place? It's not tightly attached! Why does it go into the cement? Does anyone know?<br /><br />There's another cable just like it on the other side of the stairs, by the way.<br /><br />You might have noticed that there are bricks missing at the left-hand bottom side of the base of the stairs now. Here's a better shot:<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaufNnsJXhGRdpR4UCnZyAu8Tm2nqQfa5aqMRseVRTgXMr3La1d4WOb3xyzyn1I8xjOcW2k5MSRrG-8aSDCROfDJR7Zku7tYuK6HVO37x14oPaZzODOtDszk82VX3Jw8N0gz_c32-tPqv0/s1600-h/09-30-09_1559B.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaufNnsJXhGRdpR4UCnZyAu8Tm2nqQfa5aqMRseVRTgXMr3La1d4WOb3xyzyn1I8xjOcW2k5MSRrG-8aSDCROfDJR7Zku7tYuK6HVO37x14oPaZzODOtDszk82VX3Jw8N0gz_c32-tPqv0/s400/09-30-09_1559B.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387831079394130802" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Could the cable be some sort of temporary thing, like a clamp to hold things in place? It really doesn't look like it to me.<br /></div></div>Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-79085958141730233982009-10-01T14:51:00.000-07:002009-10-01T15:08:24.842-07:00Rude conductorIt's been a long time since I ran across a rude conductor; I guess I was due. Here's the complaint that I just filed with the MBCR:<br /><blockquote style="font-family: arial;">Conductor 1719 was extremely rude to me this evening. I'd forgotten to switch to my October pass, and so she charged me for the trip, plus the onboard purchase penalty fee. I recognize that she was within her rights to do so, although she certainly knew that I was a regular T pass subscriber; I have been riding in her coaches since long before she began working on #715.<br /><br />What was NOT appropriate, however, was the delight which she displayed in charging me. She smirked and spoke in a very condescending manner. I don't know why she apparently felt that my forgetfulness was her personal victory; I haven't had any personal interaction with her before.<br /><br />In any case, I found her conduct completely offensive and rude. That sort of arrogant and insulting behavior does nothing to enhance the reputation or image of the MBTA and MBCR.</blockquote>It was the equivalent of a victory dance - just a nasty, sneering smirk. Apparently charging me $8.75 was the high point of her day.Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-62332642968438218542009-07-30T18:30:00.000-07:002009-07-30T18:55:10.976-07:00Crumbling stairsLast December I wrote about the crumbling stairs to the commuter rail platform at Ruggles.<br /><br />Here's what they look like today, Thursday July 30th. Click on the photos to enlarge them:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnDkuscrpvsBGJFzDE6TQkrK4tHgvYN-cnhBFkfKUYm3lYa5DP8xn8c_ffWPyOdfn_0rBdgCtau_2R9dNQYTo_3-GgUKB9Qf9eNKpTfXyg-zDXhxBm341OGP0cIVMmSfKWfSGyY6L4Dp3/s1600-h/07-30-09_1557.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnDkuscrpvsBGJFzDE6TQkrK4tHgvYN-cnhBFkfKUYm3lYa5DP8xn8c_ffWPyOdfn_0rBdgCtau_2R9dNQYTo_3-GgUKB9Qf9eNKpTfXyg-zDXhxBm341OGP0cIVMmSfKWfSGyY6L4Dp3/s400/07-30-09_1557.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364431111444616178" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2m6jNmXYgOnanzBqnikHZiwcdxxPKk15xrH-5rxlVFfyNhsfntSucClSOPQ3bRKbpB8eprj-ym8ShhBfN0muMmZqR2FhV-GCW8PBNTEpjOiWn9s5uSBdMrdQyCSS-fMkfFfNlK0RoPWbq/s1600-h/07-30-09_1558.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2m6jNmXYgOnanzBqnikHZiwcdxxPKk15xrH-5rxlVFfyNhsfntSucClSOPQ3bRKbpB8eprj-ym8ShhBfN0muMmZqR2FhV-GCW8PBNTEpjOiWn9s5uSBdMrdQyCSS-fMkfFfNlK0RoPWbq/s400/07-30-09_1558.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364431336092560930" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpITTuwThfNwYmyClJL5S51kxa7qfgUTLYPdMrxTxxapnqLqzqXYVZPzWbY2KGjGhoPyfgLPTV0UmN7F_CX1PtZNpOZOm7oDC79emAYBALm9lL1Z3hOzdedyy2kcEsTodkPyIB6GJHy0Aq/s1600-h/07-30-09_1559.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpITTuwThfNwYmyClJL5S51kxa7qfgUTLYPdMrxTxxapnqLqzqXYVZPzWbY2KGjGhoPyfgLPTV0UmN7F_CX1PtZNpOZOm7oDC79emAYBALm9lL1Z3hOzdedyy2kcEsTodkPyIB6GJHy0Aq/s400/07-30-09_1559.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364431578164837474" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />As you can see, the stairs are falling apart. And here's a view of the wall on the other side of the stairs; the damage isn't as obvious, but if you take a close look, I think you'll see signs that the wall is starting to bulge outwards...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyc5q8nZ2G3p-7hhxHJWenAkp1HNkzOwUvytJr5pYjAxon3iA6ECRb-HmEhxQw1E9daFkBzyqk5090DSZi424xqDCmuVoXGkO3Tlccy5bf7zntdnfkv2F-16kc-evlCrzKesx0ht_SNkH/s1600-h/07-30-09_1601.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyc5q8nZ2G3p-7hhxHJWenAkp1HNkzOwUvytJr5pYjAxon3iA6ECRb-HmEhxQw1E9daFkBzyqk5090DSZi424xqDCmuVoXGkO3Tlccy5bf7zntdnfkv2F-16kc-evlCrzKesx0ht_SNkH/s400/07-30-09_1601.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364431585740281506" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />That <span style="font-weight: bold;">can't</span> be good!Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-43844921733961200982009-07-30T06:18:00.000-07:002009-07-31T05:27:58.103-07:00Overpowering StenchCoach #709 on the 708 Franklin train this morning (departing Forge Park/495 at 7AM on 7/29/2009) was filled with what I can only describe as an overpowering odor of ripe sewage.<br /><br />This isn't the first time I've run across this phenomenon. Coach 724 (or it may have been 742) earlier this week had the same smell. And it has happened at other times, too. I don't think they've usually been bathroom coaches, and it's <em>definitely</em> not a passenger having gas; the <strong>whole coach</strong> was filled with the smell, on both levels. The adjoining coaches were totally free of the smell.<br /><br />Needless to say, #709 didn't have a lot of people in it. The adjoining coaches were much more crowded than usual!<br /><br /><strong>Update</strong>: Coach #720 on the 708 Franklin train <em>also</em> had that incredible stench this morning, 7/31/2009. I checked, and it wasn't a bathroom coach. The smell was horrific. There weren't that many passengers in it, but I have to wonder about the few who were! Can't they smell?Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-20868081239883008432009-04-30T10:28:00.000-07:002009-04-30T10:47:10.945-07:00New SurveyThe MBTA has been handing out a survey on the commuter rail this week. You can <a href="http://www.ctps.org/mbtacrr/">fill it out online</a>, if you feel like taking it. <strong>NOTE:</strong> You must have a unique survey number (printed on the upper right-hand corner of the first page) in order to submit the survey. So if you don't have a hard copy, I'm afraid you're out of luck.Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-51412333704217310322009-02-20T06:39:00.001-08:002009-02-20T06:43:52.667-08:00A Late MorningThe Franklin line was <em>particularly</em> bad this morning; the #706 inbound train was cancelled, and the #708 train arrived at Ruggles at 8:52, over a full <strong>hour</strong> late. That's the third time so far this year that I've had the chance to file an On-Time Guarantee claim.<br /><br />Every time it happens I find people on the train who didn't know about the guarantee, and didn't know that they could cash those tickets in. I should make up cards with instructions and pass them out whenever there's a 30+ minute delay.Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-83660774255076171792009-02-09T05:55:00.000-08:002009-02-09T17:33:43.673-08:00Trouble With A Capital TThings haven't changed much on the Franklin commuter line.<br /><br />There've been some late trains, and I've collected a few free tickets. The stairs at the Ruggles station are still crumbling. In the last couple of months there have been several times on the outbound #717 train (departing South Station at 4:20 PM) when no doors were opened on either side of two adjacent cars; twice I saw passengers who weren't able to get off the train at their stops, and ended up being carried along to the next station unwillingly. I tried to help one of them by opening the door and stairs myself, but by the time I'd noticed her plight and gotten the door open, the train was already in motion. There was, of course, no conductor around.<br /><br />Today was pretty special, though. The morning #708 train was going <em>very</em> slowly. There were a couple of announcements; the #704 was disabled, and the #706 was joining up with it to push it out of the way. We were supposed to arrive at Ruggles at 7:50 AM, but we got there at 8:25 instead.<br /><br />When we got there, people lined up to get out. But the lines didn't move in my coach. The doors were shut, and the passengers who were trying to open the doors...couldn't. They said they were stuck. I was far back in the line myself, or I would have given it a try. Needless to say, there was no conductor in sight.<br /><br />We all turned around and started rushing down the coach to the next set of doors. But we hadn't reached them before we all realized that the train was moving, picking up speed. There was a univeral groan.<br /><br />Fortunately someone reached a conductor, and the train finally stopped. We were well down the long Ruggles platform by then; all but two coaches were past the barrier that blocks off the crumbling, unused half of the platform (I'll get a photo of that soon, if I can - <span style="font-weight: bold;">update</span>: got it). We stepped out onto a continuous sheet of thick ice. Since it was an off-limits area, it had never been salted or sanded. We had to squeeze carefully around the wooden barrier, with no more than a few feet of clearance between the barrier and the train. It was a tight fit for some! And it may have been worse for the people on the other side, since if <em>they</em> slipped they wouldn't have the train as a backstop - they'd have ended up falling straight down onto the tracks. Luckily, no one slipped.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UUTxfhdCBZoPp6EYkahLNOevJ6yYDv6T3fF5ccYPEZspvT5Q_0saxrwbs7Vcdy_Dz5Ggd0EXdHegif0aMjwlcKy6MFdbIvmH_WdNAdIIfmk_pxx2DD2Kz5b3npEuNzR0MPywzBmHKazo/s1600-h/RugglesIce.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UUTxfhdCBZoPp6EYkahLNOevJ6yYDv6T3fF5ccYPEZspvT5Q_0saxrwbs7Vcdy_Dz5Ggd0EXdHegif0aMjwlcKy6MFdbIvmH_WdNAdIIfmk_pxx2DD2Kz5b3npEuNzR0MPywzBmHKazo/s400/RugglesIce.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300969516525722098" border="0" /></a><br /></div><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Here's a shot that I took of the closed platform that afternoon. It had been a relatively warm day, and the sun had melted some of the ice since that morning. But even so, there was a lot left! By the way, that half of the platform has been closed for as long as I can remember - </span>years<span style="font-style: italic;">, at least. It's crumbling badly.<br /></span></span></blockquote>It could have been worse, of course - we could have been forced to get off at Back Bay instead, and been even <strong>more</strong> late. As it was, I got into work 40 minutes late. I later heard that people on the #704 train had had a <span style="font-weight: bold;">two-hour delay</span>!<br /><br />P.S. - I've been told a <em>great</em> story that I hope to be able to post soon. The T apparently mailed out some duplicate letters and tickets for their On-Time Guarantee, and they're handling the issue <em>remarkably</em> poorly - even for the T. One suggestion: check your O-TG letters for duplicate numbers. If you find some, <strong>don't</strong> try to cash in duplicates at the same time. More on this later, I hope!Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-26481431175552362192008-12-04T18:25:00.000-08:002008-12-05T12:20:33.031-08:00The stairs, they are a-crumblin'There have been the usual problems on the Franklin line in past months, including quite a few 30+ minute delays. These have become so routine that they're hardly worth an entry here.<br /><br />But there's a much more interesting problem that has come to light at Ruggles recently.<br /><br />The commuter rail station at Ruggles has two long stairways. One is entirely covered by the Ruggles roof, although water leaks copiously through that roof in <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">many</span> places and the stairs are often soaked on rainy days (even inside the main area of the station itself, it's often like a rain storm <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">indoors</span> on wet days).<br /><br />The bottom of the other stairway extends out under the open sky. Here's a current photo from the top of the stairs:<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQwJiIedOlewZPYZ42poqCl3moGyhecbjEm58NwtZjefA63nr4FRZ8AzYArGRr5J_kVatfNlG4a5JuaQBCnltaaDEfoCaHDJh8QQQl9DWi2a1w5qNmB-yLkTUrn753XqBZhdUmFxnAGMS/s1600-h/100_1532.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276127920504612546" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQwJiIedOlewZPYZ42poqCl3moGyhecbjEm58NwtZjefA63nr4FRZ8AzYArGRr5J_kVatfNlG4a5JuaQBCnltaaDEfoCaHDJh8QQQl9DWi2a1w5qNmB-yLkTUrn753XqBZhdUmFxnAGMS/s400/100_1532.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br />That would be quite a fall, wouldn't it?<br /><br />Now, that stairway was closed for two or three years <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">straight</span> because it was unsafe. Finally in <a href="http://charlieonthecommuterrail.blogspot.com/2007/08/broken-switch.html">August 2007</a> it was repaired and reopened. But in the sixteen or so months since it reopened, it has already decayed badly and it again seems very unsafe - an accident waiting to happen.<br /><br />At least eight stairs are <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">loose</span>, partially detached from the underlying cement. Here's a video of one of them:<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzkbpUzqrccXVRQwXZtjRJlezZ8t-TS05zCziRb39gnl2fp2RAhE4ZtfSscZl5euB5TzLBftL6Duz8ruFDLMg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><br />If you look closely, you'll see the surface of the stair pop upwards as it's stepped on by the passing commuter, and then fall back down again. You can hear it click as it moves.<br /><br />It seems that T personnel may not have actually <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">repaired</span> the stairs; I may be wrong, but it looks as if instead they just <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">covered</span> them with new non-skid surfaces. That might be a perfectly adequate replacement (I don't know, I'm not a safety expert) except for one small problem: the nails (or possibly screws) that they used to attach those new surfaces to the underlying, possibly crumbling cement steps <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">are melting</span>. Whatever they're made of, they're fast rusting away to featureless spikes - some are completely <em>gone</em>. And many of the stairs are half-loose from the underlying surface as a result.<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLd2HQfNW7YevGtJ8waQmoqbhduWbdt4jn5h5fxoYoVIms3_b4K26hQoPhLdNQkzHwLb-rru8F8M9bC9LWcp_PQHwJ0_XEgi-voWaUnY3d5vzMG6CkYGfWiQ_9WwQ97I1IDjTtTippDyw/s1600-h/100_1536.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276131385947122754" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLd2HQfNW7YevGtJ8waQmoqbhduWbdt4jn5h5fxoYoVIms3_b4K26hQoPhLdNQkzHwLb-rru8F8M9bC9LWcp_PQHwJ0_XEgi-voWaUnY3d5vzMG6CkYGfWiQ_9WwQ97I1IDjTtTippDyw/s400/100_1536.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Perhaps that rusting process will suddenly stop. But I don't think so. You can't help but wonder about the competence of an organization that would use fasteners liable to rust on an outdoor repair job! Suddenly, the many problems of the Big Dig seem less surprising.<br /><br />I suspect that the stairway is going to be closed again for repairs, soon. How many years might that process take this time? In 2005-2007, the economy was relatively healthy and the T's budget situation might not have been <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">quite</span> as bad as it is now. So how long will commuters at Ruggles have to put up with either dangerous stairs, or only a single usable stairway?<br /><br />Apart from the loose stair surfaces, there are a number of steps that have a curious bounce to them when stepped on. It almost feels as if the rubbery surfaces are unsupported; as if the concrete which is supposed to underlie them simply isn't there. The mortar-like substance that was used on the sides of the steps has broken and crumbled away in many cases. But at the very bottom stair, the cement of the underlying step can be seen - and it's not a pretty picture.<br /><br />Or video, in this case:<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxDFxwWiksQOxaIDJpxRUtA2_4-zY3TmjriLcOcCxcwI2T1UunxvRBOLrKsssFjb_QT83pD6a5UAm-9Qr-p' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><br />What the heck; here's a picture, too.<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-__dXga_7ZqQ-JnPc4wlgwgTtg24MYpXa_0jKt3LnlRXbf5AaK9pg5Aes-a8BskTcUXqOwsFPn0mxUMWjzS5wSU9zpmIcsJ4mIue49XFm62J3vIY1hKt2EV4ZQOykk93MDNCa_LvRXHyS/s1600-h/100_1539.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276140174148005330" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-__dXga_7ZqQ-JnPc4wlgwgTtg24MYpXa_0jKt3LnlRXbf5AaK9pg5Aes-a8BskTcUXqOwsFPn0mxUMWjzS5wSU9zpmIcsJ4mIue49XFm62J3vIY1hKt2EV4ZQOykk93MDNCa_LvRXHyS/s400/100_1539.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Notice the rust, and the badly decayed condition of the step. How do the other steps look, I wonder, under their non-skid covering?<br /><br />And how much could the MBTA and the state be sued for, if (when?) one of those steps gives way, and one or more people are catapulted down that long flight of stairs? How much of the upcoming rate increase would a multi-million dollar settlement eat up?<br /><br />Lastly, what would it take to get a professional repair job done? I can't imagine it would be more expensive than the liability that the T seems to be courting with their incredibly poorly-maintained facility at Ruggles.Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-81090292572696628052008-10-28T06:51:00.001-07:002008-10-28T06:59:10.458-07:00ParkingAs you may have heard, parking is about to change at commuter rail lots. It's going up from $2 per day to $4 per day. But nobody seems to have told the people who write the schedules. The new October 27th, 2008 pocket schedule for the Franklin line still lists the parking cost as "easy and inexpensive...at only $2 per day".<br /><br />It should be no surprise that there has been a lot of talk among passengers about the increase. Everyone I've spoken to is pretty pissed off. A <strong>100% increase?</strong> That's steep, even in <em>this</em> economy!<br /><br />It's also going to be pretty inconvenient. Ever tried to push four individually-folded dollar bills through one of those little payment slots? It can be done, of course, but it takes <em>time</em>. And just try doing it when the train is about to leave!<br /><br />Of course you may prefer to pay with 16 quarters instead...<br /><br />Another odd thing: the penalty fee. It used to be $0.75, but from what I've heard, it's only going up to a dollar. Why are those who follow the rules going to be stuck with a 100% increase, while those who skip paying only have a <strong>25%</strong> increase? Is the T trying to <strong>reward</strong> people for not paying?Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-68720557383956584062008-10-28T05:49:00.001-07:002008-10-28T06:51:09.457-07:00Meet the new train...Yesterday was the first day for the new 717 Franklin train, departing South Station at 4:20 PM. I'd actually planned to try to catch the 715, which had been moved to 15 minutes earlier, but wasn't able to make it. I'll try to catch it soon - possibly tonight - and report on it here.<br /><br />I've been wondering just how many coaches the T will put on it. The old 715 usually consisted of five double coaches and two singles. But since they seem to have basically split the run - moving the 715 up by 15 minutes and dropping in a new train that runs ten minutes <em>after</em> the old time - it seemed likely that each of those two trains would have less capacity. But how <strong>much</strong> less, I wondered?<br /><br />I can't speak for the new 715, but the 717 last had six flat coaches and <strong>one conductor</strong>. Between him and the engineer, that's <strong>two people</strong> to handle a train carrying 700-800 passengers. I don't know what sort of safety or union rules there are, but it's hard to imagine that a single conductor would be considered safe or adequate staffing.<br /><br />The train itself arrived at Ruggles 15 minutes late. There had been trouble in the yard, apparently. The lone conductor was good about announcing the destination, fortunately; we were all wondering if this <em>was</em> the new Franklin train.<br /><br />It was, of course, overcrowded. There were ten standees in the coach I was in, and with those old flat coaches that means that some people get pushed into the aisle, blocking traffic.<br /><br />Many people were confused about the stops that the train would be making. As I noted in the last entry, the T did an awful job at alerting people about the change; I got an earlier warning than most via RailMail, and even THAT was only six days before the change!<br /><br />Anyway, the old 715 stopped at every station on the Franklin line <em>except</em> Hyde Park and Plimptonville. The new 715 is the same. But the new 717 <strong>does</strong> stop at Hyde Park, but <em>doesn't</em> stop at Endicott or Islington (nor Plimptonvile). Since a lot of people were going to those stations, the train stopped at all of them - with an announcement that it would NOT be making those stops in the future.<br /><br />We arrived at Franklin/Forge Park at 5:49, 24 minutes late. Not a particularly auspicious first run, I'd have to say.Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-73662713116225388342008-10-23T07:58:00.001-07:002008-10-23T08:16:27.714-07:00Changes in Franklin schedule with very little warningI'm on the MBCR "RailMail" mailing list for Franklin commuters. I think they add everyone to that list who has given them an email address when filing a claim for the on-time guarantee.<br /><br />Yesterday afternoon I received an interesting announcement: the schedule for the Franklin line is undergoing some fairly big changes. And those changes are taking place this Monday, October 27th!<br /><br />Here are the changes:<br /><div align="center"><br /><strong>Monday through Friday - INBOUND</strong></div><div align="center"><strong></strong> </div>Train 790, the 5:08am train from Franklin/Forge Park to South Station has had three minutes added to its trip time and will now depart Franklin/Forge Park at 5:05am (see attached schedule).<br /><br /><div align="center"><strong>Monday through Friday – OUTBOUND</strong></div><br /><strong>Train 795</strong>, the 7:40am train from South Station will depart 5 minutes earlier at 7:35am.<br /><br /><strong>Train 715</strong>, the 4:10pm train from South Station will depart 15 minutes earlier at 3:55pm.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;"><strong>Train 799</strong>, will depart South Station at the current scheduled time of 4:30pm but will <strong>only</strong> go to <strong>Readville where it will terminate</strong>. </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;"><strong>“New Train” 717</strong> will depart South Station at <strong>4:20pm and will make the following stations stops: Back Bay, Ruggles, Hyde Park, Readville, Dedham Corp, Norwood Depot, Norwood Central, Windsor Gardens, Walpole, Norfolk, Franklin/Dean College, and Forge Park/495.</strong></span><br /><p><span style="color:#330033;">Here's a link to the new 10/27/08 schedule. In order to be "green", they won't be printing many of these, they say, so they're recommending that passengers print out copies. I have to wonder if printing the schedules from our computers is really friendlier to the environment than having the MBTA print them in bulk. Or perhaps the "green" they're thinking of is their money.</span></p><p><a href="http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/rail/lines/?route=FRANKLIN">New Franklin Schedule, 10/27/2008</a></p><p>For those (like me) who take the afternoon 715 train, you'll either have to take it 15 minutes earlier than before, or wait 10 minutes later for the 717. At this point there's no knowing what the new train "consists" will be - how many coaches they'll have, and whether they'll be flats or doubles. I suspect that both trains will be smaller than the current 715, which is normally two flats and five doubles (and is <strong>still</strong> sometimes crowded).</p><p>One day earlier this week the 715 was five or six flats and one double, instead. People were literally jammed into the vestibules. I've seen bad crowding on the morning #708 train lately, too.</p><p>I'm surprised that the MBCR/MBTA gave us so little warning. For those who have to deal with changes to their work schedules, or day care, or change their commuting arrangements in other ways...think fast!</p>Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-23364213401116126552008-09-10T10:29:00.001-07:002008-09-10T10:46:43.934-07:00Handicapped seatingSorry to harp on this point, but I think that it's an interesting opportunity for me to get a look at the T from a new perspective.<br /><br />On August 23rd I slipped and fell while hiking across a stream in the White Mountains with my son. I landed with my left elbow twisted behind me, and broke it in two places. I've had to keep my arm in a sling ever since, on my doctor's orders.<br /><br />So I've had a chance to see what it's like to be a semi-handicapped passenger on the commuter rail.<br /><br />It sucks. Mornings are okay, but over the past month ridership on the Franklin #715 train has increased notably (again). And they have often shorted the train consist; for a while it was five doubles and two flats, but now it's often only <em>one</em> flat. The difference is notable; in early August I was able to get a seat every time I boarded at Ruggles, but for the past three weeks I have almost <em>never</em> been able to get a seat until the Norwood Central stop, nearly half an hour into the ride.<br /><br />Mind you, there <strong>are</strong> seats; many of the three-person seats only have two people in them. But they inevitably push towards the opposite ends of the seat, and generally places their bags in the space between. As I walk down the aisles, being careful not to bump my sling against passengers (more because my arm hurts like hell when bumped than because of any great courteousness on my part) many of those passengers in the three-person seats have a classic reaction; they catch sight of me and then quickly look away, out the window or at their suddenly-engrossing reading matter.<br /><br />As a matter of stupid pride, I never ask them to make room for me. Still, I have to admit that it sticks in my craw; whenever there's an injured person, a parent with children, or a pregnant woman standing I have <strong>always</strong> been the first to stand up and offer them my seat. But now that <em>I'm</em> injured, only one person has ever offered me a seat. I declined with thanks (I was some distance away, and it was crowded), but it was nice of him to make the offer.<br /><br />It's a strange issue. I guess it's human nature for passengers to spread out and claim as much space as possible. Should conductors encourage passengers to store their bags in their laps, or in the overhead racks, rather than beside them on the seats? I've heard that announcement once in a while, but it's very rare. Should I speak up and demand a seat? To be honest, I can't jam myself into the middle of a three-person seat; pressure on my arm really does hurt.<br /><br />As it is, I've been sitting on stairways instead. I can't take a chance on falling down, and it's both painful and difficult to take a secure hold and stand with only one working hand. I have to keep a watch behind me and move at most stops to let people use the stairs, though.<br /><br />Oh, one more note of interest: fare collection is <em>way</em> down on the Franklin #715 again. I don't recall being asked for my ticket <strong>once</strong> in the past two weeks.Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-42618261539748313902008-09-10T10:24:00.000-07:002008-09-10T10:29:06.412-07:00Hot CarsAs I mentioned in the previous post, I broke my elbow while hiking, recently, and so haven't been able to take the train as often as I used to. Nonetheless, I did run into a few hot cars.<br /><br />On 8/29/2008, the Stoughton #917 train had a hot car: coach 507<br /><br />On 9/3/2008, the Franklin #715 train had a <strong>double</strong> coach without working AC (the first I've ever seen in which the AC was disabled throughout): coach 716. It was horribly hot. I didn't have a thermometer, but I feel quite safe in saying that the temperature was approaching 100°. The coach had the usual effect, too; people jammed into the adjoining coaches, crowding them dangerously. Since the Franklin #715 coach has been getting more and more crowded lately (and they've been shorting us a coach fairly often, too) this was a real problem.Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-36248579407999015772008-09-10T09:58:00.001-07:002008-09-10T10:23:39.981-07:00Time<p align="left">This morning the Franklin #708 train was exactly one-half hour late.<br /><br />It's unusual for the train to be that late. But it's even <em>more</em> unusual for the train ever to be actually <strong>on time</strong>.<br /><br />For the past few weeks I have been tracking the performance of the Franklin #715 train. I board it at Ruggles at 4:19 in the afternoon, and in theory it should arrive at Franklin/Dean College (the next-to-last stop on the line) at 5:10 PM. But here's the actual performance: </p><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5esFqq2Xh90wf3dTHII-40yAr2ganQtbCXzA9WB3muLkae1YIiyef8_icmEfAg1sxhHJJ2WmedA9QXvEYchjtYDhDz30x931qrQFuLpZI3RlCvLY3ZISkrTwoh_imWdwKFZSfUfzfDuC/s1600-h/FranklinTime.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244441641973992194" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5esFqq2Xh90wf3dTHII-40yAr2ganQtbCXzA9WB3muLkae1YIiyef8_icmEfAg1sxhHJJ2WmedA9QXvEYchjtYDhDz30x931qrQFuLpZI3RlCvLY3ZISkrTwoh_imWdwKFZSfUfzfDuC/s400/FranklinTime.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br />Sorry it's an image instead of a table, but Blogger doesn't seem to like my tables. A few notes of interest:<br /><br />1. All arrival times were taken from my cell phone, which is set to automatically synchronize and update. The time was taken at the moment the train made a full and complete stop at the station.<br /><br />2. Sorry that the data isn't more complete; I broke my elbow hiking the the White Mountains about three weeks ago, and as a result I haven't been taking the train every single day. It's also a lot harder to check arrival times when you're trying to wrestle a backpack and the train door with one arm.<br /><br />3. The first column is mislabeled; it shouldn't be called "Late", but rather "Date". Freudian slip, sorry. This data reflects every day that I rode the Franklin #715 and was able to record the time (nine times out of ten, at least), and I have not eliminated ANY data. I wouldn't want anyone to think that I had left out data that improved the results (from the T's point of view), because I haven't.<br /><br />Nonetheless, the average time late is six and two-thirds of a minute, so far. Multiply that time by the number of passengers on the train, and you're talking about hundreds of wasted person-hours per week. And that's just for that one train! Unless it's the only regularly-late train in the fleet (something that I doubt very much), that means that system-wide many <strong>thousands</strong> of person-hours are being wasted on a regular basis.<br /><br />Now, six minutes might not seem like a big deal. And it isn't. But what I find remarkably startling is this: on every day that I recorded an arrival time, the train never ONCE met its official 5:10 PM arrival time.<br /><br />Not <strong>once</strong>. Isn't that strange?Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-21392802349503219492008-08-13T17:30:00.000-07:002008-08-13T17:43:29.661-07:00The Mystery Train<span>My inbound commute this morning inspired the following poem:</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Mystery Train</span><br /><br />The Mystery Train is a train of excitement,<br />With windows so clouded that you cannot see<br />Which station you're passing - or IF there's a station,<br />Or where in the world you might happen to be.<br /><br />You stare in confusion at windows so frosted<br />An x-ray machine couldn't peer through the haze.<br />Is my stop coming up? Or have I just passed it?<br />Or am I a minotaur lost in a maze?<br /><br />The conductors all thoughtfully aid in the mystery,<br />Never breathing a word which might pierce that dark veil<br />Where is the train going? Are we passing a station?<br />Was that blob Back Bay station, or was it Montvale?<br /><br />If YOU want to ride on a train full of mystery<br />They're rolling along on the tracks every day<br />You might never get to the place you were going,<br />But that's how it is on the MBTA.</blockquote>Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-42801782744451870452008-08-06T06:32:00.001-07:002008-08-06T12:53:02.733-07:00Silent Stops and Secret StationsNo major issues lately, but there are still a few things to write about.<br /><br />There was a bit of a stir on the inbound Franklin #710 train this morning (08/06/2008). After the Readville stop, the conductor announced over the intercom that the next stop would be Back Bay. Since the train was <em>supposed</em> to stop at Ruggles, this caused a bit of a stir.<br /><br />The train sometimes skips Ruggles due to track problems, so the announcement seemed unusual but not impossible. They're supposed to announce that they're <em>skipping</em> Ruggles, of course, but they don't always do that.<br /><br />In the end, they stopped at Ruggles after all; the announcement must have just been a slip of the tongue by the conductor. So no free tickets today. <IMG SRC="http://www.maranci.net/sad.gif" align="absmiddle"><br /><br />I did cash in five free tickets recently, and was annoyed at the attitude of the guy behind the counter (at Back Bay). He insisted that all three letters had to be pre-signed before I got to the window, and I had to be at the window with my driver's license, tickets, and letters all in hand. Time was short, but after waiting through the line the first time I had to go out, sign and arrange everything, and go through the line a second time. It wasn't a terribly long line, so I'd guess that the clerk was just being officious for the hell of it.<br /><br />Speaking of silent stops, conductors have been particularly silent at Ruggles lately. They often don't bother to announce the destination of the train, and sometimes they don't even step out on the platform! Since the trains have been more and more erratic, time-wise (they can vary from the schedule by five minutes or more) this is particularly worrisome. Often passengers have to go into a train and ask the passengers inside where the train is going.<br /><br />A few quick notes:<br /><br /><strong>Smelly Car</strong> - A coach on the Franklin line had an unusual problem: it <em>stank</em>. It wasn't a bathroom car, but it smelled like sewage for the entire trip. This caused a "hot car" effect; passengers avoided that car and piled into the other ones. Unfortunately I didn't note the train number (it was a later-evening outbound run), but I think the coach might have been #604.<br /><br /><strong>Hefty hefty hefty!</strong> - MBTA head Dan Grabauskas announced via cellphone from his luxury state-supplied SUV<sup>1</sup> that T riders would be facing "hefty" fare increases in 2010 unless the Legislature took action. I'd predicted that he'd jump the increase forward to 2009, so I guess I was wrong about that. But I have to wonder what he means by "hefty". Recent increases have been in the 25-27% range; what could a hefty increase look like? I'm guessing 40% or more, but please feel free to put your own guess as a comment. The winner will receive a free luxury SUV, fueled and paid for by the taxpayers of Massachusetts<sup>2</sup>.<br /><br /><strong><em>Wall Street Journal</em> story</strong> - A couple of months ago I was interviewed several times about the commuter rail system by Alex Roth of the <em>Wall Street Journal</em>. Here's a link to a copy of the story: <a href="http://www.tampachamber.com/ci_viewnews.asp?id=1405">Riders Swamp Public Transit</a>. I imagine we'll hear a lot more about the strain of increasing ridership on public transportation over the years to come.<br /><br /><strong>Late!</strong> - I was chatting with an experienced passenger, and she pointed out something that I hadn't really noticed: the trains have been late a <strong>lot</strong>, for a long time now. Not necessarily by a lot, and not by that golden 30 minutes that means a free ticket, but the trains are regularly five to fifteen minutes late by the time they reach the end of the line. I don't think we've actually arrived exactly on time in months. But just because I'm me, I'm going to start tracking arrival times on the Franklin #715. It will be interesting to have some solid data to post.<br /><br />Oh, a quick shout-out to the women I talked to on the train this morning. Hi!<br /><br /><hr align="left" width="40%"><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">1 - Okay, I don't know that he made the announcement from the SUV, but I couldn't resist mentioning that little perk of his. <img src="http://www.maranci.net/wink.gif" align="absMiddle" /><br />2 - Offer will not be honored. No free SUV for you! <img src="http://www.maranci.net/tongue.gif" align="absMiddle" /></span>Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-81050610679900396272008-07-17T20:35:00.000-07:002008-07-17T20:39:18.919-07:00Something new: half ACThis was a new one on me: coach #704 on the Franklin #715 train tonight (Thursday, 7/17/2008) didn't have air conditioning on one half. It was the half closer to the engine (and to Franklin, for that matter).<br /><br />What's particularly unusual about that is that coach #704 is one of the new double-decker coaches. It was the first time I've seen <span style="font-weight:bold;">any</span> AC problem on one of those.Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-57906436471855567232008-07-15T06:39:00.000-07:002008-07-15T06:45:40.838-07:00Notes: AC and announcementsOn Thursday, July 10, the air conditioning was broken on coach #611, on the #917 Stoughton train. It was a hot day. Fortunately I wasn't going to Stoughton...but I pity those who were.<br /><HR><br />Yesterday, on Monday July 14, the schedule was definitely messed up. An outbound train pulled up to Ruggles at 4:19; everyone got on. One passenger asked what train it was, and discovered that it wasn't the <em>Franklin</em> train after all; it was the <strong>Needham</strong> train, running very late. We all started shouting and warning people, and there was a mass exodus of Franklin passengers.<br /><br />The conductors never announced the damn train. You'd think that since it was arriving at the exact time and on the same track as the <em>Franklin</em> train, they might have made an announcement...but I guess they have delicate lungs.<br /><br />The Franklin train showed up about eight minutes later.Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853272238333328280.post-81029968008556912722008-07-10T07:36:00.000-07:002008-07-10T08:07:52.702-07:00Another gouge at the public from the MBTASome time in the last few weeks the MBTA did it again. Just as they quietly took away the option of bringing a free guest on the T on Sundays, they've now taken away free parking on weekends and holidays:<br /><br /><CENTER><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFXeldFtR3VQORce8h-Bkbsm_3mC_vPfQEk7QthBdNslQZfQOfYr3LZ7Tdh0VbTMiTpm-ziega3Q_DovUI__kNUbH_cVQi5voosw1r8y0wNo5sBRWfJyA6AcVy8kU_pdyt6S2WC7h3eBo/s1600-h/mbta7days.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFXeldFtR3VQORce8h-Bkbsm_3mC_vPfQEk7QthBdNslQZfQOfYr3LZ7Tdh0VbTMiTpm-ziega3Q_DovUI__kNUbH_cVQi5voosw1r8y0wNo5sBRWfJyA6AcVy8kU_pdyt6S2WC7h3eBo/s400/mbta7days.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221398501950591874" /></a></CENTER><br /><br />I wonder how many people will fail to see that sign and end up having to pay the 75¢ penalty surcharge?<br /><br />Maybe none, if you believe that sign. On the other hand, who believes the MBTA these days?<br /><br /><CENTER><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGVkjeZn93ACzknLHUJoMy7EgW_6ps-c0b1jwJNBlMrCRYNyDMyYq9DxBibF-PSXCJdbwe_YlEeQfHaLaCcWioJsO4efFLsywhUxii_qHBs1S2NDIAuRyVSaZ_U4EUlD6AjuSGh14gKcz/s1600-h/mbta5days.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGVkjeZn93ACzknLHUJoMy7EgW_6ps-c0b1jwJNBlMrCRYNyDMyYq9DxBibF-PSXCJdbwe_YlEeQfHaLaCcWioJsO4efFLsywhUxii_qHBs1S2NDIAuRyVSaZ_U4EUlD6AjuSGh14gKcz/s400/mbta5days.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221398506252808514" /></a></CENTER><br /><br />Just one more little gouge at passengers pocketbooks, courtesy of the MBTA. Oddly enough, they don't seem to have announced the change, and as far as I can tell it hasn't been in the news at all. A search of mbta.com hasn't turned up anything about the change either.<br /><br />I'm reminded of an old Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movie. Moriarty strapped him to a hospital bed, stuck a needle in his arm, and proceeded to slowly bleed him to death, one drop at a time. Unfortunately we in the public don't have a Doctor Watson to rescue us at the last minute!Quasithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147005081906046351noreply@blogger.com1