The Third Decade

State to Back Mass Pike Debt. WTF?!

I have nothing against commuters from the western suburbs and every so often I use the Mass Pike to travel to NYC. But after years of news about the MBTA's crushing debt, which has resulted in service cuts and fare raises, why is the Mass Pike getting state-backed debt relief? This comes after recent news that fewer people are using the Pike as more people are using the T. As state Treasurer Tim Cahill said, "the taxpayers deserve better than this."

Dishones-T

Wow! It seems that the conversation I overheard recently between the old women about T dispatchers choosing not to run buses might actually be based in fact. As UniversalHub pointed out, today's Herald reported that the T has cut thousands of bus and rail trips in order to save money. I wonder if retaliation against complaints was just another cover-up for a canceled bus trip.

Another Day, Another Conspiracy Theory

On a day when the T reiterated that it's broke - although they're responsible for the recent $55 million increase in debt (but I'm just sayin') - there's a new conspiracy theory about why T service sucks.

While waiting (and waiting and waiting) for the #66 bus at Brigham Circle, I overheard two elderly women talking about their experiences with the bus earlier in the day. One woman complained that a scheduled bus never showed up, thus resulting in the next bus being packed. Her companion responded, saying that she was told that when someone complains about service, the dispatcher won't send out a replacement bus. She didn't say specifically that this was the T's policy or the actions of a rogue dispatcher - and there's probably no way to verify it anyway - but between the T's own press releases and passengers' theories, the agency could sure use some help with its PR...and it's bus service.

Oh Craps!

On the way to the gym this afternoon I saw a trio of young guys playing craps in State Street Station...and one more guy keeping lookout. They were playing at the point in the station where the stairs from the northbound Orange Line platform meet the stairs from the southbound Blue Line platform. At first I thought the location was a little weird (a dark, dirty, stairway at State), then it kind of hit me that they were playing craps. I didn't know people still played that.

NOTE:

A discussion of this post is taking place on UniversalHub.

Torture Radio

I pity anyone who misses their Orange Line connection at North Station. I had that misfortune this evening and was forced to listen to T Radio. It's frustrating enough to stand on the platform as the train rolls away. What made my wait worse was listening to the station after the music cycle ended. I was serenaded to three minutes of commercial jingles - the same jingles I ignore when they play on TV - thanked by some guy for listening, and then "treated" to the Kingston Trio's hokey Charley on the MTA song. Are shivers running down your spine yet?

Anyway, I tried to escape into the tunes on my iPod, but resistance was futile! The music played too loudly and the speakers in the station are set evenly apart, meaning there's no where to run. In essence, I'm paying to be part of a captive audience for a service I'd rather not listen to. What's unfortunate is that when the station returns to its playlist the music is fairly bland. It's as though the T is attempting to pacify its ridership and keep us from noticing service delays and the general condition of the system. But, if the Boston Metro is correct in stating that the T will create blackout zones with no radio service, I know where I'll be waiting for the train from now on.

Freshly Squeezed Orange

What a mess!

Today’s commute on the Orange Line could’ve been a lot worse, but it was bad enough. Luckily for me I was traveling from the south. Those of us exiting the train at Back Bay had the option of taking the shuttle buses or catching the Green Line at Copley. I chose the later option and was able to keep my commute right on schedule. Those poor folks coming down from the north, however, didn’t seem to have an equally good option. As I was walking from Science Park to my office, I could see a long line of people forced to walk from Community College Station down the Prison Point Bridge (does anyone call it that anymore?), across the main road, and toward my direction to access Science Park Station. I felt bad for them considering how so many of them were overdressed for a walk in the warm weather or wearing uncomfortable shoes. It really looked like Charlestown was under attack and was being forcibly evacuated.

I got to work right at 9 and checked the MBTA’s website. According to the service advisories, the disable train was first listed at 5:12AM. I was on the platform at Jackson at 8:10AM. I find it hard to believe that the T couldn’t move a disable train in 3 hours, especially before rush hour. And what’s up with the Orange Line anyway? It’s in serious need of a makeover. Now that the Red, Blue, and Green lines have been updated with new cars, when will we get our turn?

Guess Who's In Town

Seen on the Orange Line today:

Greed

The Boston Public Library officials are greedy. There is absolutely no need for the MBTA to go out of its way to rename Copley Station. The station is not their own personal stop and the Library has no compelling reason for a name change...other than being greedy. After all, Copley Square as a whole is the prominent destination for the station. The Old South Church, Trinity Church, Copley Place, and the Hancock Tower are as important to the fabric of the area as the Library. So, MBTA, I'm actually behind you on this one. Don't waste your money on changing the station name and the system maps. Please use your funds to invest in equipment and service upgrades. If the Library wants the name changed that badly, tell them to pony up some cash to get it done.

Musings During the Evening Commute

First, I wouldn't be surprised if one day this summer the T announced disruptions in service due to rats. When I was a kid, I remember seeing rats in the downtown stations, especially on the Red Line tracks, but they were little things no bigger than the palm of my hand which probably ate the scraps food that fell off the platforms. Today's rats - literally the ones I saw today in North Station - are about as big as my size 9.5 sneakers. What the hell are those things eating?! If it's true that rats gnaw through power lines and cables, we could be in a mess of trouble this summer. I'd hate to be the maintenance worker or the late night subway rider to come across those bad boys.

Second, maybe I'm remembering wrong, but wasn't one of the T's rationales for introducing the Charlie Card to be able to track ridership patterns and then allocate service according to those patterns? Well, the southbound Orange Line train which left out of North Station around 8:40pm was rather full tonight. Is any analysis being done - or has any been released - to assess ridership patterns and discuss what the T plans to do to support ridership needs? I have a feeling I already know the answer to that question, but who knows what the T is up to these days.

T is for Terrific...and That Terrible Trapped Feeling

Today I was traveling around downtown via T and used both Charles and Copley Stations. What a difference between the two! Charles is more or less done with its renovation and is beautiful. I was impressed with how spacious and clean the station is. There are great lines of sight up Cambridge Street from the main stairway and the station feels airy and bright with its new silver skin.

On the other hand there's Copley. Oh, Copley, what have they done to you? I couldn't tell if the original wrought iron entrance was still in place somwhere behind the construction because I was so distracted and disturbed by all the plywood. It covered both sides and the roof of the entrance stairway, as well as half of the platform, the station walls, and part of the floor. As soon as I started walking into the station I thought "this is a fire trap waiting to happen." That feeling didn't go away when I passed through the ticket gates just as a train emptied of its passengers. It wasn't even peak travel time but there was nowhere to go to get out of the way. I can't believe the fire marshall hasn't closed down the station. The T might consider closing it for the safety of its passengers...and to get the renovation done faster. I read that the station was in bad shape, but daaaamn! Hopefully by the time work is done at Copley, the station ends up in the same shape as Charles.

Hopefully...