commuter rail
It's not just the trains that come late
Annie gets peckish at MBTA e-mail cancellation notes that arrive too late to do her any good.
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Apparently, reporters are having trouble finding South Station
Franklin Line rider and blogger Peter Maranci writes that a reporter from "one major newspaper" has contacted him seeking help in finding people who have switched to the T from their cars because of gas prices - and for people who ride crowded commuter-rail trains.
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While MBTA police are busy looking cool in black uniforms at subway stops ...
Commuter-rail riders are coming home to find their cars smashed in:
... On the train last week, I was standing behind a couple of Grafton commuters who were talking about the break-ins. One woman was saying that she had filed a police report with the town of Grafton and that the police responded to her that there have been over 30 (!) break-ins in the last 4-6 weeks. ...
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Can an entire train have a nervous breakdown?
Quasit escapes from train 715 on the Franklin Line, which seems about ready to grind to a halt from the sheer weight of all the people now crammed into it:
... Ridership has increased enormously; every seat is full to capacity, the aisles are packed solid, and even the vestibules - which are supposed to be off-limits for passengers - are full of riders.
Yesterday there were 14 people riding in the vestibule that I was in. I was in the spot exactly between two cars; that spot is probably the most dangerous on the train, because it's the intersection between the two coaches. ... Fares haven't been collected on the #715 for weeks. Passengers are openly talking about giving up their passes and buying 12-ride tickets instead, because you can easily get a month or two of rides from one; the conductors simply can't check tickets. ...
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Poetry in motion
Steve Sherlock is composing poems for each stop on the Franklin Line - in "sherku" (like haiku, but with two more syllables) - for example:
Five and dime, not here
At Dedham Corporate Center
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A surcharge by any other name ...
The past couple of days, they've had a new "alert" message on the North Station train boards. It reads:
Please purchase tickets prior to boarding. and avoid paying the On-Board Service Fee.
Wonder how much the T paid their 'image consultant' to come up with that gem?
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MBCR conductor disregards personal safety, goes after dangerous criminal on his train
Imagine: Dude was taking photos out the window of a Providence Line train:
... Shortly after taking a few pictures, a conductor came along and told me I wasn't permitted to take photos on the train. 'Why not?' I asked politely, turning off my camera and putting it away. The answer was along the lines of 'Because.' ...
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Gas prices boost T ridership
Especially on commuter rail. Of course, one has to wonder how much longer that can continue, given parking problems at many stations.
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That didn't take long at all
Do a Google search on MBTA and look at the fun Canton-related ad that pops up on the right.
Via Rick Burnes, who took a screenshot for posterity.
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The MBCR can communicate with riders, sort of
After yesterday's crash, a Commuter Rail-riding friend (who was not on that train) got this email today from the powers that be:
Subject: Providence/Stoughton Disruption 3.25.2008
TO ALL OUR PROVIDENCE / STOUGHTON LINE CUSTOMERS
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