Annie gets peckish at MBTA e-mail cancellation notes that arrive too late to do her any good.

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.

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. ...

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. ...

Steve Sherlock is composing poems for each stop on the Franklin Line - in "sherku" (like haiku, but with two more syllables) - for example:

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?

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.' ...

Especially on commuter rail. Of course, one has to wonder how much longer that can continue, given parking problems at many stations.

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.

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