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At North Station, it's cram and jam; some forced to say, 'excuse me, ma'am'
By adamg on Wed, 02/10/2016 - 6:01pm
Sdconnor shows us the scene at North Station around 5:30 p.m.:
People pushing through the crowd of delayed passengers to get to trains.
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Comments
and
We're going to soon pay more for this crappy service.......
I'm still smarting about the walkway being closed
So the MBTA in it's infinite wisdom installed a covered walkway to get riders from the CR station to the Subway station BUT THEY DIDN"T USE A SOLID ROOF so that when riders are walking under the "covered" walkway they are still getting wet from huge drips falling between the gaps in the boards which line the ceiling. It's Lovecraftian!
Who builds a roof intended to last for three years but leaves out a waterproof layer? The T is practically going out of their way to make life worse for riders. It's clear no one who runs the system ever uses it.
But hey, that's worth 20% more right?
Roof
Not too surprised.....When I exit the train on Track 2 (inbound) at Back Bay Station, I know ahead of time if I need my umbrella on street level....because it rains through the roof on certain areas of the indoor platform, hard enough in places where I have to dodge the indoor monsoon.
What price is going to
What price is going to increase 20%?
The fare increase is not
The fare increase is not going to be distributed proportionately across all fares and modes of service. The CR fares are going to be changed relatively little; worst hit I believe are the bus passes.
The T also, after first slithering out of the statute that was passed to constrain fares to 5%/biennium, also now claims "passes" aren't "fares" so they can jack those up however much they want.
Moving towards transit oriented development
The city is moving towards being more transit dependent. As demand increases the incentive to improve things decreases because the alternatives won't exist.
Actually, aren't they talking
Actually, aren't they talking about screwing over the subway/bus users rather than the CR users this time?
One and the same
People traveling between the two North Stations are generally both CR and Subway users.
Regardless everyone being screwed is an MBTA user. The people using the lower parking lot were never told they'd lose this lot for three years while they built a building above. Yet, they have no problem saying the same thing to people who use public transit.
North Station is a zoo ALL
North Station is a zoo ALL the time Commuter rail riders coming in and out of station are ignorant and rude. I don't know how many times I've got bumped into as they " run" for a train. Maybe find another alternative
Every major train station in the world has people rushing
The problem with North Station is that people going to arena share the same entrance as people using the train. This creates huge crowds of people trying to get into and out of the build for different reasons and with different priorities. Not one of the finest design choices.
Yeah.
The North Station setup really is stupid.
Not nearly as stupid as it used to be
Unbelievably for a long time there was a much smaller area to commuters and sports fans to mix. As long time commuters know the current setup was created about 10 years ago. Previously the wait area was about a quarter the size it is now. To get to/from the train you have to weave your way through people lining up to get into the Garden.
I remember those days.
I think it annoys me more now. Not because it isn't an improvement, but because the current setup doesn't go far enough. Oh well, I don't own the building.
The current set up is worse
At least with the old Garden, the vendors were located off of the main aisles to and from the commuter rail platforms.
Now, there are random obstructions placed where somebody felt like, with no consideration to maximizing the flow of people through the area.
The massive herds of cattle
The massive herds of cattle waiting to stampede the trains have nothing to do with people coming in to the Garden for a show/game. People coming off the train just have a hard time getting through with the ignoramuses standing shoulder to shoulder so they can get a seat 10 seconds earlier.
The problem is that for
The problem is that for riders trying to get on and off trains, the waiting area is an obstacle course of pillars and random obstructions. Why is there a free-standing ATM the size of a small bus in between the side door and the platforms? Why are there 2 Dunkin Donuts within 50 yards of each other? Riders can't see the big board of track assignments from anywhere except right in front of the board, and they can't hear the assignments because the MBTA hired Charlie Brown's teacher to make them as unintelligible as possible.
It was actually better before the new waiting area opened, with predictable track assignments for each line, multiple small screens showing track assignments, and announcements for boarding more than 5 minutes before departure. You could take a seat on the train and get some work done instead of waiting with the huddled masses trying to get to the Disney on Ice or Circus or whatever.
Oh those darn support pillars!
I they weren't in that spot I could be standing there! (Life is SO unfair!)
The support pillars are there because of a bad design decision
When the Fleece Center originally opened, the commuter rail tracks extended further into the station then they do now. After the decision was made to defer construction of the building now going into the area in front of TD Garden (the first floor of which was supposed to have an expanded waiting area for Commuter Rail passengers), Delaware North offered a 'carrot' to the MBTA - extend the waiting area to its present size by covering over about 200 feet of the existing commuter rail tracks.
The current square pillars cover the round support posts that supported the original platform canopies. For cost reasons, it was decided to retain these posts rather than re-engineer the support system for the roof over the waiting area.
The problem at North Station when
there's a Garden event is that the Garden folks refuse to open the gates early. This, combined with those idiotic separator barriers they use, is what exacerbates the crowding.
And yes, there have been days where I've just missed a train because of the delay navigating through all the drooling Bruins fans. And the "necessary" temporary walkway between Causeway Street and North Station, plus the "human traffic lights" (transit cops who only mimic the signals) at the at-grade crossing of Causeway Street, hasn't helped matters at all.
Remember all this
The delays, the breakdowns, the completely thoughtless and moronic inconvenience, the air quality at Back Bay station.
Remember this when Charlie Baker decides (on his own, of course!) that we need to privatize the MWRA.
Because it is going to happen, and there will be a manufactured crisis to get his way. Except, instead of being late to work, our public health will be sacrificed.
Remember this when Charlie
Remember this when Charlie Baker decides (on his own, of course!) that we need to privatize the
MWRAMBTAFIFY
That, too
But there is no error in my post - he'll get our water next. Just wait.