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How convenient for T riders: Governor to take questions at noon
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Comments
I know the T is a state agency
However, it just seems odd that everything falls to pieces after the Olympics were taken away and the maintenance just magically stopped. Makes me wonder what would have happened if we'd have kept it. Mind you, I wasn't a fan. It just seems a little bit too coincidental.
Short memory?
And the state of the T last winter, before the Olympics were taken away?
Maintenance stopped a long time ago. The Olympics or lack thereof have nothing to do with the current woeful state of affairs.
Attention Red/Orange/Blue
Attention Red/Orange/Blue/Green line passengers. We are experiencing delays in service due to forty years of underinvestment, deferred maintenance, and mismanagement at every level.
We're going to have to stop blamestorming and start identifying fixes. Aloisi is right about that.
I don't know if it'll ever happen, though. Maybe, as someone suggested if we legalize weed and use the tax revenue to pay for the trains.
These were the same trains
Before last winter's storms. In fact, they were the same trains running since I was going to school in the 1970s. They've been running on the same tracks too. The only thing different is the amount of money needed to fix the problems. When the T is audited, they know where the money is going and it's not going to maintenance. It's being mismanaged.
How much is mismanagement
And how much is just not having the money needed to actually fix the problems?
All of it
Just like everything else in Mass.
High taxes but crappy roads. Naturally it's out-of-staters to blame for excess wear and tear.
I understand that signal problems with Amtrak
are not his problem but the T indeed is. The T is literally falling apart (they found an additional 13 orange line cars, after the fire in the hole incident, where the panels needed to be fixed) and that coupled with the ongoing commuter rail issues (trains delayed because of the "turn of equipment") is a continuing problem.
The MBTA needs approx. 7 billion dollars (billion!) to fix the system:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/08/31/mbta-panel-needed-fix-buses...
Declare bankruptcy and put the whole darn thing in receivership already! You can't fix 40 or so years of deferred maintenance by increases to cover your operating budget, Gov. Baker. And, no, no proposed fare hikes (find another way) and/or service cuts, period.
Amtrak has nothing to do with the Red line
I'll give the T a pass on the Commuter Rail this morning but not the red line.
Yeah, I know.
n/t
And, no, no proposed fare
T fares are lower than comparable public transit systems. Raising fares alone can never be the solution, but they are low.
They are low
They are low because service blows. Don't ask the riders to pay more for crappy service. Fix the service first, and then ask the riders to pay more. You might actually get support for higher fares if the service worked correctly.
And "low" compared to other transit systems depends on alot of factors. The T is about the same for comparable systems.
Not so Low
The Commuter Rail from new haven and long island is about the same price as the MBTA CR.
the Metro in DC and The NY MTA are slightly more expensive , the unlimited monthly in NY is $116. But there is also a lot more service area for both of those cities.
Fitz,
yes, but people on those systems might be getting to work on a more regular basis. Those "comparable public transit systems" probably have systems that are running and working better that ours and do not need $7.3 billion dollars to bring them up-to-speed.
Lets see, in the NA we have:
Lets see, in the NA we have:
NYC/PATH: $2.75, minus the 11% bonus making it about $2.45
Chicago: $2.25
Philly: $2.25 cash/$1.80 Token
Baltimore: $1.70
Montreal: ~ $2.37 USD
Toronto: ~$2.37 USD (Cash) / $2.11 USD Token
MBTA: $2.65 Ticket/ $2.10 Card
I will admit that the monthlies are reasonably cheap. But, hey, look, we are pretty much right there with a shit system that is falling apart. Do again tell me how we have the cheapest in the country though. You really think we should be charging as much as NYC?
*DC/BART/MUNI/etc not comparable due to distance based fares and BART being a glorified commuter rail, and MUNI being basically buses.
ask the gov
It's about time governor Faker, when are you going to do something with the T? This crap has been going on for too long. Get together with the Phoney's on the hill and do your jobs.
What?! You expect me to go
What?! You expect me to go shake hands with all THOSE PEOPLE waiting for the MBTA in the cold?!
And As Usual, Jim And Margery Treated Mr. Baker With Kid Gloves
That program was so disappointing.
Maybe 5-10 minutes about T issues and that is all (with Baker saying fare increases are a good thing because service will be better).
FOR SALE
I have some beautiful ocean front property in Greenfield I wanna unload. Any takers?
Before they raise the fares
Can they do something about the fare jumpers who refuse to pay by the thousands!
Two questions:
1. Do you have actual evidence of "thousands" of fare jumpers? Thousands an hour? A day? A month? A decade? What exactly is the quantified loss of fares due to these alleged "thousands" of fare jumpers?
2. How does the number from 1. compare to the loss of money due to miscellaneous boondoggles like a "bus shelter" that takes years to build and doesn't keep anyone dry (Kenmore)?
Fare Jumping Is An Insult To Ⓣ Customers Who Do Pay
I frequently see fare jumping, as I'm sure many other passengers do. It wouldn't be as offensive, were it not that the Ⓣ station attendants are often seen reading a newspaper or fixated on their smartphone, oblivious of what's happening in the station.
When the fare system was automated, we were told that employees who previously sold tokens, would be performing other customer service duties throughout the station. But instead, they often stay in their closed booth and do nothing. Beyond deterring fare jumping, they don't even seem to be available and/or prepared to help in emergencies.
Things like overbuilt stations and grandiose but non-functional bus shelters are a whole 'nother story. Both issues however, are about treating paying customers with more respect.
Those employees can't deter
Those employees can't deter something they have no authority to enforce. People fare evade right in front of them and, odds are, when they confront a fare jumper the response is "Go F yourself!". It's like the bus drivers that take a punch in the face over the cost of a bus fare. It's a lot easier to be non-confrontational and uninjured.
I agree
Its the same deal with In-Store "Detectives". You cannot touch a thief. You can catch them in the act, and then file a police report. But you cannot detain or touch them in any way or manner. You will be sued and lose the case.
The same principals apply to the T and fare jumpers.
Unless MBTA Transit Police stop them, the regular toll taker "Customer Service Agents" cannot do a single thing.
So Then, Why Are They On The Payroll?
Just standing by and monitoring the gates would help deter fare evasion. The attendants could also help out by answering passenger questions and just keeping a better eye on the station to catch problems earlier, before trouble escalates.
For example, passengers saw the smoking third rail at the Milk Street Orange Line platform the other night, but were unable to find the station attendant before the second train came along, causing more damage and mayhem.
If they can't do anything, won't do anything, and don't do anything but sit in a box all day, then what is the point of having this job position? Yes, I know there are complicated union contracts, but that's not an excuse for the Ⓣ to do nothing to ever change it.
More workers are desperately needed to do maintenance and inspection. Instead of paying people to do nothing, they could be retrained to do something useful.
I don't get down to Kenmore
I don't get down to Kenmore often, and I was blown away by the amount of snow and water around the new(ish) station. All of the benches were covered in water, and it wasn't even raining/snowing that day. It was from snow stuck on the roof that was dripping down onto the benches. Seriously, how does a design flaw like that (or Assembly's flooded platforms) happen?
It's art maaaaaaannnn
why have function when you can over-pay some architetural firm to design a pretty piece of garbage?
I remember living in Allston and it taking two years for them to build a fancy metal overhang and lay 100 feet of brick at the Harvard and Comm Ave stop of the green line. 2 Years.
The hole they dug is DEEEEP