New commuter-rail schedules start tomorrow

Yes, the change to the Needham Line schedule is a problem. I submitted comments during the comment period. I later submitted a couple emails commenting that the new schedule is going to make the earlier trains even more crowded.

The new timing for Train 606 changes the train's arrival time at South Station from 8:47 A.M. to 8:56 A.M. This change means that passengers on Train 606 will no longer be able to arrive at jobs located in the South Station/Financial District area by a normal 9 A.M. start-time. Therefore, Train 606 will lose its primary function for a majority of passengers.

Because workers will no longer be able to get to work on time by taking Train 606, workers will need to take the earlier 604 train, which is already over-crowded beyond capacity. When I board Train 604 at Roslindale, there are never seats available, and the train is filled with passengers standing in the aisles. Similarly, Train 606 is already over-crowded.

The new schedule will force a significant number of passengers from Train 606 to take Train 604 instead. Taking train 604 creates additional problems for workers who will now have longer work days because they will be arriving too early for 9 A.M. job start times.

As a contrast, the current 608 train is often under-utilized because of its later arrival at South Station. Train 608 has few passengers because any workers taking that train would not be able to arrive at South Station/Financial District jobs by 9 A.M.

The new schedule is not the same as the schedule that was proposed and available for public comment. In the proposed schedule, MBTA stated that Needham line train 606 would leave a few minutes later but would still arrive at South Station at the same time as it does under the current schedule (8:47 A.M.). I submitted comments on that proposed schedule, noting that I was concerned by MBTA's calculations that a train could leave later yet arrive at the same time. In my comments, I noted that leaving later was fine, as long as the train could actually arrive at South Station at the same time.

Now the official new schedule acknowledges that train 606 will in fact arrive later at 8:56 A.M.. Again, this is not the same as the proposed schedule that was available for public comment.

Proposed schedule change:
http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/Board_Meetings/1.8%20Needh...

And see the comparison here: http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/Board_Meetings/1.8%20Needh...

Note that MBTA's proposed schedules that were available for public comment indicated that there would be no change to the arrival time of train 606, which was shown as arriving at South Station at 8:47 A.M. under both scenarios.

The NH 604 trains was running behind schedule - effing useless. now instead of being 5 minutes last work - i'll be 10 minutes late.

604 was standing room at W.Rox

(yea - and I can't get on the 602 due to daycare drop off)

This wouldn't be a problem if each line ran every 10 minutes at rush hour like it should, instead of every 40 minutes.

Besides waking people up, any time in the morning would be too late. For a schedule change planned months in advance, they should have sent the reminder the day before, or earlier.