General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

All of B line stop consolidation talk has been focused on the Packard-Kenmore stretch. I think BU is one of the major blockers on that. I don't know what happens, but someone has to lean on them.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Anyone notice the E Line cutbacks lately? I created a post on UniversalHub about it the other day. Today added yet another ridiculous reason to cut service.

Reasons for cutting the E to Brigham:

6/25: No warning/alerts/anything. Had to stand around for 20 minutes before you realize what's going on.
6/26: "Gridlock" traffic (reportedly none) from 11am to 8:30pm
6/27: "Construction" (reportedly none)
6/28: "Auto accident" at 9am which magically changed to "construction" (none) from 11am to end of day
6/30: A fucking concert at City Hall Plaza
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Is it a stealth cut-back? Maybe try inquiring with your electeds?
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

I'm doing some rough calculations, and from my estimates, there is no net increase in operating costs from running the Blue Line to Lynn. It likely all breaks even once you remove all the buses running from Lynn to Wonderland/semi-express to Boston. Not only that, but you're removing vehicles from 107 and 1A. You're also pulling all these emissions belching vehicles off those roads.

The only problem is... it takes... 200 years to pay off the up front construction costs. Assuming it would now cost $1billion, with 10,000 new MBTA riders paying $2. :(
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

BostonUrbEx said:
I'm doing some rough calculations, and from my estimates, there is no net increase in operating costs from running the Blue Line to Lynn. It likely all breaks even once you remove all the buses running from Lynn to Wonderland/semi-express to Boston. Not only that, but you're removing vehicles from 107 and 1A. You're also pulling all these emissions belching vehicles off those roads.

The only problem is... it takes... 200 years to pay off the up front construction costs. Assuming it would now cost $1billion, with 10,000 new MBTA riders paying $2. :(
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The thing is-- would the MBTA be serious about getting rid of all the sketchy/weird smokers/losers that would congregate at the station? I feel like quincy center on the red line is a good example of the crowd that would be attracted in Lynn. The type of people that hang out there certainly discourage ridership if riders don't feel comfortable walking through clouds of cigarette smoke or packs of homeless people/teenagers. The whole quincy downtown rebuilding project could end up being much more successful if the MBTA can clean up the area around the station that do things like this.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

The way you keep a station "clean" is by finding ways to entice normal people to be around there. That means allowing businesses to open in the immediate vicinity, having a center of activity, homes, etc. People going back and forth to the station in the course of their normal life.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Matthew said:
The way you keep a station "clean" is by finding ways to entice normal people to be around there. That means allowing businesses to open in the immediate vicinity, having a center of activity, homes, etc. People going back and forth to the station in the course of their normal life.
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I agree-- just like getting the McDonalds to open earlier at Harvard and Comm ave in Allston-- but the "normal" thing for these people to do is to hang out and do nothing. Just enforce the existing loitering laws in that area and normal people will pass through the area without hesitation. As it stands right now, normal people have no interest in being around people that could form their own peopleofquincycenter.com website.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Not quite what I meant. Instead of trying to strongarm "loiterers" out, find ways to attract more, regular people instead. More development, variety of uses, and a design which naturally steers people's paths across that area, with a good, visible public realm.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Matthew said:
Not quite what I meant. Instead of trying to strongarm "loiterers" out, find ways to attract more, regular people instead. More development, variety of uses, and a design which naturally steers people's paths across that area, with a good, visible public realm.
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Yes, this. Exactly the kind of positive transformation that happened at Davis Square, where it isn't so much that the "loiterers" were driven out. According to a Somerville born-and-raised cop I spoke to, the "loiterers" numbers are probably unchanged from the 1980s 'til now, but "loitering" is no longer the dominant vibe.

The addition of "regular people" (ok, hipper-than-regular) via a through bike path and Tufts shuttle and gym and revived theater and has made "regular" the dominant vibe.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Simple things like improving lighting can go a very long way to make the stations appear and feel safer, and also look better overall. More lights and brighter lights would be nice additions. Also better and more trash cans. It always amazes me how people are so lazy with their trash. Rather than walk a little bit extra to throw out their coffee cup, they simply dump it on the ground, or put it in the Metro recycle bins.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

I think the answer to improving the stations' surroundings/atmosphere is simply market-rate TOD. You just have to get more people in the area, using the station, add in some destination retail to draw more people there and the problems should just fizzle out over time. The people living in those TODs (and populating the surrounding area) are just more witnesses to potential crimes which should over time deter crime.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Hasn't Quincy Center's parking garage been condemned? Why not get rid of it and TOD on the station itself? Possible?
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

This popped up on the MBTA ROC website:

http://www.mbtaroc.com/documents/other/MBTA_UPass_Report_20130718.pdf

"RE-ENVISIONING THE MBTA COLLEGE STUDENT PASS PROGRAM TO FUND OVERNIGHT SERVICE"

This report proposes the institution of a new student pass program that would provide unlimited rides for no less than 100% of any college’s full-time student population. The revenue generated from this new program would fund overnight MBTA service. Similar programs in other U.S. cities are highlighted in order to demonstrate the feasibility of such a program.
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There's also an appendix with actual statistics about fare evasion (from CTPS).
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Aug. 3 is the day the T assumes full dispatching control of the Worcester Line, since Beacon Park engine yard is closing 3 days earlier and CSX will be officially gone. Until now CSX still controlled through Beacon Park and a couple spots out west near their Worcester/Westborough yard construction projects. We've already got the pending schedule expansion, but now that the T's got full carte blanche the two big questions become:

1) How soon do speeds west of Framingham get cleared for 80 MPH? It's rumored imminent, the infrastructure in cab signal territory is built for it, and the 60 MPH restriction was supposed to be only a CSX paper barrier.

2) How soon till the track gangs appear at Beacon Park to install the second mainline track? Are they going to front-load it so Newton-skipping end runs get their full capacity back the second Yawkey construction is finished? It's a pretty small project.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

F-Line to Dudley said:
Aug. 3 is the day the T assumes full dispatching control of the Worcester Line, since Beacon Park engine yard is closing 3 days earlier and CSX will be officially gone. Until now CSX still controlled through Beacon Park and a couple spots out west near their Worcester/Westborough yard construction projects. We've already got the pending schedule expansion, but now that the T's got full carte blanche the two big questions become:

1) How soon do speeds west of Framingham get cleared for 80 MPH? It's rumored imminent, the infrastructure in cab signal territory is built for it, and the 60 MPH restriction was supposed to be only a CSX paper barrier.

2) How soon till the track gangs appear at Beacon Park to install the second mainline track? Are they going to front-load it so Newton-skipping end runs get their full capacity back the second Yawkey construction is finished? It's a pretty small project.
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Do they have to do any work to the trackbed to upgrade it to mainline status or do they only have to reconfigure the switches under the pike viaduct?

Any idea if the T will take over the engine house? I don't know what its equipped for, but direct access to the south side seems like a bonus. In a similar vein, could beacon park be used to layover consists and help with south station capacity, or would clogging the B&A for non-revenue moves do more harm than good?
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

davem said:
Do they have to do any work to the trackbed to upgrade it to mainline status or do they only have to reconfigure the switches under the pike viaduct?

Any idea if the T will take over the engine house? I don't know what its equipped for, but direct access to the south side seems like a bonus. In a similar vein, could beacon park be used to layover consists and help with south station capacity, or would clogging the B&A for non-revenue moves do more harm than good?
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Mostly replacing the rail, relocating/consolidating switches, and slight realignment around the Pike Viaduct footings in this weedy spot by the light tower. It's a complete pre-existing yard lead with pre-existing interlockings at either end of the yard, so no modification to the signal system is required to change it from a yard entry into a mainline track or slightly modify the switch configuration. I don't think they even have to decide right this second what to do with tracks 3 & 4 or the Grand Junction switch because those are fed from deeper in the yard. Those decisions don't have to be made until the environmental review is complete and CSX is ready to start pulling up yard track.

No idea what's going to come of the engine yard. Other than it'll still be connected because that's the only way to get the weekly deliveries to Houghton Chemical's freight siding. CSX is responsible for dismantling the main yard; the state responsible for the engine yard. Meaning, it's probably going to sit there for a long time. By all logic it should be an easy grab-'n-go in as-is condition for storing southside extras and serving up a fueling pad to save some refueling trips to BET. This is the last parcel Harvard is going to do anything with. But who knows...nobody's saying anything.


CSX's new engine house is supposed to be going somewhere west of Worcester Union near the Worcester-Auburn city line, outside of any commuter rail interference. They're going to refuel at West Springfield and Worcester from diesel tank cars, rotate out to Albany for servicing, and borrow P&W's shop for emergencies for the next 18-24 months or however long it takes to permit and build the thing.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

I was in Boston this weekend.

Got to South Station bus terminal at 12:30am. Forgot my charlie card.

WHAT A FUCKING PAIN.

So I run to the subway to catch the last red line train (turned out to be second to last).

Theres an agent there. I ask for a charlie card. "No, 7am to 7pm". And indeed, there are signs saying charlie cards are available only between 7am and 7pm.

WHY???

The agent is right fucking there. How is handing over a card a problem? Why am I being forced to pay a higher fare because some idiot decided on an arbitrary number?

Anyway. Buy a ticket, and it turns out all the machines have the top slot blocked, so the ticket comes in and out the same slot. My gate does the little dance where it sucks the card in and out a good ten times before deciding it was happy and letting me in.

Im sure thats a fucking wonder at rush hour.

I make the platform, and happy to see the countdown clocks. Two trains left, one five minutes away. Platform is pretty crowded by the way. A good 50+ people waiting to board.

Connect at DTX to orange. Orange arrives in one min, and driver tells us were going to be sitting for 20 minutes for end of service.

Ok, so the guaranteed transfer thing is fantastic. Should be advertised even. Holding for guaranteed transfers should be the law.

But why the fuck isnt there one more orange line train if theres a 20 minute gap before the red and green lines finish their runs?

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Ask for charlie card at stony brook to closing agent. No.
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Next day between 7am and 7pm ask for charlie card at Hynes. Hynes does not participate in handing out charlie cards. WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS BOSTON.
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Green line to fenway from brookline village. We arrive at fenway, train is pretty full, theres some baseball game going on.

'PLEASE COME TO THE FRONT TO EXIT".

Are you fucking kidding me? Theres 200 people getting off, and 2 people on the platform getting on, and we all have to walk to your front fucking door because youre worried youll lose $4 in fares? Guess the fuck what, sitting there for 5 minutes so everyone can leave through the front cost more than $4.


So apparently I leave Boston and the entire customer service system goes to shit. The new head apparently is some kind of dumbass that understands nothing about transit if thats how things are being run these days.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Most of this stupidity was put in place long before she got here. It's getting hard to find a CharlieCard in a station. Go to a Charlie-equipped convenience store or supermarket instead. I remember in November 2011 I wanted to get my visiting friend a CharlieCard and could not get one in any station. At North Station they were all hiding behind glass and wouldn't speak to the public. Finally, I remember someone telling me that they leave CharlieCards on top of the Charlie machines sometimes, so I reached up above one and found a single Card lying there abandoned -- with $15 on it!

But...sometimes I think the MBTA's goal is not transit but rather to find ways to inflict pain on people as part of an obscure morality play.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Matthew said:
Most of this stupidity was put in place long before she got here. .
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Its on her to fix it.

Find me a single other agency in the world that makes it so hard to use their standard fare system.

Now, some cities like London do make you jump through hoops if you want an Oyster card, but they sell day passes that are actually worth buying, so youre not getting the royal screw if youre new in town.
 
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