General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

and run a surface-to-Ted-Williams bus from South Station to the airport

I'd love to see light rail to the airport (street running most likely) but trackless trolleys would be great as well. Then they could still run in the Silver Line tunnel along with the light rail.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Blue Line to MGH, run it under the Charles in precast segments, hook into Kenmore providing a complete bypass of the central subway and an express transfer to and from all branch lines except E, continue under Brookline Ave to Longwood to link MGH with the LMA. Linking the major hospital centers directly to the airport, each other, providing express travel for all those going to and from Kenmore to downtown, and relieving the congestion of the Greenline from Kenmore to Government Center. Yes please!
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

That would make getting to work a lot easier for me.

Could the Blue line be run up Beacon Street (slurry-wall tunnel) to Kenmore, and then out on the D-Line? That would make too much sense.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

If he's reading this, I hope he can ignore the crazies on both side, like the people who want to see useful, realistic projects destroyed in favor of pipedreams that never can or never will happen
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

^^ An excellent point. But what's the difference between "useful & realistic" and a "pipedream?"

Example: Running a new subway line up Beacon Street (to Kenmore and beyond) is both useful and realistic, but recognizing that Back Bay residents would go to the ends of the earth to block such a project make it a pipedream.

Who's crazy now?
 
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Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

^^ An excellent point. But what's the difference between "useful & realistic" and a "pipedream?"

Example: Running a new subway line up Beacon Street (to Kenmore and beyond) is both useful and realistic, but recognizing that Back Bay residents would go to the ends of the earth to block such a project make it a pipedream.

Who's crazy now?

The lack of density (compared with the green line corridor), the river (and water issues) and the historic preservation (foundations) would make it impossible.

Never mind standard construction costs and vehicle purchases.

The fact that the corridor doesnt even have a bus route says its not needed.

Id put the railfans as the crazies first because the plan would be impossible even before talking to the NIMBys.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

^^ An excellent point. But what's the difference between "useful & realistic" and a "pipedream?"

Example: Running a new subway line up Beacon Street (to Kenmore and beyond) is both useful and realistic, but recognizing that Back Bay residents would go to the ends of the earth to block such a project make it a pipedream.
We all know what Burnham said about small plans, but somehow when someone proposes a plan that is not small, it pretty much invariably brings out the sensible, levelheaded pragmatist in us.

Thank God we don't usually prevail; if we did, the following crazy pipedreams would have succumbed to our collective good sense:

1. Eiffel Tower.

2. Guggenheim Museum

3. Statue of Liberty

4. Quincy Market recycling

5. Channel Tunnel

6. Suez Canal

7. Brooklyn Bridge

8. World Trade Center (the first one)

9. Panama Canal

10. Boston's Big Dig

11. Times Square reclamation

12. Haussmann's boulevards

13. Mt. Rushmore

14. Transcontinental Railroad

15. Seaside, Florida

16. Venice

17. every Gothic cathedral everywhere...

I'm sure you have your own favorites to add to the list. Just remember it's an exclusive list: a requirement to be included is that large numbers of us sensible people were there to pooh-pooh it.

Meanwhile, those wild and crazy guys in reckless Shanghai have put up a Maglev to the airport and are zanily constructing several of the world's tallest buildings.

Of course, they don't have representative government and open debate to keep them sensible, but we did when Back Bay was filled in ... How could we have let it happen?

Most times it makes sense to build nothing, or lacking that, as little as possible. Think of all the money you can save.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Boston Globe - December 4, 2008
Commuters stick with T despite drop in gas prices

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | December 4, 2008

Despite falling gasoline prices, the number of weekday MBTA passengers grew 5.5 percent in October compared with the same month last year, prompting speculation that new converts might be sticking with public transit.

The latest passenger numbers, which the MBTA will release today, show a continued increase in a month when gas prices fell below $3 after hitting a peak of more than $4 this summer. Gas prices have since fallen below $2. November ridership numbers, which will reflect commuter reaction to the lower prices, will not be available for another month.

"Obviously, a lot of people were very concerned that the fall in gas prices would result in people going back to their single-occupancy vehicles," said Daniel A. Grabauskas, general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. He called the trend tremendous.

Ridership has grown every month this year over the same months last year, after declining the last four months of 2007, a year in which the T raised fares. Some of the current increases may be a rebounding effect, as riders who opted out of public transit last year returned, after getting used to the higher fares.

"I think the big story is the economy, not necessarily the gas prices alone," said Art Kinsman, director of government affairs for AAA Southern New England.

Kinsman speculated that riders who tried the T over the summer, when gas prices rose above $4, rediscovered the convenience and low price of public transit. As the economic recession continues, many commuters have refused to go back to their "previous gas guzzling ways," he said, counting himself among those who have returned to the T for some travel.

Daily commuters say they have not noticed any let-up in the crowded commuter parking lots, trains, and subway cars, even as gas prices decline. "It's crazy. There's no parking," said Dianne Alpert, a cardiac assistant from Canton who takes the T to Massachusetts General Hospital.

Roger Thompson, a human resources manager from Dorchester who takes the Red Line to work, said that despite the T's problems and delays, many of the new riders probably realized its convenience when they tried public transit over the summer. Even as gas prices have fallen again, people want to keep that savings, rather than return to their old patterns, he speculated.

Overall, riders took 1,313,000 trips on the average weekday in October. The 5.5 percent monthly jump was higher than the August and September increases, both of which were below 3 percent. But the overall number of riders was slightly higher in September than October, by about 32,000 trips per day.

Another factor is the fact that October 2007 was a very bad month on the T, when ridership fell by 6.4 percent over the previous year.

The recent numbers still represent a decline, compared with the average weekday passenger load in 2006.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

You're forgetting Burnham himself, ablarc, the World's Fair Exposition. Without, we wouldn't have Ferris Wheels, Pabst Blue Ribbon, and other random stuff that we simply couldn't live without.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Boston Globe - January 7, 2009
T use up despite drop in gas cost
Advocates hope increase reflects shift in habits


By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff | January 7, 2009

When gas prices began to plummet last summer, transit officials worried that the legions of commuters who were nudged onto the train by costly fill-ups would get back in their cars and forget all about mass transit.

But the latest figures from the MBTA show that even as gas prices have dropped in the past several months, riders are still taking the T in strong numbers, particularly on the commuter rail, where the average number of riders per week soared in November to its highest level in the agency's 44-year history.

The increases, which are also being seen by transit agencies nationwide, have cheered transit advocates, who say the figures suggest that Americans may finally be ending their long love affair with the automobile in favor of cleaner, more efficient modes of transportation.

"It sure seems that even if high gas prices and saving money was initially the thing that brought people to public transit, these new riders have dis covered there are other reasons to stay with it," said Virginia Miller, spokeswoman for the American Public Transportation Association.

Overall, the number of riders on the MBTA rose 4.5 percent in the first 11 months of last year, as compared with the same period in 2007. In November, the increase was 2.3 percent, compared with the same month in 2007. The biggest increase was on the commuter rail, where ridership rose 5.5 percent in November of 2008 as compared with November 2007, even as gas prices dipped that month below $2 a gallon.

The surge came as little surprise to such commuters as John Gilbrook, 22, who takes the Greenbush line from Nantasket Junction in Hingham to South Station in Boston. He said that even as gas prices have dropped, "it's still a better idea to ride the commuter rail."

"It's just so much more convenient," he said, adding that he doesn't have to worry about shoveling out his truck in the snow or getting stuck in traffic on Interstate 93. "The commuter rail is no worry, no stress."

Melissa Card, a 30-year-old consultant who takes the train from Kingston to South Station, said she is looking at buying a car but still plans to take the commuter rail so she can "save money and live in the suburbs."

"There's the convenience factor, but it's a tough economy out there anyway, so [commuters] are going to continue riding," Card said as she waited at South Station yesterday. "And I'd imagine a lot of people don't want to deal with the hassle of driving into the city."

Emil H. Frankel, a transportation specialist at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C., said that while it is too soon to declare that Americans have permanently shifted their commuting habits, there is reason to believe that many have made a change.

Nationwide, the number of people taking public transit rose 6.5 percent in June, July, and September of 2008 as compared with the same period in 2007, the largest increase in 25 years, according to the American Public Transportation Association. The increases were seen from Miami to Los Angeles, Seattle to Boston.

"I do think it suggests that people remain uncertain about how long gas prices are going to be down and, hopefully, they've developed the habit of using public transit and commuter rail and understand that, for many people, it offers a real alternative," said Frankel, who was assistant secretary for transportation policy at the US Department of Transportation from 2002 to 2005.

Ed Bailey, who rides from Abington to South Station, said that while "there was a lot of inertia to overcome for people to even try public transit, they probably found out it wasn't as bad as they thought it was."

"I'm not saying it's the greatest thing in the world," he said at a caf? table at South Station, "but it had enough value that some stuck with it."

Daniel A. Grabauskas, general manager of the MBTA, hailed the increases not only because they came during a period of falling gas prices, but because they continued even after the MBTA raised fees at all parking lots by $2 a day on Nov. 15. He said he believes new riders simply did not miss driving.

"I think once they switched, they found out it might not have been the transit system they once knew, because we've made a number of improvements to make the trip better," he said, mentioning WiFi service on some commuter rail trains as well as "very good prices, with much greater convenience than sitting in traffic."

Even so, the increases are not likely to ease the T's financial troubles, Grabauskas said. The agency, which has exhausted most of its financial reserves, is facing a projected $150 million deficit in the fiscal year that begins July 1. Fare increases, Grabauskas said, are "certainly not off the table."

Increased ridership is "good news," he said, "but it's certainly not going to be enough to offset what we're looking at now."

Michael Levenson can be reached at mlevenson@globe.com.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

This morning as I was walking though State St. station I heard part of a random announcement about the Mass Pike. Something about buying a transponder? Any idea why they are advertising Pike stuff through the T announcement system?
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Since a few of you live outside of Boston and don't get a chance to pick up a Metro, I'll try to post these T Q&A's. They run about once a week. Some are more interesting than others. Today's is pretty typical.

Boston Metro - Feb 23, 2009
T Q+A with General Manager Dan Grabauskas


Why doesn?t the Ashmont Red Line wait at the station for the customers? Unlike the Braintree T stop, where the train is waiting at the platform, the Ashmont train does not pull in until it is time to leave. On cold days, it is not a pleasant wait. Thank you, Jean

Jean,
Because of the ongoing construction activity at Ashmont Station, it is not possible at this time to keep trains waiting at the platform for more time than is necessary for the boarding process. This temporary practice is necessary to accommodate the complex construction efforts while adhering to schedules.

Due to the modernization project at the Ashmont Station platforms, Red Line personnel had to modify the priority of operations as part of concerted efforts to minimize the impact on trip schedules.

To accomplish this, temporary platforms were installed south of the original platforms that required some modifications to Red Line train routing methods into the switching area. This track switch is critical for the routing of trains when they are changing from southbound trains to northbound trains.

In the simplest terms, Red Line dispatchers ? during this construction period ? have very limited flexibility with respect to train movements at Ashmont. Keeping a train stationary at the platform during rush hour would result in delayed departures for the trains following behind it.

Now the good news: Once the platform work is brought to completion this summer, train operations at Ashmont will be similar to those at Braintree.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Does anyone know how much it cost the MBTA for the arrival announcements at the stations? O only ask because it does not seem to be an efficient system. I have noticed over the last few months that less than half the time they work properly. Sometimes they don't say anything, other times they will say the train is arriving when it's not.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Hmmm I haven't notice. It seems pretty efficient to me. Normally when that happens, a train is either held up because of traffic in front of it or the announcement comes late due to one of those safety announcements. Other than that, it is really efficient. What would you consider as arriving? The announcement for approaching tends to be about 20 seconds from arriving and arriving at 10 seconds from arriving into the station.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

I like the announcement system in stations. I have some problems with the system inside Red Line trains, which too often seems to announce the wrong station.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

I think the arrival messages are great and always accurate. Only sometimes is there no announcement at all. Being in the lobby and hearing "train is now approaching" is fantastic.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Personally, I think the announcement that the train is arriving only reinforces what you can already tell and the announcement that the train is approaching is usually too late to help you out. However, I've heard that the entire system is just a precursor to giving countdowns to arrivals (a la the Washington St Silver line), so I'm willing to let it slide.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Boston Metro - March 9, 2009
T Q+A with General Manager Dan Grabauskas

The MBTA Web site used to offer downloadable schedules for Palm PDAs and Pocket PCs. I find these tools enormously useful, but the schedules haven?t been updated since the beginning of last year. Now I can?t find this service on the Web site at all. Has it been discontinued? That would be disappointing, since it would mean that paper schedules are the only option for those of us with devices that aren?t web-enabled.
Thank you, Joy


Dear Joy,
Thank you for your inquiry regarding the Palm downloads service. This service was discontinued April 2008 with a 30-day prior notice period on our Web site due to the development of a Mobile view of MBTA.com. With limited resources, the MBTA invested in this delivery method to complement the interactive schedules and downloadable PDF schedules found on MBTA.com. Mobile MBTA.com enables you to view online schedules, service alerts and MBTA news and information on your mobile device. We are pleased to report more than 150,000 customers are now viewing MBTA information with their mobile devices monthly.
Please visit Mobile T on MBTA.com (www.mbta.com/rider_tools/mobile_t/) for more information.
Hopefully the availability of schedules on Mobile T and the Web site provides useful methods for viewing. We are always thankful for observations and feedback such as yours.



The MBTA is one of the remaining major public transit systems that have yet to partner with Google to make route and schedule data available on Google Maps ? the most widely used mapping software on the Internet. The requirements are minimal but would go a long way to helping system users find the best ways to use the MBTA. Why hasn?t the MBTA taken the simple steps to participate in something that would be an easier win for all? David Brookline

Dear David
While the Google map service is offered by a number of public transit agencies on the West Coast, the MBTA has been working cooperatively with Google Transit representatives for several months to be one of the few agencies on the East Coast to offer it. Both entities have agreed that having information about the MBTA?s sprawling, multimodal system on Google Transit would benefit users of the nation?s fifth-busiest public transportation agency. Due to the sheer volume and complexity of scheduling data, there have been some technical challenges that both parties have been working diligently to address. Much progress has been made to date, and MBTA technical staff recently upgraded MBTA systems with Google Transit software. This upgrade will allow the MBTA to feed real-time scheduling data from MBTA servers to Google Transit servers. This transition should be completed by late spring.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

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Bosston.com - March 9, 2009
Bake sale scheduled for the MBTA
By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Banana bread, chocolate chip cookies, vanilla sprinkle cake, and apple pie will be hawked on the State House steps this afternoon to raise money for a needy cause.

The MBTA.

Transit advocates are holding a bake sale for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, pushing muffins, brownies, ginger cookies, and nice Hamantashen, the triangular fruit-filled pastries today in honor of Purim, the most festive of Jewish holidays.

Organizers acknowledge that bake sale is a gimmick to highlight the MBTA's $8 billion in debt and interest payments. Technically, organizers admit, they cannot sell things to raise money for the agency. They will, however, accept donations and hand out baked goods.

"The T has a ridiculous deficit that they are trying to manage," said Lee Matsueda, president of the T Riders Union, which is campaigning against service cuts or fare hikes. "We want to bring attention to that deficit and show that public transit riders are doing their part."

Transportation Secretary James A. Aloisi Jr. is expected to stop by the bake sale, which is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m., rain or snow.
 

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