General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

I can't figure out any way to click on any of those items to get more information. What and where is a Knowledge Corridor?
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Knowledge Corridor is New Haven-Springfield(and points north) commuter rail.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Scalziand said:
Knowledge Corridor is New Haven-Springfield(and points north) commuter rail.
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And Amtrak! Amtrak owns from New Haven to Springfield and is currently upgrading its part. Mass recently acquired between Springfield to the VT state line and is upgrading in the hopes of getting more Amtrak trains (more & faster "Vermonter" trains) and to extend other NEC trains to New Haven, Stamford and/or NYC/points South that currently terminate in Springfield.

The farther north you live, the longer you want the Knowledge Corridor to be ;-)
(here is a Connecticut-Centric site http://www.nhhsrail.com/ )
(here we see a Springfield-Centric view: http://www.hartfordspringfield.com/) which includes Northampton.


But Scalziand is right that they're looking at a future with lots of beautiful, publicly-owned tracks and asking themselves what kind of Commuter service it could support. Mass is thinking just the "Mass bits". Personally, I think work commuting is not the market here, but rather more the "super commuter / meetings-in-the-Big-City" market that would want fewer trains at key times that went farther (either to Boston or to New Haven/STM/NYP.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Arlington said:
The farther north you live, the longer you want the Knowledge Corridor to be ;-).
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As far as spending MassDOT capital for stations, Knowledge Corridor is Springfield-Holyoke-Northampton-Greenfield
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Springfield? Isn't that way outside the MBTA district?
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Ron Newman said:
Springfield? Isn't that way outside the MBTA district?
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Yes, but so far MassDOT is the landlord, the MBTA is merely selling engineering services to them, and the question of who the operator would be is left open (Amtrak, MetroNorth, CDOT, ShoreLine East, Keolis, Veolia, PanAm...) as is the question of who would own the rolling stock (or who lease from whom) or do the vehicle maintenance. There are enough good options that they can be pretty sure they can assemble a service from an existing kit of parts (kind a like CCRTA putting together the CapeFlyer or the NNEPRA putting together the Downeaster)
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

A boston-worcester express continuing on to springfield, with a couple other stops (Northhampton) would be good. May need more comfy couches for a ride that long then the MBTA. but Worcester riders alone on a non-stop express may cover most of the cost at ramp up. 2 round trips a day with the Lake Shore adding another isn't bad Western Mass to Boston integration.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Downburst said:
Andddddd there was a Green Line derailment at the intersection of the C and D branches. Seems like a few injuries.

http://www.boston.com/news/source/2014/03/mbta_closes_part_of_green_line_due_to_track_issue.html
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And U-Hub's coverage:

http://www.universalhub.com/2014/riverside-trolley-derails-just-past-kenmore

Photo from BFD:
derailed.jpg
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Time for the D-E connector methinks!


Roadmans comments on uhub are an interesting topic. The (T) first issued an alert citing "track issues", then updated it to "disabled train", he takes issue with the alert system chronically not reporting what's actually going on.

Both alerts underscore the severity of a train going into the wall of the tunnel. If I get an alert for track problems or a disabled train, it implies that by the time I take the bus to the red line to the green line, chances are pretty good the issue will be resolved before I get to it.

If they said there was a derailment, as they should have (since that's what happened), it would properly imply that the C and D are fucked, and I would stay away. Why is there an alerts system if they sugarcoat what's actually going on? It removes its core function: to inform riders of potential issues so they can avoid them instead of making them worse.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Sounds like no one is hurt. I don't know, and it may not have made any difference, but we have talked in the aftermath of other accidents the pressure for new signals and that the NTSB may be keeping them on a short leash. Even if signals made no difference, the pressure to upgrade the central subway infrastructure all around should be extremely strong!
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkK11-chUBg

Comment from the poster:
"The front cart (I was sitting there) got derailed and crashed into the wall. Luckily almost everyone was seated. Look below for the most recent updates."

The fact that most were seated definitely helped prevent injuries.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

davem said:
If they said there was a derailment, as they should have (since that's what happened), it would properly imply that the C and D are fucked, and I would stay away. Why is there an alerts system if they sugarcoat what's actually going on? It removes its core function: to inform riders of potential issues so they can avoid them instead of making them worse.
Click to expand...

They sent out the first alert at 12:34, by 1:49 an alert came out that stated:
Update: Due to disabled train, buses replace Green C-Line, Kenmore-St Marys, & Green D-Line, Kenmore-Fenway. Train srvc in the area will not be restored today
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

davem said:
Roadmans comments on uhub are an interesting topic. The (T) first issued an alert citing "track issues", then updated it to "disabled train", he takes issue with the alert system chronically not reporting what's actually going on.

Both alerts underscore the severity of a train going into the wall of the tunnel. If I get an alert for track problems or a disabled train, it implies that by the time I take the bus to the red line to the green line, chances are pretty good the issue will be resolved before I get to it.

If they said there was a derailment, as they should have (since that's what happened), it would properly imply that the C and D are fucked, and I would stay away. Why is there an alerts system if they sugarcoat what's actually going on? It removes its core function: to inform riders of potential issues so they can avoid them instead of making them worse.
Click to expand...

On the PR end, I can see why the T would say 'disabled train' or 'track issue'...but it's just as you said. It comes across as disingenuous and does the opposite of protecting the T, which seems to be the communications strategy if you can even call it that.

If people are going to find out through pics on the scene released by BFD on Twitter and passengers are going to be posting videos on reddit, with local news stations begging for permission to use footage in the ensuing comments, 'softening the blow' by telling literal half-truths directly to your passengers through official communications through alerts just looks like boldface lying. Forget about 'protecting' yourself from blow back...
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Savin Hill said:
The Race Is On for the Transit Ticket of Tomorrow

The Atlantic has an interesting piece on why transit agencies are slow to take up new ticketing methods. It deals specifically with the MBTA.

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2014/03/race-transit-ticket-tomorrow/8594/
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Was the mTicket app ever tied in to monthly passes, so that you could have a monthly commuter rail pass on a card and not a ticket, for better subway and bus access?

Never mind: I see that as recently as last August, the T still was touting such an integration by "early 2013".

https://web.archive.org/web/20130804051831/http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/mticketing/?id=25903

That reference is now gone from the site.

http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/mticketing/?id=25903

Kind of like how we were once told, "CharlieCards will be available for use on commuter rail lines by fall of 2007."

http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/news_events/?id=10128
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

saulblum said:
Was the mTicket app ever tied in to monthly passes, so that you could have a monthly commuter rail pass on a card and not a ticket, for better subway and bus access?

Never mind: I see that as recently as last August, the T still was touting such an integration by "early 2013".

https://web.archive.org/web/20130804051831/http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/mticketing/?id=25903

That reference is now gone from the site.

http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/mticketing/?id=25903

Kind of like how we were once told, "CharlieCards will be available for use on commuter rail lines by fall of 2007."

http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/news_events/?id=10128
Click to expand...

People are too careless to put Commuter Rail passes on card. Expensive card readers are required, (so are you all willing to have another fare increase to pay for them?) and if people crack their charlie card they can't be read and people will be told they have to pay full fare and seek a reimbursement later.
The chances of people paying without a big fight between conductor and passenger are slim, so I laude the T for keeping the paper tickets just as they told us internally how it was going to have to remain until something better can be developed. If you're willing to have your taxes go up some-more they can buy all those card readers.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

choo said:
Sounds like no one is hurt. I don't know, and it may not have made any difference, but we have talked in the aftermath of other accidents the pressure for new signals and that the NTSB may be keeping them on a short leash. Even if signals made no difference, the pressure to upgrade the central subway infrastructure all around should be extremely strong!
Click to expand...

I've seen accident reports come in at the MBTA. Wait until the lawsuits die down to believe "no one is hurt". Doesn't exist at the MBTA. People used to see buses get into accidents and run and jump on the bus and try to claim they too were in the accident seeking multi-million dollar payouts..
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Digital_Islandboy said:
Expensive card readers are required, (so are you all willing to have another fare increase to pay for them?)
Click to expand...

The T has had hand-held card readers since day one, and uses them sometimes at Fenway station after games.

Digital_Islandboy said:
and if people crack their charlie card they can't be read and people will be told they have to pay full fare and seek a reimbursement later.
Click to expand...

I don't recall cases of rampant cracked CharlieCards for bus and subway riders.

Digital_Islandboy said:
until something better can be developed.
Click to expand...

You mean like in numerous Asian and European systems that decades ago abandoned conductors checking tickets and handling cash?
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Trolley driver in crash has decades of motor vehicle violations

The shock. The awe. I am sure speed was more than a contributing factor. Let's be honest - it was likely the reason for the derailment. I can recall more than a few times feeling unnerved as Green Line operators would blast through track splits/merges and curves - this C/D split in particular.

How many more accidents do we need before they actually start moving towards an upgrade of the Green Line's antiquated signal system and implementing ATO within the subway?
 
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