Comments on: MBTA commuter-rail delays

By: Concord TrainRider

Concord TrainRider — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 23:34:16 +0000

The Fitchburg train is late virtually every day. We need reliable public transportation. What can we do to make this happen? cassiefrombelmont, I can not boycott the train – I RELY on the train to get to work. Can you think of another way to make this happen? Does anyone know who to contact? Who is in charge of public transportation, who is responsible for making sure we have trains that run on time?

By: Marilyn O'Hara

Marilyn O'Hara — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 01:48:27 +0000

Fitchburg (North Side) rider for 25+ years – this is the worst service ever experienced – from delays every single day between 10-20 minutes (9:32 a.m. North Station arrival) with no explanation from conductors and a great deal of misinformation from MBTA website and billboard ? empty cars barring riders on trains forcing riders into crammed cars (at times without any available seats) for no reason whatsoever – rude and at times outright insulting conductors – and consistent unexplained late rush hour departures from North Station at least three nights a week – misinformation and delayed information from the announcers (presumably at North Station, although at times they don’t appear to have a clue of what’s going on right in front of them).

I’m stuck with a monthly pass, so I’ve paid up front whether I end up driving to work (after paying for parking) or resorting to a cab.

Fellow riders arriving late for work must make up time at the end of the workday, at times resulting in extended child day care costs. We all are experiencing increasing impatience and hostility from our employers.

I’m all for a fare boycott until the MBTA gets serious – why should we deliver on our end of the bargain by paying for something that ends up impacting our lives, jobs and peace of mind, and sometimes even costs us more if we have no choice but to seek an alternative. We need a concerted effort to make our point via a boycott until reasonable service is restored. This may be the only way to end the nonsense.

Instead of just complaining about this, let’s put a boycott strategy in place, notify all fellow passengers, and just do it. Winter’s coming, and our stop is unsheltered, so I have no desire to wait and see.

If anyone’s interested, please email me at cassiefrombelmont@hotmail.com

By: Train Rider

Train Rider — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:09:13 +0000

Hello. I commute into Boston on the Worcester – Framingham line. This line has been experiencing ongoing delays for most of this year. Which is really frustrating because my commuter rail pass alone costs $250/month. While I am thrilled that there has been quite a bit of attention about commuter rail issues over the past few weeks, I am also holding my breath. Until there are substantive improvements, I’ll be a fairly disgruntled rider. Thanks for posting about the commuter rail issues.

By: Adam Rosi-Kessel

Adam Rosi-Kessel — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 19:40:51 +0000

It’s vaguely reassuring that this matter appears to have escalated into public view. I’m not holding my breath for improvements, but maybe the political blowback is now sufficient to force the various entities to start cooperating.