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Keolis: Commuter rail may not be back to full strength until March 30
By adamg on Thu, 02/26/2015 - 1:44pm
Keolis CEO Bernard Tabary, fresh off a plane from France and a meeting with the governor, today apologized for abysmal post-snow service and said that while the company is scheduling March 30 for a full restoration of service, it's going to try to get things back to normal before that.
To our passengers, we know this has been an incredibly frustrating time. You have endured cancelled or delayed trains, information snafus, and mechanical issues like doors that don’t open. We know you’ve waited on cold platforms and been late to work or had a difficult time getting home at night. We know we haven’t performed up to the high standards you have a right to demand - and that we demand of ourselves. On behalf of the entire Keolis team, I want to express our sincere apologies. We are dedicated to providing our passengers on the MBTA Commuter Rail System with outstanding service each and every day. In recent weeks, we have fallen short of that goal. I give him my personal commitment that we won’t rest until MBTA Commuter Rail is once again operating as it should.
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Comments
High standards
Is that as a commuter rail system should? Or the T's commuter rail? If he's used to how things work in France; I hope he doesn't actually set foot on one of our trains because he'll see what an epic failure it is.
What a bunch of B.S...
This is sheer insanity. They better be doing refunds because the commuter rail (zone 4, $240) hasn't done shit for me this month. Right now they are running 2 morning trains out of my town and that's it. The storm is OVER people. I've been riding this line for 10 years and never before have I seen such nonsense. In extreme conditions they might cancel a train here and there, or be on a mega delay, but never before have I been given a "modified schedule" that runs for weeks on end. It's ridiculous!
The BS
"I've been riding this line for 10 years and never before have I seen such nonsense"
You've also never seen 8+ feet of snow dumped on the commuter rail in under a month. No one has. This sucks, but the impact isn't linear, e.g., if 1 foot causes 20 canceled trains, then 8 feet should only cause 160 and be done with it. You can lightly tap a working light bulb with a hammer, and the light may flicker, but the light is probably still functional, but smashing the bulb with the same hammer will mean the light will stop working. We got smashed with a hammer over and over again. The commuter rail has ceased to be; it is no more.
Details, please
So what exactly did the snow break to the point where it takes five weeks to fix? Honest question.
The T was lacking in maintenance equipment and working locomotives, this is well known. But what failed that it's taking five weeks to get replacement parts installed or serviced?
One gets the impression that Keolis is working on the cheap and could get the equipment repaired sooner if they wanted. Perhaps I'm wrong but I've seen no details about what exactly is broken -- only comments about how much snow we've gotten.
Snow gets sucked into the
Snow gets sucked into the traction motors on the locomotives and fries them. If it's just a little snow, and it melts quickly, they just replace the blown motors from the spare pool and get the locomotives back out again. But eventually they run out of spares, and with the cold weather we've been having, the snow continued to be a problem for much longer since it a) didn't melt, and b) stayed light and fluffy and liable to be blown around everywhere by the trains.
The issue is...
The issue is that we 'customer' are reasonable to expect these details from the officials and not well-intentioned (and apparently well-informed) commenters on UHub.
Many peoples grievance is the fact that we don't get any detail... not even for what constitutes a damn 'modified schedule'!
Wonder it we're having a repeat
of what happened in January and Feburary of 1978, when the entire Budd Rail Diesel Car fleet suddenly (&@pped out, forcing the B&M to start using locomotives to haul them in push-pull service.
Reliable sources told me that, the fall before the failures, the commuter rail maintenance people were instructed by higher-ups to remove some of the shielding hardware protecting the RDCs transmissions from snow, ice, and other debris, under the guise that it would speed up time for repairs (and, thus, reduce labor costs).
Now, I'm normally not a conspiracy-minded person, but I have to wonder if we're seeing a similar "let's do what we can to make them deliberatly fail under weather conditions" tactic here going on with the F40s (many of which have presumably been rebuilt) and the GP-40MCs (which were rebuilt engines when the T received them). Especially given that most of the basic mechanical and electrical parts for these locomotives (which are based off the EMD 645 diesel engine and Dash-Two electrical gear) are still available.
Not really weather related
Not really weather related when you need 22 locomotives to run weekday service AND 7 are sidelines because they can't compile to a federal inspections schedule, don't have traction motors on hand to repair trains (10 more) and you have 40 brand new locomotives that already need repair and can't be put into service. They promised to put three locomotives into service a week and they can't do it. They promised to clean the undercarriages so they stop breaking but they can't keep up. The didn't get rid of the snow in the mechanical yards until 10 days after the last snowfall causing trips to be cancelled. It is like they have NO plans in place and they are winging it.
Yes, we have had a lot of snow but the subways are running again. They also had a lot of engine failures and tracks to clear. But at least they have gone back to previous levels of indifferent service. 75% of commuter lines trains were late this week. They have added no addtional conductors so each stop takes a lot longer to load.
~~~~~~~~
Keolis, the commuter rail’s operator, says it needs at least 65 locomotives to run its weekday schedule. But Thursday night, just 43 locomotives were running — three fewer than the day before. (2/20) http://www.wbur.org/2015/02/20/keolis-commuter-rail-service-struggles
Keolis usually has 65 locomotives ready on weekdays, but currently has 46.
http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/ci_27582198/deleo-mbta-needs-more-... <-Not much of an increase
Seven of the MBTA’s badly needed but out-of-service locomotives are idle not because of winter storm damage but because the T’s commuter rail operator, Keolis, has fallen behind on mandated safety inspections, according to a federal transit agency. “What’s holding these seven locomotives up ... it’s the contractor not conducting the inspections they are required to perform,” said Michael England, a spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration, citing federal regulations. http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2015/02/commuter...
Pesaturo also blamed winter weather on delays in putting into service all 40 new commuter rail locomotives that the MBTA bought for $222 million from MotivePower but have been out of commission undergoing repairs to faulty traction motor bearings.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2015/02/keolis_g...
The commuter rail is also experiencing a number of mechanical issues. Keolis expects to receive a delivery of 10 new traction motors on Wednesday (2/25) for some of the locomotives out of service.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/02/24/delays-reported-commuter-rai...
Well, I predict that
this type of winter will become more of a norm than not so it behooves Keolis and Gov. Baker and the Legislature to have a plan and a plan to fund the plan and a plan to deal with the MBTA debt and, aw, heck...
This Globe opinion piece says it better than I can:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2015/02/25/priority-list-for-fixing-m...
Make sure your trains can run in heavy snow falls, make sure your switching mechanisms can handle the cold and snow, hire more maintenance workers so the trains can be serviced and get back on the rails ASAP, hire more conductors so you just don't have one or two for an entire commuter rail train which would alleviate the problem of slow boarding delays, and so on.
Also, how about communicating with folks in very cold areas (such as Chicago) for a brainstorming session:
http://www.transitchicago.com/winterprep/
Guess what
This is exactly what the Boston and Maine and the New Haven did for decades, until the mid-1960s when the profit-mongers decided they didn't want to run passenger trains anymore.
The mid 1960s was when CR
The mid 1960s was when CR ridership was at an all time low because of the heavy subsidy and expansion of the highway system. The for profit railroad companies had to cut costs everywhere to try to keep from going bankrupt and most of them still did!
More like
The for-profit railroad companies used "declining revenues" as a excuse to convince government agencies to let them intentionally deprive people of a necessary public service.
Fortunately, some metropolitan areas (Boston, New York, and Chicago) recognized the importance of rail service and didn't fall into the trap of letting the systems completely shut down.
I thought it was only...
I thought it was only pining for the fjords...
I think its safe to conclude
I think its safe to conclude at this point that the snow/cold has triggered so much unforeseen maintenance to the trains & tracks that your stuck with that dogshit schedule. Ever consider buying a car?
Every morning I take the 70
Every morning I take the 70 bus from Waltham center and usually every morning at about 6:20 a.m. I see a train come into Waltham station right next to the bus stop. Now I haven't seen it in days. It's sunny out. I hear you.
Talk is cheap.
Talk is cheap.
Recognizing a colossal failure, apologizing to passengers, and voicing a commitment to rectifying the failure is useless unless there is actually something done.
Saying nothing is worse...
as previous weeks have shown.
Saying incorrect or inaccurate
things is worse than saying nothing, as it quickly destroys your credibility with the public. Which is why I would rather endure the sardine can that the 7:30 out of Reading has become rather than wait for a 'promised' 8:30 extra train that may or may not arrive.
High standards?
"We know we haven’t performed up to the high standards you have a right to demand"
Is he kidding? They haven't even performed up to the mediocre standards we've come to expect.
Is it me or does
this guy sound patronizing? Who better to know about the dismal winter conditions than the ridership; we don't need this guy to reiterate what we already know...thank you very much.
Does he understand that "outstanding service" are not words one would associate with the MBTA commuter rail system? Even before the snow, the trains, in general, were not meeting their arrive on time numbers. So when he says "operating as it should", means, basically, what? Service that is functional, to a point, but just you wait till the next weather curve ball hits and "boom" back to waiting on freezing platforms for trains that never come?
Deeds not words. No more apologies. I, personally, want to see some sort of a proposed plan and a timeline to put the plan into action.
Smart politics here
This guy seems politically/PR savvy. He's doing the smart managerial and political thing by setting expectations low.
I have no doubt he fully expects to be able to beat the schedule handily and garner good-will as a result. That won't fully offset the bitterness and justifiable dissatisfaction but, hell, it's a start.
He no doubt knows his career here and with the parent company depends on fixing the FUBAR situation. Keolis must figure he's their best bet as a fixer. I'll be fascinated to see how he operates.
This is why government
This is why government shouldnt do anything. If we privatized the commuter rail system every problem would be solved.
Thanks Rand
That private company who has a monopoly on subways just charged you $7.63 to go from Copley to Park Street. However, if you want to upgrade first class will be $6 extra. Be wary of surge pricing during snow. It was $86.53 to get from Park to Harvard last week because of flakes.
Too bad that you got beat to death when you couldn't pay the security fee for your designated section. The police for your sector would not respond for your calls for help because you hadn't paid and the police from the next block do not service your street. Too bad for you.
I know you also can't sleep much because the combination smelter / leather bar just got put in next to your house because all the zoning was relaxed.
To make matters worse ComZon also just blocked your internet in favor of the rich guy next door to you willing to pay more for downloads. Shame the government wasn't there to help.
Missed the sarcasm?
I think you missed the sarcasm in J's post. The commuter rail is already private, and that didn't help anything. Or maybe there's an even deeper level of indirectness here that I am missing.
Sarcasm can be subtle..
If you are being sarcastic, better to note in your post so not to obfuscate your message.
In your rush to type nonsense
In your rush to type nonsense, you forgot to read
It is still a mostly public entity
Same people, nearly same management, nearly same equipment, same yards, same tracks. I'm sorry if I missed the sarcasm but there are a number of occasional Heraldarians on these boards. My apologies.
Lol
Yes why no one has ever heard if a corporation doing anything wrong.
yea, and the "check is in the
yea, and the "check is in the mail."
So the action plan amounts to...
...waiting for Spring?
"We know that once the axis
"We know that once the northern axis of the earth is tilted toward the sun, an innovation we at Keolis call "été™" these lines will be back to running at their usual exceptional capacity"
Merci
When French mots are used, everything seems so much better and sophisticated. Why, right now, I feel like I'm boating on the Seine with a nice
glass of something or other in hand.
As I stated in an earlier thread
Jack Lemmon - It Happened to Jane
Not buying a March pass
I for one plan on showing my Feb pass for the entire month of March and I don't expect any conductor to say a word about it.
Would be a good idea, except....
...for those of us suckers using the m-pass (OK, mMonth Pass, but I think my name is more accurate) on a phone. (I'd like to know how we will get any hypothetical refund for February, at that, but I'm also among those who is willing to just pay if they will fix the damn trains in return.)
Bought my Zone 1 pass this morning...
When I found out about this March bull, I called the T and asked if I could get a refund. The asked where I purchased said ticket, and I told them South Station. I was told I could get the refund there.... only I can't because I bought the ticket at one of the machines LIKE I AM SUPPOSED TO DO.
I am getting my damned refund on Monday if it is the last living, breathing thing I do.
funny, all I heard was....
blabbity blabbity...show me don't tell me.
Privatization
Is a conservative scam.
Actually,
privatization is Republican patronage.
Well this super awesome for
Well this super awesome for my payroll deduction Zone 8 pass that I've been using at Riverside instead.
I love a $200+ Link Pass.
I give him my personal
My only concern is the pronoun in this sentence. Did he put it through Google translate before making? Is "him" Baker, or is this a reflection of the use of gendered pronouns in French?
here's a proposal: tax deduction on our 2015 returns.
Here's an idea: as a carrot to all of us commuters, we should get a larger tax deduction on our 2015 filing for monthly T passes, including commuter rail, for January and February. That would be a nice gesture, Baker.
That's one way to do a
That's one way to do a partial refund. But it excludes people who don't pay MA income taxes.
A few days ago, my train wasn
A few days ago, my train wasn't appearing on the normally-reliable real-time tracker at http://sites.harvard.edu/~wuensch/T/commuter-rail-map.html . And there were no alerts that it was late or cancelled.
So I called Commuter Rail customer service (which I believe is run by Keolis) to ask where the train was. Someone answered right away, but she told me that she couldn't see the train either...because she was using the exact same website. The one written by a random Harvard sysadmin as a fun side project.
I requested that she look into why this train wasn't appearing. She said it was "Harvard's problem", not Keolis's.
Never mind the fact that I'm convinced the problem was upstream of the data feed, and that Stefan Wuensch's site is accurately displaying what the T sends. How can a railroad not take responsibility for the train-tracking systems used by its own employees?