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Update on Commuter Rail Service
By roadman on Mon, 03/09/2015 - 10:08am
Just got this e-mail from Keolis regarding additional trains:
Service Recovery Schedule Update Effective 3.9.2015
Keolis today released the latest list of MBTA Commuter Rail trains that will return to operation on March 9 as part of the system recovery plan. Four of the following trains will have station stops added, and 15 trains will be restored on March 9:
Haverhill - Train 264 (8:30 a.m. inbound from Reading), Train 268 (3 p.m. inbound from Reading), Train 263 (7:50 p.m. outbound express from North Station to Reading) and Train 267 (2:20 p.m. outbound from North Station to Reading) will be restored.
Fitchburg - Train 400 (5:15 a.m. inbound from Fitchburg), Train 452 (8:50 a.m. inbound from Littleton/495 to North Station), Train 451 (7:32 a.m. outbound from North Station to Littleton/495), and Train 417 (4:30 p.m. outbound from North Station to Fitchburg) will be restored.
Franklin - Train 706 (6:35 a.m. inbound from Forge Park/495 to South Station), Train 734 (8:45 a.m. from Norwood to South Station), Train 793 (7:55 a.m. from Norwood Central to South Station with limited stops), Train 719 (5:10 p.m. outbound from South Station to Forge Park/495), and Train 723 (6:15 p.m. outbound from South Station to Forge Park/495) will be stopping at Hyde Park.
Fairmount - Train 756 (11 a.m. inbound Readville to South Station) and Train 755 (10:20 a.m. outbound from South Station to Readville) will be restored.
Providence/Stoughton - Train 817 (5 p.m. outbound from South Station to Wickford Jct.) and Train 821 (6:10 p.m. outbound from South Station to Providence) will be making station stops at Canton Junction.
Old Colony - Train 010 (8:07 a.m. inbound from Middleborough/Lakeville to South Station) and Train 003 (6:35 a.m. outbound from South Station to Middleborough/Lakeville) will be restored
Interesting that the "extra" 8:00 train from Reading they've been running most days isn't mentioned here. Making the "extra" 8:00 train permanent again would better serve folks than the proposed 8:30 would
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Comments
I guess Keolis and the MBTA
I guess Keolis and the MBTA thinks that the Needham line doesn't need the 711am (time at Bellevue) train. 630am and 8am are good enough. What a joke.
They also seem to think that
They also seem to think that 3 morning rush hour trains is enough for the Worcester line.
Another unscheduled extra
Given that they're running an unscheduled extra in from Framingham every day between the 506 and 508, and can't even make that schedule work without having the 508 sit on the tracks for 10-20 minutes every day waiting for outbounds to clear Newton, I'd be afraid of any inbound additions to the Worcester line. This so-called "recovery" schedule is designed to fail.
Standing room only
And by the time is reaches Roslindale, there is sometimes no room at all and no one can get on. My fear is that after a while they'll think that train is no longer necessary and they'll quietly drop it from the schedule.
Convenient elimination and capture
MBTA/Keolis is stating they'll restore all lines by March 30, but one theory I have is that the T wants to force riders to take the 35/36/37 buses to Forest Hills and the Orange Line, so that trains can run from Hersey to Ruggles nonstop.
In other words, the T would eliminate all Roslindale and West Roxbury stops (or perhaps keep Roslindale Village and West Roxbury and eliminate Bellevue and Highland, as the three stops are within 1/4 mile of each other) and put riders on buses and the Orange Line, rather than a single-seat ride to South Station. The T can then seat more Needham-based passengers going to Back Bay and South Station and get there (relatively) faster.
Also, most of the Latin School kids get on the commuter rail as the connections to Ruggles and hopping on an 8/19 bus are much easier vs. riding an equally crowded charter/Route 39 bus and walking up Longwood Avenue.
No mention of trains losing
No mention of trains losing their stops, like the stop in West Concord on train 405 which I mentioned last week.
They think a train at 7:32 am meets the needs of people who were taking a train at 8:55 am. Even though the trains just before and after the 8:55 are still cancelled, and this leaves a 3 hour 25 minute gap in reverse-commute rush hour service. Adding a West Concord stop on train 405 would be trivially easy, yet they didn't respond to my request for it.