Commuter-rail trains getting a deep cleanse

The red/purple seats are found on the bilevels, which are the newest cars, and the Pullman (200-series) single level cars, which are the oldest, but are the only ones that were actually rebuilt to extend their service lives and are in fairly good shape.

The blue/red seats are in the 300/600-series single level cars, which are due for retirement within the next couple years. They were supposed to be replaced by additional Rotem bilevels, but those were such a disaster that that's not gonna happen.

Then the blue 2x2 seats are in the 500-series single-level cars which are way past the end of their service lives and are being retired as Rotems enter service.

So you are correct, the blue seat cars are literally one step away from scrap.

As for the windows, I believe the T replaced a good portion of them in the last couple years. The year they were installed is etched into the corner of every window.

since 1990 (Reading/Haverhill line), I agree with most of what you say. However, they still have some work to do on the outside displays on the Rotem cars, and the on-board announcements when the train actually arrives at North Station.

Regarding the former, it is usually the norm that the outside display will be totally inaccurate - like displaying "Now Arriving at Swampscott" on an outbound train to Reading boarding at North Station. Of course, I still wonder why displaying the station the train is arriving at on the outside of the train instead of the train's destination is deemed to be necessary or beneficial in the first place. Unless the T somehow thinks it's necessary to remind people of the name of the platform they're standing on instead of where the train they're about to board is heading is a good idea.

Regarding the latter, the robo-voice is usually pretty good about making the "Now arriving at North Station" announcement just as we're about to cross the Charles River. However, when the train comes to a stop, the robo-voice then immediately chimes "Now arriving at Anderson-Woburn (to use the 8:00 inbound from Reading as an example), or whatever destination the trainset is scheduled to go to next.

I'd also like Kelois to ditch the current MBCR/MBTA policy of "sorry, you have to walk to the locomotive end of the train to board" for off-peak trains leaving from North Station. I understand (and have no issues with) the policy of wanting to keep passengers confined to two or three cars, if there's not enough load for a full six or seven car train. But that goal could be just as easily accomplished by opening the two or three cars closest to the station entrance, as opposed to opening the cars furthest from the station entrance.

I assure you, for daily commuters there is virtually zero difference between MBCR and Keolis. In fact the Rockburyport line has been less reliable this summer under Keolis than it was last summer under MBCR.

The company running the commuter rail has very little effect on the average rider's experience, because they have to work with what the T gives them, within the T's policies.

I've found the automated announcements work only about 25% of the time, and many stops have the triggers in the wrong place. For example, inbound at North Beverly, the "this stop is North Beverly" announcement triggers right after departing, instead of right as the train arrives.

You can't possibly have been seeing blank electronic signs since 2006 though, since only the Rotems have them, which weren't even ordered until sometime after 2008 and didn't start arriving on the property until 2012. As for whether they work, they currently only work if a Rotem is the cab car on the train, and the PTIS is programmed properly. Otherwise the interior signs display just the T logo, and the exterior signs tend to display random stations or just the T logo.

Also most of the employees are carried over from MBCR. Really only management is new people.