The T

The state auditor's office today released a report that found a nearly $102-million discrepancy over five years between the cash the MBTA actually took in through fare boxes on buses and trolleys and the amount those boxes said they were fed.

The MBTA said that simply reflects software issues, not massive amounts of theft or money rolling behind driver's seats, and the auditor's office says that's possible, but there's currently no way to know for sure:

Because the MBTA lacked effective physical controls over the hundreds of keys that provide access to fare box cash at the time of its initial receipt and transfer into the MBTA revenue system, the MBTA cannot ensure that all fare box cash is properly safeguarded against possible loss, theft, or misuse.

The [automated fare collection] system does not properly record all essential events necessary to properly track the removal, deposit, and reinsertion of cash boxes into assigned fare boxes. The inability of the AFC system to give MBTA management reliable tracking information regarding the movement of fare box cash exposes such revenue to potential fraudulent activity.

The Globe reports the alleged butterfingers was packing a loaded gun on an outbound trolley just before Newton Centre; a rider dropped a dime and police arrested him and three pals.

Seems not everybody's enamored with the idea of photos of drunks and snoozers on the T.

The Herald reports a Lowell man arrested as an unregistered sex offender at Forest Hills the other day after somebody complained about him taking pictures of little kids turns out not to have a record as a sex offender. As a convicted stabber and prison-guard attacker, yes, but he was released in April after having served his time for those, the Herald writes.

The MBTA reports Transit Police have issued 3,614 citations so far this year for fare evasion - up 59% from the 2,268 issued in the same period last year.

The T adds that some 89 of those people left the stations where they were snagged in the back seat of a cruiser, after officers realized they were wanted for arrestable offenses. The two latest were arrested yesterday at the Quincy Center stop on the Red Line - one of them a guy who'd allegedly skipped out on a court hearing after he was busted for selling marijuana at the same station in August.

Melinda Green spotted a Sob Story Guy and two Sob Story Girls having a little chat this morning at the Mass. Ave. stop on the Orange Line. She reports:

I've been keeping track of the little blond one's tales of woe for over a year now. Wondering if this is their daily starting point? The little blond one must be the pimp-I-mean-the-brains of the operation. Sometimes she has to get back to Providence for 1-3 kids, sometimes age 7, sometimes age 16.

Oh Christ. A new one just boarded my train. Claims to be HIV positive and needs to get to Fall River.

UPDATE, 9:10 a.m.: MBTA says normal service has resumed.

The morning started with signal problems at Wellington (remember when the T seemed to spend several years upgrading the signals north of Boston?). Now, there's some sort of flooding that's so bad the T is urging people who need to get downtown to get on the Green Line instead, which is great advice unless you're nowhere near the Green Line.

The Blue Line ran out of juice around 5:30 p.m., just in time for the afternoon rush.

Wheeze. v. To pull into a terminal station on the Orange Line. "The train wheezed into Forest Hills, emitted a loud sigh at its fate in life and then the doors opened."

The Globe's Eric Moskowitz tweets the state Department of Transportation unanimously named the head of Atlanta's public-transportation authority as the new general manager of the MBTA.

Beverly Scott beat out her second-in-command - Dwight Ferrell - to permanently replace Richard Davey, who moved up from the MBTA to transportation secretary.

A man was fatally struck by a train this evening on the Worcester Line by the Massachusetts Turnpike and Community Rowing. Lawrence Crook at WCVB tweets the train was the outbound P563, with 450 to 500 people on board.

Newton firefighters, Boston and MBTA police and state troopers are on scene. Police have shut the rail line down to allow for body recovery and investigation.

Stanley Staco reports it happened around 9:10 p.m. at Washington and East Newton streets.

UPDATE, Friday morning: The MBTA reports the driver was spit on, not pummeled, that one man was caught and that he will be summonsed into court.

MBTA Transit Police report arresting a Malden man on charges of indecent assault and battery for an incident involving a female Orange Line passenger on Sept. 13 somewhere between State Street and Malden Center.

Gerard Bottari, 61, was scheduled for arraignment today in Malden District Court, police say.

Innocent, etc.

MBTA Transit Police report arresting a man they say exposed himself and masturbated in full view of a female passenger on a Red Line train in July.

The woman snapped Peter O'Connor's photo and police say tips from the public based on that led them to O'Connor, whom they arrested today at the Braintree Red Line stop.

O'Connor, 55, of Braintree, will be arraigned in Cambridge District Court tomorrow on a charge of open and gross lewdness.

Innocent, etc.

Nikki captured the painter at work on the Red Line, adds:

Amazing hand control with the bumps and stops.

Donut & Donuts, Sullivan Square T stop. Photo by Truck Stop Tea Party.

Red Line jogger. MBTA surveillance photo.

The T had to stop inbound Red Line service from the south shortly after 7 a.m. to try to get this fool off the tracks between Andrew and Broadway. The T reports he managed to flee before police could detain him and ask what the hell he was thinking.

In the MBTA surveillance video below, he appears at around :05 (way, way at the top of the screen) and then hops onto the tracks around :35:

Brian Cummings reports via e-mail on the horsey set in Weston this morning:

Well, this is a first. Around 7:00 or so, going inbound to Boston saw a beautiful chestnut horse running toward Boston alongside the tracks, followed by a woman running behind, followed by a panting MBTA cop. Between Silver Hill and Hastings. Train delayed for 10-15 minutes. All three none the worse for wear.

At least we weren't robbed by outlaws.

MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo reports train 406 was delayed 11 minutes as Weston and Lincoln police corraled the wayward equine.

MBTA Transit Police report they are looking for this guy, who, they say, exposed himself to a woman on a Red Line train:

On Friday, July 20, 2012, at 11:00 AM, the male depicted below, exposed his genitals to a female victim, then masturbated on a northbound, Red Line train between Park Street and MGH stations. The victim exited the train at Harvard Station. The suspect remained on the train.

Davis looks at unfinished coach in Korea. Photo via MBTA.

Acting MBTA General Manager is in Korea this week, trying to find out why the new commuter-rail coaches riders were supposed to enjoying now are nowhere near finished.

another power problem on the Riverside Line - with buses replacing streetcars between Reservoir and Riverside. Here's the official alert:

Alternate shuttle bus service will replace Green D-Branch trains between Reservoir and Riverside Station due to a power problem. Please expect significant delays and seek alternate transportation where available. Â 9/7/2012 7:42 PM

Note that the MBTA has posted this exact same alert about the wire problem at least four times since 6:20. They obviously don't understand that people don't need to have their phones on to get messages.

Of course, if the Green Line ops folks had any common sense, they would run half the available C cars in a loop outbound via Beacon Street and inbound on the Riverside line, and run half the available D cars in a loop outbound via the Riverside line and inbound via Beacon Street - instead of overloading the C line by telling people to go to Cleveland Circle and get the buses from there.

And I can only imagine how long it's taking folks to get past Government Center eastbound (my scanner doesn't work in the building I'm currently in). Step # 1 when there's a "problem" affecting the C line seems to always be to short turn most of those trains at GC.

But maybe not.

Photo.

The Herald reports an explosion in the rat population on Savin Hill, possibly caused by construction along the Red Line.

The MBTA says a police investigation into a report that some guy took a photo up the skirt of a woman on an escalator at South Station found the man was not a T employee.

"An MBTA employee has been ruled out by detectives investigating this report," MBTA spokesman Joshua Robin said. "There is still an investigation ongoing."

Tania Reppucci tweets:

Guy on the Red Line used a box cutter to cut and peel a lemon, then ate the lemon. The train smells nice though.