The T

As it now does at the end of every year, the MBTA is warning it will have to cut service and raise fares without action by the legislature to give it more money for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

This time, however, the T says it will hold off on specific proposals until March, to give the legislature time to work on another attempt at changing how public transportation and roads are funded in the state - the governor is expected to submit a proposal early next month.

In recent years, the T warns of impending slashing/fare hiking around New Year's, followed by the legislature throwing some money at the problem in early summer.

MBTA Transit Police are looking for five teens for attacking a disabled 16-year-old outside the CharlieCard store at Downtown Crossing around 4:20 p.m. today. If caught, they'll be facing charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon - a shod foot.

The victim declined medical attention and was escorted to his Orange Line train. According to police, he got off an Ashmont train and was heading to the Orange Line when he was set upon.

All five suspects are black, between 16 and 19. Four are male; one female. The main attacker was described as 5'5" and about 140 lbs, wearing a gray Hollister California sweatshirt; the female as wearing a purple parka and green pants. Police searched the area for the group without success.

The MBTA reports ridership increased again in November, by 1.3% over the previous year's figures. Average weekday ridership was 1.3 million, the T says.

The most noticeable increase was in the subway, where Red, Orange, and Blue Line weekday ridership climbed by 5.6% in November, contrasting significantly with the pre-fare increase projection of a subway ridership drop of 5.3%. Commuter Rail average weekday ridership increased by 2.4%. Average weekday ridership on buses and the Green Line decreased slightly, by 1.6% and 1.5%, respectively. The decrease was less than the projected drop of 5.5% and 5.3% for the year, respectively.

Casey Shockley shows off his rendition of the Red Line at the Andrew-JFK/UMass tunnel, done a year ago at Karma Tattoo in Somerville. He explains he used to live in the Polish Triangle in Dorchester. See it larger.

He joins Dot rat Adam Myerson, who has the Ashmont line on his leg (more) and Josh DeCosta, who has the Orange Line at Sullivan Square on his arm.

Kaitlin Maud, meanwhile, has the entire MBTA map on her arm - both subway and commuter rail (in the photo, north is at the bottom, Green Line on the right):

Well, under it, actually. Wonder if he knows Red Line Tattoo Guy.

WBZ interviews the driver of the trolley that was stopped at Boylston when another train plowed into his on Nov. 29. The other driver, coming off an eight-hour overnight shift at another job, was fired.

His injuries have been an ordeal, confined to a brace 24 hours a day to keep his neck straight. He has an upcoming appointment with an orthopedic spine specialist to determine how soon he can go back to work.

MBTA Transit Police report a Red Line rider and her cash were reunited this holiday season thanks to an honest fellow passenger.

Last Friday afternoon, police say, a guy on his way into town who was about to sit down at JFK/UMass started to move what he thought was some trash on the seat:

In doing so he noticed a five dollar bill protruding from the envelope. He then looked inside, the envelope was filled with cash. Unfortunately there was nothing to identify who the money belonged to. The gentleman asked all passengers within proximity if the envelope was theirs, NOT one MBTA patron attempted to falsely claim the money as theirs. The gentleman got off at South Station and immediately sought out police and handed over the envelope. The envelope contained $584.

On Tuesday, police continue:

[T]he rightful owner, a house keeper at a local hotel and a resident of Dorchester, came to Transit Police HQ, identified certain distinct aspects of the envelope the US Currency was in when lost and they were reunited with their hard earned money.

Didn't think so. As one rider put it:

At Davis starting at an Alewife train sitting in the tunnel. MBTA you sure know how to suck the happy out of a morning.

On the 86 took this photo of an ad at the Beaconsfield Green Line stop - across from where a Newton man is charged with pulling his pud in plain view earlier this month.

Charlie, Beverly Scott, State Rep. Byron Rushing at Forest Hills.

New MBTA General Manager Beverly Scott bounded up from the Orange Line with hugs for carolers - as well as candy canes. She wore a Santa hat. That unpleasantness the other night was quickly forgotten and the carolers got down to business: As new waves of commuters came up from the train platform, the carolers serenaded them with Christmas classics, from "Silent Night" to "Deck the Halls."

MBTA Transit Police report arresting John Wintersteiner, 30, of Newton, on charges he masturbated at the Beaconsfield Green Line stop earlier this month to the shock of a woman on the other side of the tracks.

Wintersteiner, whom police said was dimed out via the T's anonymous tip line, will be arraigned in Brookline District Court today on a charge of open and gross lewdness, following his arrest at his home this morning.

Innocent, etc.

Derailed trolley. Photo by Steve Burns.

Around 8:25 p.m. Jonathan D. Roger reports:

Inbound B line train derailed --large flash with a lot of sparks and the back car on the train derailed.

The trolley is partly blocking the outbound tracks and the T is shutting off power - one of the trolley's pantographs is entangled with the overhead lines. None of the roughly 30 passengers in the first car reported injuries; the second car, which actually jumped the tracks, was empty except for the operator - who was taken to St. Elizabeth's Hospital for evaluation.

The MBTA reports both new GM Beverly Scott and Charlie the T Mascot will be on hand at Forest Hills around 6 p.m. tomorrow to welcome a group of "church ladies" and kids for some old-fashioned caroling. The originally impromptu carolers were kicked out of the station yesterday because they didn't have a busking permit.

The MBTA forwards this photo from the Blue Line repair facility in Orient Heights, where workers have made a Christmas tree out of a "bolster rack" of trucks used to hold the axles of Blue Line cars.

On Alewife side of the Red Line at Downtown Crossing around 8 a.m., Rob Grover and Kaitlin Milliot report. Milliot reports cops were quickly on scene to deal with the guy, who started yelling at them, as the woman stood there crying.

A group of "church ladies" and some kids were kicked out of the Forest Hills Orange Line station tonight when they started to sing Christmas carols without an official MBTA busking permit.

But after learning of the situation, T General Manager Beverly Scott, making one of the first executive decisions of her first day on the job, decided to invite them back, to a "suitable and safe" location.

Rev. Laura Everett, executive director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, reports what happened around 6:15 p.m.:

A couple months ago, the Federal Transit Administration updated its National Transit Database to include data from 2011. Their database analyzes the country's major public transit systems in many ways, including by size, usage, and budget.

The NTD includes "Fare Recovery Ratios" for transit systems across the USA. This is the percentage that passengers pay - out of pocket - compared to what their rides actually cost.

The data is further broken down by system and within each, by mode of transportation - so, subway (light rail and heavy rail), but also commuter rail, bus, an boat rides.

Passengers in Boston and in Massachusetts pay wildly different percentages of real costs. (The data is from 2011, prior to the July 2012 fare increases.)

Heavy rail transit riders (Red Line, Blue Line, Orange Line) pay about half of what their rides actually cost, as do light rail users (Green Line). Commuter rail passengers pay about 44% of the cost of their rides.

Demand response users (which I believe means "The Ride", here in Boston) pay just 4.14% of the cost of their rides.

MBTA Transit Police have posted a photo of a guy they say bashed the bishop at Beaconsfield on the evening of Dec. 3 while a woman looked on in shock from the other side of the tracks.

A Boston man suffered serious injuries when hit by an inbound Red Line train at North Quincy around 12:15 a.m., according to MBTA Transit Police, who report they are still investigating how he wound up on the tracks:

The male, approximately 44 years of age who resides in Boston, was lying face down with his right arm extended onto the right of way/track bed area. The motorperson upon observing the male immediately put the train into emergency stop. The train made contact with the male and he had to be extricated from underneath the train by the Quincy Fire Department. The male party was transported to Boston Medical Center with severe upper torso trama and underwent surgery. Currently the male is listed in critical condition.

MBTA Transit Police and EMTs converged on the Chinatown stop on the Orange Line around 4:30 p.m. after a man was stabbed in the upper torso on the inbound platform. A train that left the station shortly before police were notified of the stabbing was being held at Downtown Crossing, but one possible suspect was in custody.

UPDATE: MBTA Transit Police report Anthony Bonner, 25, of Roxbury, and Joseph Jones, 19, were busy arguing with each other when Bonner attempted to end the discussion by stabbing Jones. Police say Bonner was still on the platform when officers arrived and that they arrested him on a charge of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon.

Jones was transported to a local hospital - and was himself then arrested on a charge of witness intimidation.

Innocent, etc.

MBTA Transit Police report on an incident at 8:15 p.m.:

An Eastbound MBTA Fitchburg Line train struck a trespasser on Track 1 approximately 200 yards east of the Route 2 Bridge in Concord, MA. The person struck was pronounced deceased.

Police report the victim was a white woman, between roughly 18 and 22.

Neil the roving UHub commuter e-mails this account:

Don't worry - the fire at Woodland around 8:30 a.m. was quickly extinguished, but it did jam things up on the outbound side.

Remarkable project, the Urban Ring. The Mission Hill Gazette reports on a quiet little meeting at BRA headquarters to kick off planning for a study on linking the Blue and Silver lines as part of the Urban Ring - the crosstown subway bus line the state nailed to its perch in 2009.

"The project is dormant," Read explained. "Like trees, it'll come back to life when the season is right."

Also pining for the fjords.

Matthew provides notes from last evening's meeting on the need for a new Government Center T stop and how officials are planning to move people around when they lose the connection between the Blue and Green lines for two years.

Also see the UHub discussion on the work.