T finds way to drum up support from suburban pols: Threaten commuter-rail service
MBTA proposes elimination of weekend commuter-rail service, cuts in the evening.
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Sounds familiar
Sounds exactly like the mayor - oh my god we have no money - but nobody seems to be working to cut out the abuse and fat in the system. Squeaky wheel gets the grease - except at the T because they have no money for grease! What are the odds that 6 months from now there are few if any cuts at the T - kind of like the teachers and cops in Boston (weren't we supposed to lay off about 1000 people - I think we're down to 212 BTU members and that gets smaller every day).
"Grabauskas said 50 percent
"Grabauskas said 50 percent of rail commuters travel during weekday rush hours."
Meaning that half of riders do not travel during weekday rush hours. If that number were something like 10%, I could see where they're coming from. But killing the viability of a service for fully half of its users is not going to go over well, to say the least.
Every day
I get a little closer to deciding it's just not worth it anymore. I work 10-6. I usually have to take the 7:30 train, that's consider "evening" if that train gets cut OR fares get raised 30%, it'd seriously be cheaper for me just to not work in the city.
Evening on the T
For some reason, that seems to start at 5:30 pm.
I'm also curious as to why there are so many convenient morning trains on the Lowell line, but so few evening trains by comparison. How do they think all those people get home? Do they plan on 7 hour days for all workers?
One of the things that has Boston treading water or getting sucked backwards is having a transit system that does not function at extended hours. Has anybody tried to take a red or orange line train at 7:30 or 8:30pm recently? Sardine can. Let's make sure that we really suck and continue to slide into the kind of obscurity and impotence formerly reserved for cities like Akron or Detroit or Baltimore.
Don't need to tell me twice.
I'm fairly certain my 6:15 PM Kingston/Plymouth is consider rush, but seriously, I miss it 50-75% of the time (granted, I'm coming from about 10 stops away at 6 PM or 3 stops, a back bay inbound commuter rail, and a full-speed sprint across south station). The 7:29 train to Kingston is not full persay, but it's got a lot of people on it (They have to open 3-4 double decker cars). Certainly a ton more than the Fairmount trains.
And ya, I've been on the 7 PM Red/Orange lines and it is a disaster.
Green Line is worse
Lately, I have to go out on the Green Line Riverside some days, for an appointment that takes less than an hour for the meeting itself. From start to return home (home is 8 minutes' walk from Central T), my round trip takes 4 hours. When I finally get on the outbound Green Line, it's always packed like a cattle car of miserable- and resigned-looking people. And I still worry every time that the T is going to make me late.
I have much better luck with the Red Line. Although, when my girlfriend lived a short walk from the Alewife T and was already home for the evening, I'd often take a cab, rather than take the Red Line and waste an extra 45 minutes that we could have together.
Central to the Green Line
I don't know what affiliation you have, but if you are still at MIT or are connected to Harvard, the Longwood Medical Area shuttle is probably a much better option from Central to the Green Line.
There is also a T bus that could get you across the BU bridge from Central Square - I forget the number. It is usually pretty good, and you could pick up the green line by REI at Landmark Center.
Yes, the times that I wait
Yes, the times that I wait for an MBTA bus in Central, people at the stop gaze wistfully at every passing LMA bus. :)
I've actually almost always had bad luck with MBTA buses -- even worse than with the Green Line -- so I don't want to risk one of my appointments on them. Though it would be nice to skip a few Green Line stops, and perhaps I'll try it when I don't have a hard appointment time.
There is also a T bus that
That'd be the 47.
I've started taking outbound
I've started taking outbound commuter rails from south station to back bay, then the 39 or orange line outbound from there just to avoid having to take the green line outbound during morning rush.