Turns out Amtrak still handles the dispatching for trains out of South Station - and the track between Boston and Providence - so a possible strike by Amtrak workers next month could make commuting a bit more interesting from the south and west:

... A strike would nearly shut down South Station, forcing thousands of commuters on to subways, buses or into their own personal vehicles. ...

And, of course, given the general fragility of our road system, could we expect a cascading effect to make the drive to and from the south and west even more fun?

Chronically late trains, conductors who refuse to announce destinations, equipment that doesn't work in the cold, what else is not to like? How about greedy, seat-stealing louts? Capn Ho reports:

... The thing that annoys me is when someone sits in the outside seat of a 2 or 3 seat bench, with the obvious intent of getting a seat all to themselves on a crowded train. Many people, for whatever reason, won't ask the person to share the seat. If the train is crowded, I'll make it a point to sit in that seat.

I did this with a guy this morning on the extremely crowded early express train. He didn't look happy at all that he had to give up his private seat. ...

John Greiner-Ferris reports the conductor on the 8:15 train from Framingham didn't bother asking for fares this morning - and also didn't bother calling out any station names.

Train Rider, a Framingham Line commuter, didn't notice; he drove to work today - in part because he had a morning meeting he couldn't afford to miss:

... When I got to work, one of my co-workers told me that a lot of the doors were frozen shut on the cars, so they all had to shuffle into 1-2 doors. Another person told me they had no heat, nice. ...

Stuck drawbridge delays Newburyport/Rockport commutes. Yes, it's that same bridge in Beverly.

Meanwhile, over on the Framingham line, Train Rider reports his train into Boston this morning was only 10 minutes late, but adds that, again, conductors never bothered collecting fares or checking passes:

... I can't imagine working as a retail clerk and letting people "buy" things without paying. I'm sure I would lose my job. ...

Based on John Greiner-Ferris's describes the ride on the 8:47 "express" this morning - nothing out of the ordinary, you know, the train was late, four cops and a dog made a sweep of the train in Framingham, etc., etc. But, also, no conductor ever came through his car to collect fares, so at least those people lucky enough to board without a pass got to ride for free.