The T

Don't blame the carmen's union for this one

adamg — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:40:27 -0400

The Outraged Liberal explains why, if you're going to get upset about raises at the T in times like these, you should direct your ire toward Dan Grabauskas and his incompetent managers, because they knew the union would likely be awarded a raise in arbitration and yet did nothing to try to budget for it:

... Yakking on about the concessions he has obtained as part of those talks can't hide the act that Grabauskas and his team failed basic accounting.

Did they really think the arbitrator would not award salary increases and make them retroactive to the start of negotiations?

And we're not talking about excessive compensation. We are talking about roughly 3 percent annually, which I would venture is probably par for the course in just about every business. ...

Future MBTA retirees will have to pay for some of their health insurance

adamg — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:00:43 -0400

Will have to pay 10% of the cost; current retirees still get full coverage.

Just when you thought MBTA/MBCR management couldn't get any less passenger friendly

roadman — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:35:10 -0400

Got this e-mail from MBCR. As of this afternoon, they hadn't yet put this new policy into practice (at least at North Station). Hopefully, they never will.

Two for T

adamg — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:02:24 -0400

If you're sitting on one of those wooden benches on Cambridge Street by City Hall Plaza and you happen to look over toward the Steaming Kettle, you'll see it's T(ea) time at Government Center.

Charles Street station, April, 1969

adamg — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:01:40 -0400

Photo from back in the day.

Screaming babies on the T

adamg — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:23:47 -0400

If it's morning rush hour and you're about to get on a trolley with your baby and he is screaming his head off, should you stop boarding and wait until he calms down? Martin wishes a woman on the B line this morning had done just that:

... Please, out of common courtesy to your fellow passengers, many of whom are still half-asleep or are trying to enjoy some last "quiet" time before they get to the office, have the decency to tend to your child - or better yet, wait until he/she has quieted down and then get on the train. Thanks. ...

60 seconds

adamg — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:16:47 -0400

Lori Magno takes a minute to photograph the signboard message at North Station.

A dip in the road

Sean — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:00:54 -0400

This is how entrenched bureaucracies threaten public policy. Mass Pike usage drops by 3.5% in May without any change in tolls and the Turnpike authority responds with concern about authority revenues.

Here's the appropriate response:

Express elation with the drop in driving
Demand that state subsidy shift towards the growing MBTA ridership (up 5.3% in May)
Increase tolls to encourage greater shift to transit

How can they expect the trains to run on time ...

roadman — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:10:06 -0400

When they can't even get the clocks to work right?

Waiting for the 5:52 Haverhill train at North Station tonight, I noticed a message appear on the normally blank platform information signs. It read:

ATTENTION PASSENGERS. THE CLOCK ON THE BOARDS IS SLOW. THE TIME DISPLAYED IS APPROXIMATELY 1 MINUTE BEHIND. WE ARE WORKING TO FIX THE PROBLEM ASAP

Our very own mystery spot

adamg — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:47:17 -0400

That would be the entrance to the Porter Square T stop. Brendan Cavalier marvels - and wonders:

Saturday morning I was walking through the Porter Square T-Station and had to work my way through a crowd of Asian tourists. I had never seen a tour group in out-of-the-way Porter before, so I stopped to try and figure out what was going on. The entire group was standing at the top of the escalators and the tour guide was talking and gesturing towards the escalators (in a language I didn't understand).

I assumed she was taking her group on the subway and was explaining how to get through the turnstiles, pay, etc. But then she finished talking and the group turned and left. While all this was very strange, it got weirder when one woman turned and took a picture of the escalators.

What is so siginificant about the street-entrance to Porter Sqaure station that an entire tour group would stop there and take photos?!