A New Revenue Stream for the T?

Okay, so it's been a while. I admit I wondered what more I really had to say about the Red Line. I admit others were saying it better. But does that mean I should quit? Well, perhaps. But I haven't quit. Not exactly. I've just been taking an extended break. I'm back with some new insight (or at least a warning to my fellow T riders).

Today's tale began a few months back. Heading home after another exhilirating day at the office, I swiped my T pass at South Station and noticed that instead of the usual message--valid through March 31--the fare box displayed something along the lines of "$10.90 left on card."

Hmmm, I thought. What's up with that? In addition to purchasing a monthly bus/subway pass, I keep some cash on my card, in order to pay my fare on the rare occasions when I take the more costly express bus. I didn't want to waste time on my way home from work that night, so I didn't stop to inquire, but on my way in the next day, I approached a T representative at South Station. He seemed reluctant at first to get involved, but then he came out from behind his desk, swiped his card at the pass purchase machine, then swiped my card. He was able to see all activity on my card and confirm my story. Although he couldn't reimburse me, he did give me a one-ride pass. I accepted this as a reasonable solution, figuring I can give that to my spouse or a friend to use.

I didn't think much of it until it happened a second time, at Charles/MGH. This time, the nice T person had a form that needed to be filled out, which she graciously did for me, in painstaking detail and with utmost care (three trains came and went while I waited for her to turn over the form to me for completion and mailing). I sent in the form, and the T mailed me yet another single-ride pass.

This week I had another such experience at Davis. The T person on duty really didn't want to get involved, and never heard of any form. He did swipe his supervisor card along with my own card, and verified what had happened, but he merely let me through the gate, he offered nothing in the way of resolution other than "you have to go to Downtown Crossing" to get your money back.

I'm beginning to wonder if this is perhaps a secret ploy by the T to generate additional revenue. The fare boxes are like those voting machines in Florida--subject to malfunction and not to be trusted.

Riders beware.

Happy Birthday to the Red Line

There has been so much going on lately with the MBTA, what with fare increases and service cuts, public meetings, unfair debt burdens--it's just been all too much for the Sphinx to keep up with, which explains why I haven't written in a while.

I couldn't let today pass however (although technically it has, being as it's after midnight), without saying Happy 100th birthday to the Red Line.

What runs daily at 100 years old? T’s Red Line

Happy New Year?

So it is 2012, and the best commuter news of this winter so far is it hasn’t snowed. Well, not since the Halloween storm, anyway, which technically was in the fall. I worked the week between Christmas and New Year’s, and it was amazing the difference in the traffic and Red Line ridership. I trimmed from 10 to 15 minutes off my commute every day, and that actually started before Christmas, as I think many people take time off to shop or begin their holiday travel. One day last week I zipped in on Route 2 from Lexington and didn’t tap the breaks until I got to Route 16. I remember thinking, “this is how I thought it would be.”

Ah yes, last year at this time the hell of commuting had yet to commence. I was still full of the excitement of starting a new job. I told my boss when she hired me that I didn’t want to give leave where I was to just do the same thing someplace else. Sadly, that seems to be what is happening. I gave up 11 years of seniority, only to be hitting my head against the same wall. I commiserated with a friend on the phone yesterday who assured me that it’s not me--it is the nature of the working life today.

I have started to measure out my work life in increments: this week only four days. Next week will be a full week, but then it's MLK day, and another four-day week. Then I'm out of town for a few days, come back, short week, next thing you know it will be Groundhog Day and, worst-case scenario, only six more weeks of winter.

One good thing that will happen in 2012: Now that one of my major projects is past phase I, I will be working at home one day per week. I didn’t feel I could do it while supervising interns, but the last intern leaves this Thursday. I will miss her, but I won’t miss riding the Red Line on Thursdays.

Giving Thanks

It's been awhile since I've written, partly because I've been busy and partly because I realized there was just too much going on with the T for me to stay on top of it all. Let it suffice to say there will be a "gap" in my reportage, but c'est la vie.

Life has been a little different for me lately. Two weeks ago I traveled to Seattle on business. No, I didn't try the Seattle public transit system (I had only one free day, wherein I rode the Monorail, a shameless tourist). My point is, that week I commuted only two days. I flew on a Wednesday and came back Saturday, limiting my time on the Red Line to a manageable dose.

Then last week was Thanksgiving, so I only worked three days. I was indeed thankful to once again cut the commuting time short--and it was positively joyous to have four days off in a row and not have to travel anywhere.

In the coming weeks, with the holidays upon us, I should be taking some additional time off. It makes a huge difference; nothing is as bad if you don't have to do it every day.

In the meantime, on the Red Line, they have started busing people between Alewife and Harvard on the weekends. I feel sorry for anyone who works weekends and has to deal with it. I ran into my former colleague, who lives on the street where I park. She tried taking the T from Davis the first weekend of the busing, and it took her an hour and a half to get to Park Street.

The T is spending the weekends doing some fairly critical maintenance work. (I read one Boston Globe article wherein one of the authors of a report on the system said he wouldn't ride the T past Harvard because the threat of derailment was so real).

Of course, in typical T fashion, they really didn't give people much notice. Why should they? Ridership is booming, according to recent reports. If a few people give up in disgust, good riddance!

Red Line as Microcosm

On the T, as in life, there are all kinds of people, each with his or her own perspective. There are the runners, those who advance through the turnstiles and down the steps at a trot, with not a glance to the left or the right. Like racehorses with blinders on, they see little after the gates open save for their own approaching path and the reward awaiting at the finish.

Then there are the sprinters. They may approach the T stop at a businesslike pace, entering the gates without distress. But if they hear an announcement of a train "approaching" or (a bigger challenge) "arriving," they will dash like mad, knocking over small children or the elderly if necessary to join the runners and get on board.

The moderates seldom change their approach. They may walk at a good pace, but they do not bother to ever run. Is it their faith that sustains them? (I know there'll be another train right behind that one.) Or is it resignation (You win some, you lose some.) Perhaps they, like most moderates, are just too damn tired.

Dawdlers are rare. These are the people who seem to not be totally sure where they are going. They actually consider not getting on the train when it arrives, engrossed as they may be in whatever text-message drama or game is diverting them. (Now, where am I going? Ashmont? Or Braintree?)

Yes, it takes all kinds. And you cannot change any of them. They are what they are. Like our siblings and spouses, our friends and neighbors, they will soldier on in the only way they know how.

July's Whopper Breakdown

I'm a bit late in reporting on this, but two months after the infamous two-hour delay, it happened again, in July. The passengers were remarkably calm and forgiving. The Boston Globe was outraged.

Hundreds stranded below in another T breakdown - The Boston Globe

The guy who runs the T got promoted: Read the Boston Globe story.

Lessons from the Red Line

It's been almost seven months now since I started commuting on the Red Line. What I've learned so far:

• T Alerts or overhead announcements are not to be trusted:  A couple of times recently, I received T Alerts warning of delays on the Red Line, only to get to Davis and jump right on a train that zipped into town. The same goes for the announced delays. If you hear one, don't immediately despair, because it might not really affect you. Only your reality counts.
• Your reality often sucks: In May, during my infamous two-hour delay stuck in the tunnel between Porter and Davis, I remember thinking, "Wow, when I get out of here, I'm going to have, like, a few dozen T Alerts about this." In fact, there was none.
• If you can take a break from the Red Line even one day per week, it can save your sanity. This week, I took the 504 one day. Next week, I plan to drive in one day. The following week I plan to work at home one day.
•  Beware of the best seat. For me, the best seat is the one in the corner, because you don't have lots of people passing by all the time getting on and off. There is no door there, so it's a little more tranquil. Unfortunately, the Red Line trains have a tendency to sweat, and there is often water dripping on those seats.