After our petition to MBTA, the on-time performance on the Framingham/Worcester line seemed to have improved greatly. In fact for a few incidents caused by obvious mechanical failures, the off-peak direction trains have been running on time. So we have relaxed, and started to enjoy the ride again. But not for long.Today MBTA announced a schedule change for the Framingham/Worcester commuter rail line effective Monday, February 18th. The highest impact of the new schedule seems to be the changes in the inbound train P528, which is the "rush hour" evening train for the "off-peak" direction commuters.
The train will leave Framingham 10 minutes later, and leave Natick 12 minutes later, arriving in South Station 13 minutes later then on the current schedule. More importantly, P528 will not stop at Yawkey unless there is an evening Red Sox home game scheduled.
Moving P528 train further later in the evening further increases the gap between inbound trains on the Framingham/Worcester line, making it impossible for riders to work a full day and make it home before 6:30pm. While there are 5 outbound trains leaving South Station between 5pm and 7pm, including a 5:00pm, 5:15pm, and a 5:35pm, there are only 3 inbound trains leaving Framingham between 5pm and 7pm, with the first train leaving at 5:40pm.
Personally, this schedule change will add at least 40 minutes to my evening commute, making it rather unreasonable. For people getting off at Yawkey and transfering to the C or D line the increase could be even greater. People with children aiming to be home before 7pm are selling their commuter rail passes and getting back into their cars.
Why is it possible for MBTA to stop P528 train at Yawkey 60 days out of the year, but not the rest of the time? Do the pass holders/regular commuters not deserve the same high quality service as the baseball fans attending the game? Do the off-peak direction commuters not deserve to be able to return home from work at a reasonable hour? Why can MBTA continue to discriminate against the off-peak direction riders without any consequences?
As much as we can, with limited resources, we will fight this change; we will fight the discrimination. I have one word for you--MOBILIZE!
Posts
4 comments:
Helen,
Hi. I'm friends with Train Rider. Train Rider has been out of the country on an extended business trip and I've been updating the Train Stopping blog.
We fully agree with your comments. The new schedule is a slap in the face to everyone who lives in Central Massachusetts and MetroWest relies on the commuter rail to commute to work - regardless of where they are commuting.
And we are not confident that the new schedule changes will actually improve service.
We hope you keep up raising these issues, as we are also trying to raise the issues. In the end, we just want to see effective, reliable and efficient commuter rail service provided to the cities and towns located in Central Mass and Metro West.
Thanks!
Commute-a-holic
40 minutes? Eeesh.
Keep fighting! :)
Hi Helen,
I am going to start commuting from Framingham to Longwood area this summer and just wondered about the Yawkey stop. I don't usually travel on the commuter rail at normal times right now, so whenever I pass Yawkey it looks kind of scary deserted... Is it a safe enough stop during normal commuting times (early morning/late afternoon)? I plan to walk down Brookline Ave towards the hospitals - is that a bad idea? Train Stopping thought you might have some useful information.
Thanks for any thoughts.
I think you will find that many people will be using the Yawkey stop at the regular commuting hours. Most peak directions trains stop there, and many people working in the Longwood Medical area seem to use that vast parking lot. Also, on the Red Sox home game days, the number of people is overwhelming.
Regardless of the crowds or lack there of, I find the Yawkey station quite safe. Of course, as for anywhere in the city, you should always be aware of your surroundings. Otherwise, I would not worry.
Enjoy the commute:)
Post a Comment