Questioning The Schedule Changes

Dear Mr. Grabauskas,

Thank you very much for taking time to respond to our petition in your letter dated January 2, 2008.

Since the beginning of January, we have been enjoying a much improved on-time performance on the Framingham/Worcester commuter rail line. After over a month of very satisfactory service, especially for the P528 train, it is particularly difficult to understand the schedule changes put into effect on February 18th for the Framingham/Worcester line. We would appreciate answers to our questions regarding the changes.

1. Why did the schedule changes need to be implemented, given that the trains appeared to be running very close to schedule in January. Was the improved on-time performance the result of MBTA, MBCR or CSX making some sort of a temporary arrangement until schedule changes could go into effect?
   
2. Why was the Yawkey stop eliminated on the P528 train? If P528 can run in a timely fashion with the stop at Yawkey (as MBTA promises to do on Red Sox home game days), why is it necessary to omit the stop? We are concerned that many riders who benefit from this stop on a daily basis will now experience a decrease in overall usability of the Framingham/Worcester line.

We thank you for your time, and hope that you can address our questions and concerns. Please feel free to contact us directly.