Time for MBTA excuses is over
If a Red Line train leaves Alewife at 9 a.m. with 225 passengers traveling at 20 mph, and 10 passengers get off while 150 get on at Davis, with the same number leaving and boarding at the next five stations, how many passengers will get off the train at Park Street? Answer: None. The train was delayed at Central for 30 minutes, then taken out of service and replaced with shuttle buses.
Of course, passengers will have been told they were “standing by” for 5 minutes, there would have been a 15minute wait for the buses, and the MBTA would issue a statement apologizing for delays due to signal problems or track issues or the excuse du jour.
And these days, that could pass as a decent commute.
Recently, beleaguered T riders have endured sweltering trains, disabled cars and continued delays thanks to the JFK/UMass derailment last month. It’s gotten so bad, passengers say they can’t eventrusttheMBTAtoownupto its own problems.
As the Herald’s Sean Philip Cotter reported, one tweeter cited the paper’s report about a medical emergency that tied up the Braintree line during the Monday morning rush: “@MBTA spokesperson says yesterday’s medical emergency only waited ‘about’ 10 min before getting help. THIS IS A LIE! I was on that train, and yesterday’s live tweets confirm she waited 25 min. Stop lying to us, MBTA!”
And those riders sweating bullets in un-airconditioned trains while the mercury soared? The MBTA claimed there were no reports of the air-conditioning failing. We’re sure that statement cooled them right down.
We’ve passed the point of inconvenience — derailments and sweltering rides are public safety issues. Fortunately, there haven’t been any fatalities — but it shouldn’t take one for officials to take decisive action.
The T is in crisis mode, and no amount of apologies, excuses or expert panels will fix it. What will? Real leadership.
We’re looking at you, Gov. Baker. There’s already a panel of transportation experts assembled every day — it’s called the ridership of the MBTA, aka your constituents, and they’ve issued their report:
Holbrook resident Juanita Gelpi told the Herald that she experiences Red Line delays all the time, and she doesn’t trust the T.
Ryan James of Quincy tweeted, “There is no transparency about the severity of issues the MBTA faces and no sense of urgency in fixing them. They know commuters really have no other options, so they don’t care.”
For any MBTA officials — and Gov. Baker, for that matter — who think optionless commuters lessen any real impetus to fix the T’s many problems, consider Washington, D.C.
Their Metrorail system was plagued by problems, going back to 2008. Complaints were made, safety fixes were called for, and — nothing. After all, what other options do riders have?
And then the Feds stepped in. In 2015, federal regulators took oversight of Metrorail’s safety operations, ensuring some 278 fixes dating back to 2008 actually be, well, fixed.
And here’s the part that should curdle the milk in officials’ frappuccinos: The Federal Transit Administration used its authority to influence how the Metrorail spent federal money — some $440M in 2015 — making sure it went first to safety issues. The Feds withheld millions until a safety group was formed.
Gov. Baker must step up to the plate and demand transparency and action from the MBTA to fix its problems and inform the public of the realities they encounter on their commutes. The time for the platitudes of press conferences is over.