C-/I

NEWSLETTER OF THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY Ti ATION AUTHORITY ADVISORY BOARD

January 1989 Vol.6 No.1 " Southwest passage rates high'.W^ ,^ares in question

Short headways on the Orange Line durina\wSQ-rv>i What is a fair fare? the Orange Line and bus hour. Riders-U§(^irra^^i?r9^ The question posed in the route #49 mask erratic a four car di/mg vOjJfe^^J^er- MBTA's brochure service according to the ience worse crowding than announcing hearings on a Advisory Board's Service during the six car string. proposed commuter rail fare Committee, which recently Alternating four and six car increase was answered by completed a field review of trains would seem to make 71 people during six hours of Southwest Corridor service. more sense. public testimony December The northern and southern The time between trains 12th and 13th. Additional portions of the Orange Line (headway) and the arrival riders sent written responses were observed for five days; times of trains were highly to the question. But the real bus route 49 (Dudley to erratic. Morning service on story was the hundreds of Downtown) which serves the both sides is scheduled at five riders who did not attend the Washington Street Corhdor minutes or less. Though the well publicized hearings, virtually mimicking the route observed average time leading to the conclusion that of the dismantled El was between trains was just over most are satisfied with observed for a similar period. four minutes, the variability service and are willing to pay Of the 107 a.m. trains was high with waits of more more. observed on the northside than six minutes and less than Those who testified Orange Line, only six (5.6%) three not uncommon. The generally acknowledged that were filled to crush capacity, short headways and surplus fares had remained stable for 15 (14%) were full, and over capacity temper the effect on a long time while the cost of 80% had room for additional riders of the vanable time living has risen. Yet most riders. Conditions on the between trains. Riders on the stated that an increase in southside were more Red and Green lines are not fares should be coupled with crowded. Of 108 trains as fortunate. an increase in the quality observed, 17 (15.7%) were In the evening the and/or quantity of service. filled to crush level, 25 patterns were exactly Complaints ranged from old, (23.4%) were full and reversed. The evening peak frequently malfunctioning approximately 60% had room wave of commuters hit the equipment and long for additional passengers. system just before five and unexplained delays on the The Orange Line, north and ebbed by 5:20. The southside North to crowded conditions south, compares favorably string of six car trains does not and lack of full weekend with other T lines. For reach the peak load point until service on the South. example, last year's study of five to eight minutes after 5:00, Insufficient parking was the Red Line found half the causing the worse crush mentioned by both sides. a.m. rush hour trains passing around 5:00 p.m. Waiting until The most oft repeated through North Quincy left 5:1 5 to 5:30 to get a train home specific fare comment potential riders standing on makes sense if you are an questioned the equity of a flat the platform. Orange Line regular. As in the rate, across-the-board hike The MBTA runs five morning, evening variability of which would increase the sets of four car trains followed headway is nicely offset by ticket phce for close in by five sets of six car trains on short headways and surplus commuters at a much higher

continued to page 6 continued to page 7 The Advisor January. 1989 planned station modernizations are nearly complete. The commuter rail portion of has partially opened to rave reviews. The and the program won Presidential Design Achievement Awards, two of only 68 nation wide to receive that honor. In addition, the more prestigious Presidential Design Award was given to the Southwest Corridor, one of only two Another year older and deeper in debt winners. The Southwest Corhdor also won kudos from 1988 is the year when the MBTA consolidated gains the American Society of Civil made during the previous five years and continued to push Engineers and the ahead at a modest pace. On commuter rail the new Forge Park Massachusetts Horticultural station opened and service to Providence was restored after a Society. The Newton Centre near-decade long absence. Travelers on the Attleboro and Depot on the Green Line and Framingham lines can now travel to Yawkey Station, which the Canton Junction station serves Fenway Park. The recent opening of the JFK/UMass Red on the Stoughton line Line station is a boon for South Shore riders who previously had received extensive facelifts to ride by JFK to Andrew and then double back on an Ashmont and ground was broken for a train if they wished to disembark. new and garage. The new Orange Line in its first full year of operation Other stations did not proved a success, drawing thousands of additional patrons fare as well. What was (many of whom were previously riding T buses.) Six car trains conspicuously missing from started running along both the Orange and Red Lines, and the the list of planned overhauls Riverside Green Line branch saw the implementation of three was word of any action on car trains. These service changes brought some relief to riders, Park although service along the Red and Green Lines remained development. After six plus predictably erratic. years of rumors and an History was made in 1988 when the MBTA, after a six year hiatus, printed and distributed new maps of its much changed continued to page 5 system. In June 1988 the T extended an already two year old consulting contract which was to survey and upgrade system signage so that consultants could begin to design and THE ADVISOR rehabilitate "selected, existing signs." Though hope springs eternal that the confusing and often incorrect information found The advisor is produced and published by the staff of the 'neath the streets of Boston might change for the better, patience mbta advisory board which is thin with the inexplicably long delay in identifying weahng represents seventy-eight mayors flaws and implementing corrections. and boards of selectmen. 1988 also saw the arrival and installation of a long awaited new consumer information phone system at the.T. The Chaiman: Advisory Board's initial consumer test of the. new apparatus Eugene C. Brune found a marked improvement with all prime time calls answered by a live operator in less than 30 seconds. This contrasts with Executive Director: Anne M. Larner waits of up to eight and ten minutes as recently as December 120 Boylston Street 1987. Boston, MA 02116-4604 Stations themselves came a long way in 1988. Most

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The Advisor January J 989 Board votes budget Southside maintenance facility approved

On December 2nd the On November 23rd the brought through the cities of Advisory Board unanimously MBTA Board of Directors Boston and Cambridge along approved an MBTA operating approved construction of a a speed restricted, highly budget of $614.6 million for $31.2 million maintenance congested freight spur. The the fiscal year beginning July facility to service the new facility will be located near the Cabot yard in South 1 , 1989. The approved Authority's southside budget allows a 6.7% commuter rail fleet. Currently Boston, making the torturous increase over the current all commuter rail trains must cross town journey for repairs budget and a 2.9% increase be serviced and repaired at unnecessary. in expense per mile of the Boston Engine Terminal The 59,000 square foot revenue service. The final (BET) in Somerville. When a facility will be used for daily approved budget was $2.7 train from the south needs servicing, fueling, cleaning

million less than requested servicing or repairs, it must be continued to page 7 by the T. Debt Service on bonds funding the T's capital TOP TWENTY BUS ROUTES program registered the Route Weekday Rank Number Route Name Boardings Type* largest percentage increase

within the line item budget. In 1 39 Forest Hills - Copley 28,000 RepI the new fiscal year interest 2 1 Harvard - Dudley 1 5,861 Circ 3 23 Ashmont - Ruggles 1 1 ,500 Circ and principal payments will 4 29 Mattapan - Ruggles 1 1 ,500 Circ

account for 20% of the 5 57 Watertown Sq, - Kenmore 9,942 RepI Authority's operating budget 6 66 Allston - Dudley 9,149 Circ 7 28 Mattapan - Ruggles 7,300 Circ at a dollar figure 22% above 8 1 1 Woodlawn - Haymarket 6,774 that for FY89. 9 77 Arlington Hts, - Harvard 6,718 Other line items 1 0 34 Walpole Ctr - F. Hills 6,653 showing marked increases Total 113, 397 were workers' compensa-

tion, health insurance costs, 1 1 43 Park/Tremont - Ruggles 6,062 1 2 70 Cedanwood - Central Sq. 5,904 and subsidy for paratransit 1 3 73 Waverly - Harvard 5,834

services. 1 4 47 Central Sq. - Andrew 5,731 Circ Reductions made by 1 5 49 Dudley - Downtown 5,580 1 6 32 Wolcott Sq. - Forest Hills 5,536 the board include rejection of 1 7 1 5 Field's Corner - Ruggles 5,421 Circ

the Boston School 1 8 71 Watertown Sq. - Harvard 5,396 Department's request to 1 9 22 Ashmont - Ruggles 5,000 Circ 20 1 1 City Point - Downtown 4,848 transport additional high

school students on the T and Total 55,31 2 a $1 .2 million cut in the Total top 20 1 68,709 commuter rail subsidy, a

move that is intended to # Circ means route connects two subway stops bypassing Boston Business encourage the T to increase District; RepI means line replaces fixed rail service. I

I the average commuter rail fare by $.50. Top buses: packed by popular demand Following the budget According to figures travelled route. Route 1 from Dudley vote, the board passed a released by the MBTA twenty bus to Harvard is a distant second. Five of i resolution asking the routes account for 43% of Tbus the top seven routes offer Authority to have in place by i riders; 29% of ttie T's 394,000 circumferential service while the

1 July 1, 1989 a plan to average daily boardings are on just remaining two well patronized routes increase MBTA income to ten routes. replace light rail. The most popular conform to a minimum 33% Bus route 39 wtiicfi express bus route is the 304 which fare recovery ratio. Board temporarily is replacing Arborvjay travels from Watertown Square via

streetcars is thie most heavily Newton Corner to Downtown ! continued to page 7 The Advisor January. 1989 Jurist cooperation of [the] prudent Safety [Department], the T police, and line "The diversity of issues, personnel, we make hands-on experience,... and sure that cases don't real world practical inappropriately end up applications make this an in suit." Praising the T's excellent place for a lawyer to internal data gathering use his skills," claims Greg system, Flynn singles Flynn, newly appointed out the Safety General Counsel of the Department and the T MBTA, in explaining why he police for their fine work came to the T from the U.S. in support of tort work. Attorney's Office in January Speaking about 1985. After three and one the Authority's attempts half years as Deputy General to have the T's liability Counsel, Flynn was tapped capped by legislation. this October by the Authority's General Counsel Flynn Board of Directors for the points out that "Ojury position of top T lawyer. Prior awards are escalating to 1980 and his stint at the at a record pace to the federal level, Flynn was in point of straining the private practice in Waltham. resources of the Flynn heads a legal Commonwealth's department which houses 20 insurance companies." attorneys and a variety of legislative priority. The Though just having filed support personnel, including Authority's total legislative legislation for the fourth year investigators, photographers, package is coordinated by to cap the MBTA's liability at legal assistants, and the Law Department and in $100,000, Flynn is not sitting secretarial and clerical staff addition to the proposed cap back and waiting for the who, he points out, "hold this includes a redefinition of T legislature to act. On the place together." The police powers and changes contrary, he is working on department is divided into in wording to allowing more increasing safety, trying to four major areas: flexibilty in real estate manage claims aggressively, Construction; Real Estate; transactions and in and attempting to establish Trial; and. General Law. construction projects. appropriate legal defenses Though Flynn's staff spends On the personal side, that limit the range of considerable time providing Greg Flynn lives in Weston damages compensible by the legal support to the with his wife and four Authority. Over the past year, directorates at the T, they children, two sons and two according to Flynn, there take the lead in handling tort daughters. He is a graduate were "several SJC [Supreme claims against the T. Flynn of Holy Cross College and Judicial Court] decisions that estimates that the MBTA Suffolk University Law have clearly set forth the currently is the object of 3,000 School and has an LLM nature of damages available claims each year, ranging (Taxation) from Boston against the T in particular, from $10 reimbursements for University Law School. and in personal injury dry cleaning to personal Flynn has been a member of accidents in general. ..We've injury claims in the millions. the bar since 1977 and tried to get the courts to Of these claims, serves as a trustee of the determine the type of Hospital approximately 400 result in Waltham/Weston damages that are not suits. "Like any good and Medical Center. recoverable against the T." insurance firm, we try to The tort cap bill aggressively manage our remains an Authority claims, and with the

4 The Advisor January. 1 989

Another year (from page 2) 4 occasional surfacing of the appointed developers, Gilbane, not a spade of dirt has been lifted and none seems imminent in 1989. At the end of July the on the Red Line was flooded with over two feet of water, forcing the evacuation. of 100 people. The Quincy Center garage, less than twenty years old, was found to have major structural defects and will require extensive repair. The MBTA toiled ceaselessly to bring cult-yah to the masses in 1988, often was dedicated to A. Philip Randolph, a with mixed results. Several prominent labor leader and civil rights activist. His life-size complaints were registered statue, seated in the middle of the train waiting area, adds against the artistically interest and warmth for those passing time. One of the most significant but unbearably bizarre transportation, but not T-related, art controversies uncomfortable "chairs" and concerned an exhibit at the Transportation Building consisting of "benches" at the Downtown toilets in a ring topped with copies of the Congressional Record.

Crossing (nee Washington Events during the year revealed little of what the future Street) station. The instal- might hold. Several service decisions were put on hold lation of "Pythagoras, Keppler including the 1 1 year old question of what sort of permanent and Galileo" by Paul Matisse service will run down Washington Street now that the elevated is (Henri's grandson) in the just a memory. Arborway residents, coping with the second Kendall Square station rang major "reconstruction" of Huntington Avenue in a decade, have bells with riders, who are been left hanging over whether full or partial trolley service will usually given time to practice. be restored. Announcement of a decision has inexplicably been postponed several times and a timeline for the final

word is still unknown. Some predictions for '89: commuter boat and commuter rail will continue to increase in popularity. The Green Line "rush hour" will expand from eight to ten hours per day. Red Line rides will still be an

exercise in patience and forbearance. It will be harder and harder to find parking along any T service lines. Buses will continue to travel mostly empty (except during the peak of rush hour) and will follow schedules known only to God. The Watertown temporary experiment will complete yet another year of experimental service. Riders will continue to enjoy

the system for only a fraction of what it costs to

transport them. Tourists will never figure out what it costs to ride the Green Line. Donald Trump, Robert Campeau and/or a foreign cartel will attempt to buy some or all of the T, but the deal will fall through when the paperwork gets lost on the Red Line.

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The Advisor January. 1989 The average evening Passage (from page 1) wait is twice that of the capacity. morning, just under seven When the Southwest minutes, but well within the Corridor opened in April, promised "eight minutes or 1987, many people who had less" on the public schedule. taken the El found it more The average wait is convenient to take the #49 somewhat deceptive, though, bus from Dudley to downtown since the standard deviation instead of the new Orange of observations is four Line. Observations along minutes, giving regular riders route 49 indicate that service common waits of up to 1 is more erratic, slower minutes. Evening bunching moving, but less congested was rare from our observation than on the Orange Line. Of point near the beginning of 152 morning and evening bus the route. The use of a starter runs observed, only eight may well be key to the better (5.2%) travelled at crush load, pacing in the evening. The 13 (8.5%) were full and the Advisory Board's 1986 study remainder had room for more of MBTA bus reliability found people. Sixty of the 152 trips service less variable when a noted (39.4%) actually had supervisor was stationed at a empty seats let alone route end point. Route 49 standing room. This may be service is distributed fairly because "bunching" (one bus quarters minutes apart on evenly throughout the entire following closely behind average with a standard rush hour, and crowding another) is chronic and arrival deviation of over three seems to depend on time times are minutes. The typical morning predictably elapsed between buses unpredictable. arrival pattern in downtown rather than time of day. Morning service is was back to back buses All in all daily scheduled for every six followed by a six or seven commuters in the Southwest minutes or less, but buses minute interval and then two Corridor area, whether they actually arrive three and three more back to back buses. ride bus or subway, enjoy some of the best service in the T disthct -- at least during rush hour. Field work and analysis for the study were put together by Service Committee members Susan Bregman and David Dao representing Boston and staff member Bob Blake. Observations took place in June, September and October 1988.

6 The Advisor January. 1989

Hearings (from page 3) Southside (from page 3) are not washed in the cold months because there is percentage than that for outer and light maintenance of currently no indoor washing zone commuters. southside trains. It will be facility on the southside. Suggestions on how a designed so that heavier Winter washing is limited to reallocation might look were work, such as changing times when trains are handed in by several traction motors and wheel brought to the BET for commuters. sets, can be performed as maintenance or repair. MBTA figures well. M. DeMatteo The new facility will collected in October show Construction Company of also benefit riders to the that 36,181 inbound North Quincy, the company north. Current T practice passengers ride commuter which completed the two year distributes older trains and rail on a typical weekday. reconstruction of the locomotives which are prone Despite some legitimate Southeast Expressway, has to breakdown to the

complaints, ridership been chosen to build the new northside where, if a continues to grow at a rapid facility. DeMatteo was the breakdown occurs, they can clip, up almost 7% over the lowest of three bidders for the be more easily shunted into July 1988 count. Roughly job. the BET. Once the new 60% of system riders use the The new facility will facility is completed, more southside system; the give southside riders an even assignment of new remainder, the north. automatic train washer, an rolling stock should be the Twenty-five of the 71 people added bonus. Regular norm. who testified used trains out commuters from the south Construction is of South Station; the have long commented on the scheduled to begin shortly remaining 46 speakers were grimy train windows, and is expected to take two from communities to the particularly in the winter. years. north. Cars based south of Boston

Budget (from page 3) expenses." In its analysis of solutions the Finance members voiced concern that ANNUAL MEETING Committee stated, "It is clear the State's subsidy was that if the T is to increase its growing at an accelerating MBTA ADVISORY income significantly, the rate while other sources of BOARD Authority must look to fare income were not revenue." MBTA fares aggressively explored, fares account for 90% of T income remained constant, and and according to an Advisory assessments from District February 6, 1989 Board survey are among the cities and towns were lowest in North America. 1:00 p.m. capped under Proposition 2 They have not been raised 1/2. In their report the State Transportation Finance Committee since 1981. The Finance Building expressed the belief "that in Committee's report on the light of the growing FY90 MBTA budget is competition for state dollars, o election of officers available from the Advisory the State and the district Board Office at 120 Boylston o presentation by ij communities will be unwilling

' Street. Service Committee to increase annually their

support of the T if fare income l| and other T revenues continue to lag so far behind 7 SHORT RUtm

winter barrenness of both making the $14 dollar THE FOG CREEPS IN ... bargain a basement special! Daily bus riders have been Back Bay station and the queuing up for eye exams State Transportation Building. because many have failed to SCATTERED CLOUDS .. master the T's hi-tech (and Patchy collection practices fading) eye chart, the RTS UMBRELLA WEATHER ... At also haunt commuter rail destination sign. recent hearings commuters using the Ipswich line told of where tales of crowded the need to unfold their conditions and trainmen's spoked instruments inside failure to collect fares are BAROMETER FALLING ... becoming common place. Storm warnings are up, but the train as well as out to find fare weather will prevail protection from the elements. according to our expert WINTER DOLDRUMS ... sources.

Precipitated by the absence I A NEW [AF]FRONT FORMS ... One of our western sources. of decisions on Arborway and Washington Street replace- A BREATH OF FRESH AIR... Deep Drain, reports that at ment service, this disease Yuletide decorations and least 50% of Green Line lingers and fear arises that it friendly vendors have added drivers are unfamiliar with the may mutate into the chronic a welcome warmth as well as $1 .50 ten-ride ticket and fail to "Watertown" strain. consumer convenience to the punch a ride on the ticket.

MBTA Advisory Board Bulk Rate 120 Boylston Street U.S. POSTAGE Boston, MA 02116-4604 PAID BOSTON, MA PERMIT NO. 59706

University of Massachusetts Government Documents University Library Amherst, MA 01003