Equipment shortages & cancellations

[CRail]

More evidence of what you don't know...
1.) No, pay rates are comparable between railroad employees and MBTA employees. Paying employees less for profit does not make a cheaper operation, despite what the cronies who bought your support make you think.
2.) Railroad Retirement is a federal fund, separate from whatever T employees pay into. This would not change if the Commuter Rail were brought in house. SEPTA employees are in the same boat as [Keolis] employees.

...(e) the private company was offering the service to begin with but started to lose money (Boston Elevated Ry 20s, 30s, 40s; commuter rail after 1964).

Which of these apply to the T Commuter Rail?

E. The railroads began to abandon passenger service at an alarming rate so the Commonwealth had to start chipping in to keep the trains running. Finally, the MBTA was formed to assume the responsibility for the commuter trains since the railroads didn't want to run them anymore. The railroads were then contracted to run the services they previously owned, and eventually the entire system was consolidated to one company (B&M had the first exclusive contract). The T has never wanted to touch railroad operations other than to oversee it. I don't know why, especially since other outfits (NY MTA, SEPTA) have brought their operations in house, but the T won't do it. Someone mentioned the scape goat reason, and I think they're spot on. When the green line has a ton of derailments, the state agency has to eat that. When the railroad makes the logical decision of pulling a train that carries 75 people to run a trip that carries 900 people, and the newspaper says they're racist because they cancel a train on a line they can't get anyone to use despite insanely low headways and undercut fares, the T can simply jump on the bandwagon and say "Yeah, bad contractor!"

[BandA]

The state has a repeated history of not being able to manage things properly. Including contracts.

[ohalloranchris]

After the Boston Globe called out Keolis/MBTA for continuously cancelling Fairmount train 750 when there was an equipment shortage, it appears the Stoughton line is the new punching bag. Train 900 was cancelled 11/7 and 11/8. The afternoon of 11/7, train 919 was cancelled (5:50PM out of South Station, a very popular train). To further compound matters, train 917 (5:13PM out of South Station) ran Monday with 4 flats and one bi-level, versus the normal 4 bi-levels and 2 flats. Providence trains made unscheduled stops at 128 and Canton Junction, but they were overcrowded and delayed by the extra crowds and stops. What a mess...

[GP40MC1118]

Not surprising, when the politicians bark "jump", the T (No matter what makes more sense) asks how high!
Same thing with the Reading turns that was continually cancelled...

D

[ohalloranchris]

More of the same on Wednesday 11/9:

<<Stoughton Train 919 (5:50 pm from South Station) is cancelled today. Passengers should take Train 921 (6:15 pm from South Station).
more>
Later Today:

Prov Line: Train 827 will make additional stops at Route 128 & Canton Jct to accommodate passengers that take Train 919>>

[ohalloranchris]

From http://www.transithistory.org/roster/ :

<<Keolis will be sending up to 19 active single-level coaches held for 4-YR inspections to Delaware Car in Wilmington DE in order to catch up on a backlog of cars held for inspections.>>

[BostonUrbEx]

Seems most North Side sets are 4 cars now, weren't they typically 5 car sets prior to this crunch?

[Diverging Route]

Seems most North Side sets are 4 cars now, weren't they typically 5 car sets prior to this crunch?

Before the Rotems, there were 5Fs, 6Fs, and 7Fs.

Now, 4F/1R sets dominate. There are a number of four car sets (recently I've seen a few 3F/1R, 2F/2R, 1F/3R). There are also a few larger sets, including a 5F/1R and 4F/2R. Set compositions change often, as cars are swapped in and out for inspection, repair, etc.

[sery2831]

There are 14 FOUR car sets north, we are down a lot of cars.

[octr202]

There are 14 FOUR car sets north, we are down a lot of cars.

Ouch.

[jaymac]

I know anything is possible, but Beverly Scott's been gone for close to two years, so it's gonna take some real work to hang these problems on her.

[Backshophoss]

When is the cars "held for Inspection" get shipped out to Delaware?
Will PAR,CSX or Amtrak do the honors?

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

Does this include doing the much-delayed cab signal + PTC installations to the 1600-series cabs so they no longer have to be bottled-up exclusively north? I'm sure it's not helping this mix-and-match game of desperation to still be hamstrung by classes of equipment that are non-portable across the whole system.

[ohalloranchris]

Does this include doing the much-delayed cab signal + PTC installations to the 1600-series cabs so they no longer have to be bottled-up exclusively north? I'm sure it's not helping this mix-and-match game of desperation to still be hamstrung by classes of equipment that are non-portable across the whole system.

That's a good question F Line, particularly with the MBB 1500's becoming more and more rare...

[Arborwayfan]

Could Keolis (or the T) rent a whole set or two (locomotives and cars) from someone to ease the shortage while they catch up on inspections and repairs? I'm thinking of renting from IP, or the Providence and Worcester, or one of the many tourist lines within a couple hundred miles, or even from Canada (even if they are spare Canadian LD coaches), and keeping the foreign equipment together in a couple of trains so as not to have compatibility issues between coaches.

Operationally impossible b/c no heat and/or no ac?
Operationally impossible b/c crew training needed?
Operationally impossible b/c speed restrictions?
.... south side b/c no cab signals?
....b/c no cab cars?
....b/c equipment not in good enough condition for constant use?
....b/c equipment not up to ADA?
....b/c some other reason?

Too expensive/not enough incentive in the Keolis contract?
Tourist lines need all their cars in the Christmas season and obviously in the summer and leaf season?
Some other reason it can't work?