MBTA=clusterfrick
Jun. 10th, 2003 10:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
strangeanimal... how not to run a railroad, starring the fine folks at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Association.
at 5:15ish this evening, somebody killed themselves by lying down on the commuter train tracks a few stops from our stop. MBTA regs require them to shut down the line on both sides between the stations in question (one and two stops from our stop).
Rox and I were taking the 5:45 train home. normally, if the train people know that there's going to be a delay further up the line, you'd announce something before people get on at the first stop, right? not in Boston.
a few minutes into the trip, *then* they announce what happened, and that the train is going to be delayed TWO TO THREE HOURS, and that everyone has to get off at the stop before the incident. and that there might be buses to take people further, they don't know.
the buses actualy came pretty quickly, so that wasn't so bad. they drove to the next train stop only... at which point, everyone had to get back ON a train (which was "stuck" inbetween our stop and that one)to get to our stop, which is the end of the line.
and it gets better... they had everyone board the train through ONE DOOR. single file. a few hundred people.
we got home about an hour-and-a-half later than we usually do.
the thing that pissed me off the most is that there was no announcement back in Boston. if there had been, we could've made alternate arrangements instead of being aggravated for over two hours.
the more information you give commuters when a delay happens, the better they can figure out a way around it.
... end of rant.
at 5:15ish this evening, somebody killed themselves by lying down on the commuter train tracks a few stops from our stop. MBTA regs require them to shut down the line on both sides between the stations in question (one and two stops from our stop).
Rox and I were taking the 5:45 train home. normally, if the train people know that there's going to be a delay further up the line, you'd announce something before people get on at the first stop, right? not in Boston.
a few minutes into the trip, *then* they announce what happened, and that the train is going to be delayed TWO TO THREE HOURS, and that everyone has to get off at the stop before the incident. and that there might be buses to take people further, they don't know.
the buses actualy came pretty quickly, so that wasn't so bad. they drove to the next train stop only... at which point, everyone had to get back ON a train (which was "stuck" inbetween our stop and that one)to get to our stop, which is the end of the line.
and it gets better... they had everyone board the train through ONE DOOR. single file. a few hundred people.
we got home about an hour-and-a-half later than we usually do.
the thing that pissed me off the most is that there was no announcement back in Boston. if there had been, we could've made alternate arrangements instead of being aggravated for over two hours.
the more information you give commuters when a delay happens, the better they can figure out a way around it.
... end of rant.
