(The following article by Lucas Wall was posted on the Boston Globe website on June 22.)
BOSTON — Two years after a private contractor took over running MBTA commuter rail service, more trains are arriving on time, but the contractor is still not meeting the required standards.
The Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co. has logged an average monthly on-time rate of 92.5 percent, while its $1 billion, five-year contract with the MBTA says that ”trains shall always arrive on or ahead of schedule.” In the 23 months it has run the trains, it has never met the 100 percent on-time goal, according to monthly records obtained by the Globe from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
When it sought a new operator of the commuter trains, the T demanded better performance than Amtrak had provided. In its final year, Amtrak’s on-time rate was 90.7 percent. Amtrak’s contract called for a 95 percent on-time standard; Mass. Bay Commuter Railroad has met that goal only one month since it took over. A train is considered on time if it arrives at its destination within five minutes of the scheduled time.
”They are better than Amtrak, but they are not as good as we want them to be,” MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas said yesterday. ”We are improving, but our customers’ expectations are not being met.”
A spokeswoman acknowledged yesterday that Mass. Bay Commuter Railroad must improve, but blamed last winter’s massive snowfall for a dip in on-time performance. In its first year, 93.3 percent of trains ran on schedule. In the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, on-time performance has dropped to 91.7 percent.
”Our goal is 100 percent on-time performance every day,” said Tara Frier, spokeswoman for the company. ”Obviously the company has a long way to go to make that goal, but I think they are taking steps to improve the service.”
Late trains mean lost revenue for both the T and its contractor, which is a consortium of three companies: Connex North America, Bombardier, and Alternate Concepts Inc., a consulting firm formed by a former T general manager.
The transit agency paid 200,622 claims to passengers for late commuter trains run by Mass. Bay Commuter Railroad through March 31. The T issues vouchers, which can be redeemed for a free round-trip or cash, when riders file claims for rides that arrive 30 or more minutes late. Round-trip fares range from $2.50 to $12.
The T has fined the consortium $1.125 million for its tardy service since January 2004. Under the agreement, fines range from $250 for a late off-peak train to $2,000 for a canceled peak train unless excused by circumstances outside the contractor’s control. Mass. Bay Commuter Railroad got a six-month grace period when its contract began.
Frier said the company agreed in the contract to be fined for late trains so it would be accountable to riders. Some penalties are in dispute, however. She could not cite a specific dollar amount.
Besides keeping trains on schedule, the contract calls on the firm to maintain the tracks and equipment, dispatch most of the lines, and keep trains and stations clean. There are fines for safety defects and other problems.
Boston has the nation’s fifth-largest commuter rail system. Only two New York networks, New Jersey’s, and Chicago’s carry more people than the T’s 138,000 average daily riders, roughly 69,000 people making round-trip commutes each workday. The T’s commuter rail system runs 465 trains per day on 13 lines.
Customer surveys conducted in the fall of 2003 and 2004 indicate about 80 percent of riders are ”satisfied” or ”very satisfied” with their commute, Frier said.
”It takes time to implement significant improvements,” she said. ”We’ve already made some improvements to the system and will continue to work cooperatively with the MBTA to make commuter rail the most efficient, clean, and comfortable ride in town.
”We expect to post even stronger numbers by our next anniversary.”
Riders interviewed boarding trains home yesterday afternoon at South Station said they have noticed improvement in the past two years but remain frustrated by cold-weather delays.
”It’s better now that Amtrak stopped running it,” said Dan Kiley of Norton. But he added, ”It’s much worse in the winter.”
Scott Masson of Attleboro said he encounters fewer delays on the trains than on the highways. ”Once every six months you’ll have a significant delay,” he said of his train trips. ”But when you compare that to the expressway, every day is a nightmare on the expressway.”
T managers had grown weary of the late and poorly maintained trains under the Amtrak contract, and they sought other bidders in 2002. Amtrak decided not to bid for the service, which it had operated for the transportation authority since 1986, saying the contract terms made it financially impossible.
The T’s new agreement with Mass. Bay Commuter Railroad made it the largest US commuter rail provider to privatize its operations, setting up a model other agencies are watching. Cost savings over the life of the five-year contract are expected to top $100 million, Grabauskas said.
”We believe we are getting better — not as good as we want, but better — service for less money, ” he said.
Grabauskas, who took over as T general manager last month, said one of his top goals is improving the punctuality of all transit service.
The authority, which owns the tracks and equipment it leases to the commuter rail contractor, must continue making capital upgrades to make on-time performance easier to attain, he said.
The T will ask its board next month to authorize a $24 million project to rehabilitate half the commuter rail coaches, improving the mechanics as well as customer comforts such as restrooms and air-conditioning.
”The overall on-time performance should be continuing to increase, and I have confidence that MBCR is doing their part,” Grabauskas said.
Frier said the consortium has stressed to its conductors the need to keep customers informed of delays, and it will continue striving to prevent them.
”The company is working hard to make sure that people have a safe, reliable, and decent commute every single day,” she said.