(The Associated Press circulated the following article on May 18.)
BOSTON — Boston-area commuters tired of straining and squinting to see through dirty, cloudy and scratched windows on MBTA commuter rail trains will soon be getting some relief.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority plans on replacing about 6,000 windows on about 200 rail coaches over the next year, general manager Daniel A. Grabauskas said on Wednesday.
Commuters will start noticing the changes almost at once, as the 8:43 a.m. train from Haverhill to North Station on Thursday is the first with the new windows.
The clearer windows were promised in 2003, but were not approved until September as part of a $2.5 million program approved by the MBTA’s board of directors. But so far, only about 300 windows considered a safety risk have been replaced.
The window replacement program is part of a larger upgrade in commuter rail service, which could soon see rate increases of more than 20 percent, Grabauskas said.
Other improvements planned for the next 18 months or so include new bathrooms, new air conditioning units, and new suspensions for a smoother ride.
All the improvements were mentioned by commuters in talks with Grabauskas, he said.
“But time and time again, the inability to see through the windows came up,” he said.
Some of the polycarbonate windows are 19 years old and so difficult to see through because of age, wear and exposure to ultraviolet light that riders have reported missing stops.
“You sort of have to guess looking out the foggy window whether you’re at Hyde Park or 128,” said Gretchen Barron of Stoughton, who rides the Providence line.