Charlie's Mailbag - March 9th

checking the mailbag at charlieonthembta@gmail.com

I have been having some problems with my wireless card in California so that is the reason the blog has been updating later in the day back East as I have been forced to use the San Francisco Public Library ( which is quite nice and modern )

Andy thinks the "new" North Station could be better

I know this is ungrateful, especially after the T worked so hard to improve the plight of space-constrained North Station commuters...but I have a question/complaint about the cosmetics of the new and improved station.

What's with the black and tan ceiling and walls? The gray columns? Why the stygian darkness? Perhaps it complements the outer decor of the platforms and provides an optical transition as one hustles to or from the brightly lit inner hallway. It will hide the dirt. Maybe the T doesn't want people hanging around, clogging up the waiting area. I doubt there's much potential for that. But I don't think it would have hurt to use brighter hues, even a little white to turn a gloomy space into a less gloomy space.

The North Station do-over had a lot of potential for dulling my South Station envy, but so far I'm not sure we made much progress here.

I'd be happy to volunteer on the paint detail if the T should change its mind. I also know a real 'fab' interior decorator who can work miracles. One is needed here.

Andy from Ipswich

The T is not responsible for North Station. The new improvements were done by the Delaware North Company of Buffalo who owns the Garden. Hopefully it will be a bit brighter when the new retail shops that are promised open.

Amy wonders what is causing slowdowns on the Orange Line

Hi Charlie,
I've been riding the orange line ever since I can remember, and
recently I've noticed that, going inbound and outbound between
Sullivan Square and Community College, the train slows down
considerably. At this part in the track, the train is on a bridge and
its leaning quite a bit to one side. It's always leaned like that but
never gone so slow over that one part as it has in the past few
months. Any reason for this?
Love your blog!
-Amy

I don't have the answer but I am pretty certain somebody will let us know in short order.

Ian writes in about the T's trip planner

I'm a huge fan of your blog, and especially of the Boston Transit Camp idea, which I think would be a lot of fun. I wanted to write you with a quick comment about the T's new web site.

It's obvious that the T (or TransitWorks; whoever is in charge of the site) wanted to give the new MBTA.com that "Web 2.0" look and feel, so they went ahead and built a new trip planner that uses Google Maps to show routes and station/stop locations. It's a great idea, and I'm sure it looked great on paper, but as we all know their implementation leaves much to be desired.

Earlier today I was reading the official Google Blog and I almost jumped out of my seat. There was a post about the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festival (http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/music-movies-mayhem-and-metro.html) wherein the author mentioned that they've added Austin, TX to the Google Transit Trip Planner. (!?!?!)

Yes, that's right, Google built their own Public Transit trip planner. It's been around for a while, too -- here's the official launch announcement from December 2005 (http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2005/12/public-transit-via-google.html).

Currently it only contains information for transit agencies in 10 cities, but if you read the FAQ (http://www.google.com/help/faq_transit.html) they very clearly outline the process by which agencies can make their own data available to Google:
"4. My agency has public transportation data for my city; how can I get it included in the Google Transit Trip Planner?"If you're at a public agency that oversees public transportation for your city and would like your data to be included, please contact us at labs-transit_content@google.com.

The Google Transit Feed Specification http://code.google.com/transit/spec/transit_feed_specification.htm describes how to provide transit data in a format that Google Transit Trip Planner can use."So while they were busy attempting to reinvent the wheel, the T could easily have just handed their data over to Google and let the search company do all the work for them. I'm willing to bet this wouldn't have cost them a penny, and when all was said and done they would've had a system that, in addition to properly calculating routes, would even compare the cost of the trip with the approximate cost of making the same trip in a car. Instead we have a poorly-coded, poorly-tested clunk-factory that hates Fridays and wants to route every Red Line rider through JFK.

Harumph

I have no doubt that the smart people in Mountain View, CA could have devised a first class trip planner.

T Tales: The T's trip planner strikes again

Jared writes us at charlieonthembta@gmail.com. All he wanted to do was go from Brookline to South Station.

As if you don't already get this enough, you've got a great blog going. I'm originally from the San Francisco Bay Area so witnessing all the ridiculousness that goes on with the MBTA has been pretty eye-opening.

At any rate, I have a story to share. A friend of mine was arriving in Boston at the Greyhound station in Chinatown and I was supposed to go pick her up. No problem, I thought. I punched in my station (Brookline Village) and the address of the bus station (700 Atlantic Ave) and let the trip planner do its thing. Since the trip planner defaults to "Minimize transfers," this is what it gave me:

Itinerary 1 - Approx. 31 mins.

* Take Green- D Line - Government Ctr To Boylston Station
Approx. 1:41 PM Depart from Brookline Village Station - Inbound
Approx. 1:56 PM Arrive at Boylston Station - Inbound
*Walk For 16 Mins. To 700 Atlantic Ave, Boston, Ma

Alright, fair enough. That seems pretty simple. Except I didn't like the "Walk For 16 Mins." thing. That seemed like kind of a drag, especially since I'm not from Boston and have no idea how to get around. So I tried it again, this time selected "Minimize walking," and hit submit. Well, I got some fairly different results the second time.

Itinerary 1 - Approx. 52 mins.

* Take Green- D Line - Government Ctr To Park St Station
Approx. 1:41 PM Depart from Brookline Village Station - Inbound
Approx. 1:57 PM Arrive at Park St Station - Green Line Eastbound
* Take Red Line - Braintree Sta To Jfk/umass Braintree - Outbound
Approx. 2:06 PM Depart from Park St Station - to Ashmont/Braintree
Approx. 2:16 PM Arrive at JFK/UMASS Braintree - Outbound
* Take Red Line - Alewife Sta To South Station
Approx. 2:23 PM Depart from JFK/UMASS Braintree - Inbound
Approx. 2:30 PM Arrive at South Station - Inbound
* Walk For 3 Mins. To 700 Atlantic Ave, Boston, Ma

This struck me as a little bit odd - why would I have to take the Red Line to JFK/UMass only to turn around and get on a train going the other way to get off at South Station? Well, I wasn't familiar with the Red Line; in fact, the only time I've ever taken the Red Line was later that night on my way back home again. At that point, I assumed you couldn't get off going outbound at South Station. So, I went with what I thought would be simpler - taking the Green Line to Boylston and walking. Well, it wasn't.

See, the Trip Planner doesn't give you walking directions unless you select "Print Itinerary," which I didn't know. And guess what? Instead of walking east on Boylston and then Essex, I walked north on Tremont, thinking I was actually walking EAST on Tremont. I got hopelessly lost, and after I finally found Atlantic Avenue (at the corner of Atlantic and Richmond), I managed to lose it again about five minutes later without realizing I'd changed streets.

There's a point to this rambling story, and the point is that the trip planner is total garbage. I'm not mad for the planner telling me to get off at Boylston and walk; that met the parameters I set, and it's my own fault for not walking the right direction to begin with. I'm pissed because, when I tried to make it so that I didn't have to walk, it made me go all the way to JFK/UMass and then get off and back on going the other way. Now that I actually know how the Red Line works (yes, you CAN stop at South Station in both directions), I have to ask: why even bother? If you can't do it right, maybe you shouldn't do it at all. That sentiment seems to be echoed throughout your blog.

Jared

PS - I got an itinerary from Park St to South Station on the Red Line. I wonder why it works when you don't change trains?

Take Red Line - Ashmont Sta To South Station
Approx. 1:45 PM Depart from Park St Station - to Ashmont/Braintree
Approx. 1:49 PM Arrive at South Station - Outbound

Welcome to Boston Jared. I actually will be in the Bay Area as of Monday evening.

The trip planner has way too many quirks about it to be considered reliable.

I just tried it and used the landmarks option and it did have an option for the Greyhound Station but guess what????? Here is what it just spit out

Take Green- D Line - Government Ctr To Boylston Station view route
Approx. 12:21 PM Depart from Brookline Village Station - Inbound Approx. 12:36 PM Arrive at Boylston Station - Inbound
Walk For 15 Mins. To Bus - Greyhound Terminal (boston)

Walk approx. 1 block E on Boylston St.Bear right on Boyleston Sq.Walk a short distance SE on Boyleston Sq.Turn right on Washington St.Walk a short distance S on Washington St.Turn left on Beach St.Walk approx. 3 blocks E on Beach St.

Again this used the default option of "minimize transfers" and "use all services". I pity the poor tourist with bags wandering around Chinatown looking for the bus station.

It really is time to take this planner off-line and go back to the old one until they can work these bugs out. It has been almost THREE months now.

Charlie's Mailbag - March 2nd - fare vending machine snafu

From the mailbag at charlieonthembta@gmail.com

all Shelby wanted to do was buy a monthly pass

You would think that by now that the MBTA would realize they are going to have increased use of their kiosks on the 1st of each month as users purchase monthly passes. Why then does it seem that the kiosks will never link to the credit card or debit card system on the first morning of each month. Shouldn't the MBTA increase their bandwidth to the system at this time each month? I spent 20 minutes in line yesterday only to go through the system,wait for it to authorize my account, for it to say it couldn't connect. So I asked the guard what I should do and his only response to me and everyone around me was to use cash.

Like most people I don't carry wads of cash around with me anymore. So I put 2 dollars in, enough to get me to work and left very frustrated. Many people didn't have any cash on them at all and it took the guard 5-10 minutes before he realized he would have to start letting people through. If he knew all this was going on, why didn't he make anannouncement to the crowd that the credit/debit card system was down?This would have helped alleviate the confusion and frustration.To add to my frustration I checked my bank balance today and sure enough I was charged $59 for a T-Link pass which I do not have on my Charlie Card. I then had to spend 30 minutes on the phone with my bank to get the charges reversed. I encourage anyone who experience the same issue I did yesterday to check their bank balance just in case. I wish I could bill my lost time to the MBTA.

-Shelby

Shelby you are not alone with this problem as I have heard from three other commuters who were charged for a pass that wasn't issued either.

This logjam at the machines "should" improve when the T finally allows people to update their card on the T's website but given what has happened the past 2 months with the new website you have to wonder if it will be able to handle the traffic. I am looking forward to just having the T automatically charge my bankcard every month but last I heard that is "sometime in the spring"

David ponders one of the T's great mysteries

The sight of three number 1 buses traveling together down Mass Ave in Cambridge (or on virtually any other bus line for that matter) has become such a common sight that many people might just dismiss it and not ask, how can three buses possibly be backed up together? Rumor has it that, surprise, it is not just mere coincidence but, rather, the result of bus drivers who park their buses together to have a coffee break! What with camera phones and all, have you seen any pictures offered by riders of these bus driver tea parties?

I have always thought they have a card game going.

The worst route for this might well be the #66. Since they added buses at rush hour in late December I have regularly seen 3 and sometimes FOUR buses bunched together. One thing I noticed in Chicago is the CTA does have inspectors standing along the route and will hold a bus to prevent bunching. The T said they WERE going to do this starting with the December 30th schedule change but I have yet to see an inspector on the #66.

T is having some problems Wednesday afternoon

Mac Daniel is reporting delays on the Blue and Green Line (Boston College line)

I have tried to get updates at www.mbta.com and the site is not loading as of 3:45 PM

and the Fung Wah has another accident at the Allston tolls

I would like to know if others are having problems with accessing the T website

Charlie's Mailbag - February 7th - T refunds and commuter rail woes

from the mailbag at charlieonthembta@gmail.com

Kelly wonders why the T gave her too much money back

Charlie:

And we wonder why the T is bankrupt?

About two months ago (before the new fare increase,) I filed an on-time complaint about a D-Line inbound train during morning rush hour. I got my refunded fare in the mail yesterday, and it was … $5. Isn’t this a little much to be refunding? Not that I’m complaining, but … all I needed was my $3 fare back. If they are giving everyone more than they deserve, isn’t it a waste of money?

Also, a side note: during all the fury and madness on 1/31/07, I tried to log onto the new MBTA website to find out if my commuter rail train was going to be delayed. Surprise, surprise, I couldn’t load the webpage. And my internet was working just fine. Are they ever going to be able to handle many hits at once?

Love your site! Thank you for always watching out for us!

Hi Kelly and thanks for the nice words.

You are not the first person I have heard say this. I wonder if the refund department is simply sending out minimum refunds of $5. I have heard of some riders getting back CharlieTickets for their trouble. Does anybody else have a similar tale?

Why the T doesn't have a way of quickly adjusting their website to a text only when there is a high load factor I don't know. I know of many websites and message boards that do this regularly. It wasn't a good sign when boston.com announced the new website and 15 minutes later it crashed back in December and then what happened during the emergency last week shows they need to do something in peak times.

Peter wrote in on Monday morning about the Commuter Rail that day and I missed the email.

normally take the 8:21AM train from Swampscott. Due to the weather
this morning my wife gave me a ride to the station. We were sitting
in the car when all the sudden a train rolls in at 8:16. I quickly
hop out of the car and run to the platform and on to the train. What
I discovered resembled something that you would normally see in a
documentary on 3rd world country railway systems. People were packed
into the train worse then a 5PM E Green line car. I wound up standing
in the vestibule between cars packed with others unable to even turn
around. Others were in the space directly over the coupler. The
conductor did not even lower the stair cover and close the door. We
rode to Lynn with the door open and people hanging on for dear life.
When the train stopped we were finally able to get the stair cover
down and door closed for the rest of the trip. A dozen more people
tried to cram at Lynn in our door. All we needed was a few people
riding on the roof and hanging on the side and the 3rd world
transformation would have been complete.

I can only imagine the people waiting in the frigid temperatures this
AM for trains that never came or already passed (nobody really knows
which).

Sadly like death and taxes you know the Commuter Rail falls apart when it gets cold. You would think the T would be prepared for this after all these years but it continues to happen. We all know the information signs are useless but the T "promises" they are working on a new system.

In any event service has gotten worse since MBCR took over the operation of the Commuter Rail from Amtrak. Keep in mind the T didn't fire Amtrak, they walked away from bidding on the new contract.

MBCR's website proudly says

MBCR is a partnership among three leading transportation companies: Veolia Transportation, Bombardier and Alternate Concepts, Inc. It was chosen by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to manage and operate the Boston commuter rail system, effective July 1, 2003.

What it fails to mention is how members of this partnership have lost rail contracts in Europe over poor performance.

It should be very interesting at South Station this summer when the Greenbush line starts operation. While the T has put out a bid for new locomotives and passenger cars they won't be here for years and MBCR had trouble last summer keeping enough locomotives and cars in service.

Charlie's Mailbag: Jan 30th - bus #504, the trip planner and North Station

The mailbag at charlieonthembta@gmail.com has 3 items today

Greg from Watertown is unhappy with the 504 express bus

almost directly coinciding with the fare increase, the recent service on the 504 has been terrible.

first, the wait between buses at around 7:30-8am (on a weekday) is around 15 minutes. they advertise the buses run every 10 minutes or less during that time frame, which is just laughable. (it's also frustrating when you're standing in the cold and two 502's and three 57's pass you during your wait.)

second, for some reason, they're no longer using the "new" buses, including those fancy "double" buses. no, we're stuck in an old, trash-strewn bus that is filled to capacity before reaching newton corner. and even worse, the back doors don't fully close, so when we're zipping down the pike, the temperature on the bus feels like that of a meat locker.

real frustrating, especially in light of the fare increase.

thanks,
greg, Watertown ma

Greg the bad news is the 60 foot buses have been reassigned to Jamaica Plain (the #32 route). The T only has a limited number of the 60 footers and they are found mostly on the Silver Line-Washington, Silver Line-Waterfront and the #39 Back Bay-Forest Hills route that replaced the Arborway trolleys some 20 years ago. The T currently has no plans to order any more of the 60 foot buses that are so popular in Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle and other cities. I know that drivers are not fond of them because they are extremely difficult to back up. So it appears that on your route you have smaller buses and less of them running. Maybe somebody out there can offer more info.

David was using the T's trip planner and is puzzled

On the whole, the new trip planner is good, but as the Orange Line problem showed, there are some issues. I have another one:

Currently, if you travel on the Worcester line from Newtonville to Yawkey or South Station it shows the fare as $2.25. If you travel to Back Bay it says the fare is $2.75 (?!). The actual fare is $4.25. I wrote to the T, but (naturally) received no response. Actually, according to the rules on the T web site it's not clear if the fare to Yawkey should be $2.25 or $4.50. No help from the T on figuring this out.

David

David, I than ran it to South Station and it quoted a fare of $ 2.25 as well.

Now Newtonville is considered Zone 1 ( West Newton and Auburndale are Zone 2 ) and it is supposed to be $ 4.25 one way. So it looks like another bug to squash in the trip planner. Another website note, The T should really include the zone number on each individual station page to make it easier for a rider to figure out the fare. Notice on the Newtonville page there is no mention that it is in Zone 1, you have to look elsewhere for the info.

finally we have Peg who would like to see something basic installed at North Station. Or simply turned on.

I, too am impressed with the progress at North Station, but I’m not about to toss any bouquets to the T or DNC, who were the ones who forced us into that ridiculously small waiting area in the first place. My real pet peeve, however is in the Green/Orange ‘super station”. On the main level where the tunnel across to N.Station is, hangs 2 commuter rail track monitors, exactly the same as the ones in North Station. They’ve been there, not turned on, since the super station opened. Last year, I inquired at the “Information” booth when they might be activated. The T employee told me it was a question for Commuter Rail, so I asked there. You can guess the rest – MBCR referred me back to the T, the Orange Line personnel said it was a Green Line issue and vice versa, and then ‘Customer Service” at MBCR actually told me that they are NOT monitors but security cameras! They’re stainless steel hooded TV’s!!

It seems to me that this is a simple matter of flipping a switch and could make a difference in my daily commute home; often times, running from the Orange line, it’s good to know if the train I’m rushing for is actually still in the station, also which end of North Station I should be running for!

Thanks for providing a place to vent!!

Thanks for sharing Peg.

I know the monitors that you speak of and it is obvious what they were intended for which makes all the sense in the world. But this is a classic case of the byzantine world that lives between the T's seperate divisions. The commuter rail to the rapid transit people simply don't exist. This probably goes back decades when they were run by separate companies but there seems to be little or no cooperation between the T divisions. Take a look at the #94 bus route that servers Medord and Somerville. It describes what areas it serves and also promises connections to the Red Line. But nowhere on that schedule does it mention that it connects with the Commuter Rail at West Medford. It becomes obvious that it does when you look at the map but the T ignores that. How hard could it be to tweak the 94 schedule so a passenger could get a decent transfer between the 2 lines? IF there was a reliable connection a passenger coming inbound from Lowell heading for Somerville or Cambridge could simply get off at West Medford and ride the bus to Davis and connect with the Red Line. Instead because the connection is not reliable that passenger has to travel all the way into North Station and then navigate back to the Red Line. This happens elsewhere in the system.

Nobody is asking for perfection from the T, but a little common sense could make every rider a little happier every day.

Globe says : T website is better, but still has quirks

Mac Daniel in the Sunday Globe takes another look at the T's new trip planner and mentions us.

The MBTA's new website failed at first but is now up and running well. It's quite a change, and all in all, despite some quirks, it's a step ahead of the T's last Web portal.

But there are problems. First, according to the charlieonthembta blog and others, the trip planner, which suggests routes using MBTA services, initially ignored the Orange Line for any trip taking place on a Friday. Go figure. This was fixed late last week.

But you can still get some surprising results if you don't properly tune the trip planner -- one of the site's most useful features.

We put in our home address in Andover as the starting point and the Globe as the destination. The site lets you choose options from three categories. We wanted our trip to "minimize transfers" and "use all services" and said we would be willing to walk a half-mile, the planner's default setting.

The planner produced two itineraries -- two very long and wrong itineraries that surprisingly ignored a key part of our normal trip -- the Red Line.

The first route: Haverhill commuter rail to North Station to Orange Line to Ruggles to the No. 8 bus to JFK/UMass. Total time: 122 minutes.

The second: Haverhill line to North Station to Orange Line to Jackson Square to the No. 41 bus to JFK/UMass. Total time: 119 minutes.

Change the settings to "minimize time" and "use all services" with the half-mile walking distance, and the planner has you taking the Orange to the Red Line, getting off at Andrew, and taking the No. 16 bus to JFK/UMass. Total time: 98 minutes.

The quickest trip, which used commuter rail and the Orange and Red Lines the way we do, was found by minimizing time, using rail only, and setting a walking distance of three-quarters of a mile. Total time: 89 minutes.

Why the differences?

Seems this trip planner is so sensitive that the walking distance selected can have a big impact on the trip.

T officials said that when the trip planner ignored the Red Line, "It yielded [that result] because it literally found the closest T service 1/2 mile or less to 135 William T. Morrissey Boulevard, the Globe's address." That happened to be a bus stop.

"We in fact have a T bus that goes closer to the address than any Red Line station," officials said in an e-mail .

Seems the JFK/UMass bus stop is 0.44 miles from the Globe and the JFK subway station is 0.6 miles away.

"Therefore, the trip plan was correct based upon the walking distance parameter specified," officials said.

Officials acknowledged that they need better instructions on the trip planner page to alert readers about this sensitivity. Your suggestions are welcome, dear readers. Officials were working to make the change. You, too, should make a note.

Over at the Boston Community on Live Journal Stan writes about using the trip planner to go from Prudential Station to 640 Tremont St in the South End. It is a doozy.

The Orange Line has been found (updated 1/19)

universalhub.com is reporting that the T's Trip Planner has been fixed.

By adamg on Fri, 01/19/2007 - 12:31pm
.
The T has fixed that Friday Orange Line trip-planner glitch on mbta.com, so now, when you tell it you want to get from Oak Square to Forest Hills on a Friday, it sends you on a direct, 33-minute Orange Line ride instead of a hellish two-hour trek involving four bus lines.

Caveat: You have to type "Forest Hills Station" into the planner. If you just stupidly type "Forest Hills," you'll get back a list of lots of Foresty, Hilly possibilities in JP and then, when you select "Forest Hills station," the thing spits back a list of places in Stoneham.


An update on our report last week that the T's trip planner doesn't know the Orange Line exists on Friday. 5 days later it still hasn't been fixed.

Once again I asked it to plan a trip from the Central Sq subway stop in Cambridge to the Green Street Station in Jamaica Plain and once again it routed me by bus. The second choice borders on hysterical.

• Itinerary 2 - Approx. 80 mins.

Print Itineraries

Itinerary 1 - 60 mins.

• Walk For 3 Mins. To Massachusetts Ave & Pearl St
  Walk approx. 1 block SE on Massachusetts Ave.
  Turn right on Pearl St.
  Walk a short distance SW on Pearl St.
  
  
• 47 Broadway Sta Via Boston Med Ctr view route
  8:30 PM Depart from Massachusetts Ave & Pearl St
  8:51 PM Arrive at Dudley Station - Harvard Side
  
  
• 42 Forest Hills Sta Via Washington St view route
  9:15 PM Depart from Dudley Station - Allston Side
  9:22 PM Arrive at Washington St & Green St
  
  
• Walk For 5 Mins. To Green Street
  Walk a short distance SW on Washington St.
  Turn right on Green St.
  Walk approx. 1 block NW on Green St.
  Turn left on Brookside Ave.
  Walk a short distance SW on Brookside Ave.
  
  

• Cost:

  Regular fare	Senior/Disabled fare
  $3.00	$0.80

  
  

Itinerary 2 - Approx. 80 mins.

• Take Red Line - Braintree Sta To Jfk/umass Braintree - Outbound view route
  Approx. 8:22 PM Depart from Central Sq - Inbound
  Approx. 8:39 PM Arrive at JFK/UMASS Braintree - Outbound
• 41 Centre & Eliot Sts Via Dudley Sta & Jackson Sta view route
  9:01 PM Depart from Columbia Rd & JFK/UMASS Station
  9:26 PM Arrive at Centre St & Myrtle St
• Walk For 16 Mins. To Green Street

I figured after 2 full work days the problem would be corrected since it was well publicized on many blogs over the weekend. I stand corrected.

original post from Friday evening
got a note in the mailbag from John at http://mailto:charlieonthembta@gmail.com concerning the T's new trip planner

Thought you might find this interesting if you haven't observed it
already. The MBTA trip planner is completely incapable of recognizing
the existence of the Orange Line if you plan a trip on Friday. Try
planning a trip from Oak Grove to Forest Hills today (or any future
Friday) and it takes 4 legs and 2 hours or more. I sent them an email
last week, but no response yet.
Thanks for the site,

Well that is weird so I tried it out with a "simple" request. I requested a trip next Friday the 19th to go from the Central stop on the Red Line to the Green St stop on the Orange.

It sends you by bus

• Itinerary 1 - -1376 mins.
• Itinerary 2 - -1383 mins.

Print Itineraries

Itinerary 1 - -1376 mins.

• Walk For 3 Mins. To Massachusetts Ave & Pearl St
  Walk approx. 1 block SE on Massachusetts Ave.
  Turn right on Pearl St.
  Walk a short distance SW on Pearl St.
• 1 Dudley Sta Via Mass Ave view route
  11:56 PM Depart from Massachusetts Ave & Pearl St
  12:15 AM Arrive at Dudley Station - Harvard Side
• 42 Forest Hills Sta Via Washington St view route
  12:45 AM Depart from Dudley Station - Allston Side
  12:52 AM Arrive at Washington St & Green St
• Walk For 5 Mins. To Green Street
  Walk a short distance SW on Washington St.
  Turn right on Green St.
  Walk approx. 1 block NW on Green St.
  Turn left on Brookside Ave.
  Walk a short distance SW on Brookside Ave.

• Cost:

  Regular fare	Senior/Disabled fare
  $3.00	$0.80

How do you lose an entire subway line?

Will somebody tell the T the Harvard Busway is closed

Even away from Boston for the weekend in "chilly" San Diego (46 degrees but sunny GO PATS!!) the mailbag at charlieonthembta@gmail.com brings a comment from Allison in Medford.

I ride the 96 bus from Medford to Harvard Square daily and I signed up on the T's website to get personal alerts for the routes I take. This morning I looked and everything appeared normal with a green check mark next to the route. But it turned out that the busway in Harvard Square is closed for repairs and will be until Tuesday and the bus ends at Cambridge Common and coming home I need to board the bus at the Johnson Gate which until today I had no idea what or where it was. Would this not be considered either an alert or advisory?

Well I would certainly think that qualifies as something that should be reported and the picture you sent shows the T considers it a "sevice advisory". The ever helpful service alert page at the MBTA's website says the following

Service Updates
MBTA Services are constantly updated through our operations center. Please check here regularly for up-to-the-minute updates on every transit service as well as elevators and escalators.
Click on any Transit mode below to read more about any active transit alert or advisory.
« Back to Service Updates

This closure affects not only the 96 but the 72,74,75,77 and 78 as well. The T has signs posted at Harvard but there is no excuse for not having anything on the website especially considering it was planned closure. The customers on these routes are among the most wired people in the city and the most likely to check the website. There simply is no excuse for this information not being on the T's website.

The T's public relation department was aware however as boston.com ( and I'm told the print edition as well ) has a picture of the closed busway in Mac Daniel's Starts and Stops for Sunday. More on that column after the game.

The T's new trip planner

I have been playing with the T's new trip planner and overall I give it high marks. One thing that needs to be adjusted is the walk times which seem twice as long as they should be. ( and I'm not a fast walker ) In test runs I have made it seems to be giving the correct information of which routes to take and the travel times themselves seem accurate.

Under "Select Landmark Type" I would suggest a list of hotels that would make it easier for tourists and the list of "attractions" needs to be increased. For example it might be a good idea to include Fenway Park and TD Banknorth Garden to the list. However it shows great potential so let us see how they tweak it the next few weeks.

To get a better feel on the trip planner let us take a look at some other cities.

New York City just updated their trip planner and it doesn't load maps unless asked. Please note that New York transit has a new web address http://www.mta.info/

Chicago's doesn't offer maps but offers consise info. Chicago is also testing bus tracking on the web and with a PDA. Chicago is using a company called Clever Devices for GPS which the T no longer uses as was explained here.

In the San Francisco Bay Area all the local transit options are combined at one site. The SF Muni also is giving real time info on select routes.

Washington Metro seems easy to use.

SEPTA in Philadelphia is simply awful but then again if you rode SEPTA you would never complain about the T ever again.

The trip planners in Los Angeles and Seattle

Toronto offers NOTHING in the way of online trip planning but that maybe better than Montréal which is very confusing

Point is let us give the T praise for at least trying to bring online trip planning to a new level. There is nothing else better out there at least in North America as of now.