The jury is still out on Gov. Charlie Baker’s performance during the blizzard, though some are giving the rookie good grades at least for appearances. But one thing is certain as the region digs out: Same old T.
More than 24 hours after the last flurry fell, the commuter rail and subways were making the Thursday morning ride the commute from hell. Canceled trains, broken down equipment, slow rolls, and packed cars all made for the normal post-storm grumbling a little edgier.
New Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack, a staunch advocate of public transit, tore into Keolis, the new management company for the commuter rail line. Keolis, in its first test during a storm since winning the $2.8 billion management contract last summer, failed miserably. The French train operator canceled 28 of Wednesday morning’s scheduled trains and many more were delayed, giving the company a bleak 36 percent on-time record for the morning commute. It was a dismal performance that prompted Pollack midway through the day to put the company on notice.
“They signed on to a no-excuses contract and we’re going to be looking for a better performance this afternoon and on an ongoing basis over that contract,” Pollack said with Baker’s full support. By the end of the day, Keolis achieved a 40 percent on-time rating, still well below its usual 89 percent record, which has already triggered nearly $2 million in penalties for the company.
Keolis spokesman Mac Daniels pointed the finger back at the MBTA, saying it wasn’t the weather, per se, but the lousy T-owned equipment that continually broke down, not to mention the scores of new locomotives that had to be taken off-line recently because of faulty bearings. Sounds like an excuse.
But he has a point as the T struggled itself with equipment failures and delays along all stretches of its subway system. Officials had to evacuate a Red Line train at the Quincy Center station Thursday morning after smoke began filling one of the cars. The incident created some panic after the doors wouldn’t open and passengers had to kick out windows and help fellow travelers out. The train was taken out of service but it caused “severe delays,” according to T spokesman Joe Pesaturo.
Faulty switches also wreaked havoc with both commuter rail and the subway system. And let’s not even talk about Green Line cars along Huntington and Commonwealth avenues being ground to a halt by traffic riding along the rail lines because the streets didn’t have all lanes plowed.
It makes one wonder just what the prospects will be come time to bid for – and, if successful, host – the 2024 Olympics. Many of the plans are premised on public transit accessibility and both the organizers and public officials have said an upgraded system is necessary for everyday life anyway. Ya think?
But where will the money come from? Former Gov. Deval Patrick’s ambitious and costly plan to upgrade the state’s infrastructure was severely slashed by the Legislature. And voters took care of the gas tax indexing, meaning the transportation money that will be available will have to be spread around for planes, trains, and automobiles. All that is without even talking about the $765 million budget deficit facing Beacon Hill.
As one Orange Line rider remarked after getting squeezed off from the third packed train in a row, “Thank God they’re not bidding for the Winter Olympics.” Thank God, indeed.
JACK SULLIVAN
MUNICIPAL MATTERS
A Chinatown neighborhood group establishes a community land trust in an effort to preserve affordable housing in the area.
BEACON HILL
Six years after declaring the restoration of term limits on the speaker a priority in his quest to restore public faith in the badly tarnished reputation of the House of Representatives, Speaker Robert DeLeo plans to move today to scrap the limits so that he can extend his tenure in the top spot. Editorials in the Globe and Herald both rip today’s expected move. It’s low-hanging fruit for Howie Carr, who says it’s all about the pension and insists we do have term limits on speakers — federal indictments.
CommonWealth columnist James Aloisi analyzes the advantages of being a king.
Gov. Baker may be open to tax credits to bring more businesses to western Massachusetts.
The coalition that brought you paid sick time is mounting opposition to business-friendly “fixes” to the law being pushed in the Legislature.
WASHINGTON/NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
One in five American children now rely on food stamps for meals, Time reports.
ELECTIONS
Mitt Romney, contemplating a third run for president, tests out some potential new campaign themes in a speech in Mississippi. He’s already going after Hillary Clinton.
Boston magazine profiles Elizabeth Warren and her does-she-or-doesn’t she campaign for president.
From the truth is stranger than fiction department: John McCain said that Sarah Palin “would do great” as a presidential candidate.
New research suggests women are less likely to run for state lawmaker positions if the capitol is a long way from their district, Governing reports.
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
Retailers in some states are scamming their state lotteries, Governing reports.
EDUCATION
Another push is on to grant illegal immigrants in-state tuition rates at state colleges and universities.
The Stoughton teachers union is ramping up its criticism of the school superintendent for an outside consulting business she started.
HEALTH CARE
Heroin overdoses, after slowing during the summer, are surging again, and public health officials aren’t sure why.
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care has negotiated a bulk discount on a costly hepatitis C drug, which it expects will save the company $10 million a year. CommonWealth wrote about the blessings — and financial curse — of the drug regimen, which can largely cure hepatitis over the course of a few months but at a cost of more than $80,000 per patient.
Massachusetts insurers are at the forefront of national efforts to shift health care reimbursements to be based on the quality of care delivered, not the quantity.
TRANSPORTATION
The National Sheriffs Association is alarmed about a new app that lets drivers warns other drivers about speed traps and other traffic enforcement, the Associated Press reports.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
The murder trial of former Patriots player Aaron Hernandez will begin today.
MEDIA
The forthcoming issue of The New Republic features a cover story on the magazine’s “perceived legacy of racism,” Politico reports.
