MBCR to hold TRAIN-Sylvania Blood Drive

For the second straight year, the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR), the company which operates the Commuter Rail for the MBTA, will be holding a halloween themed blood drive.

The drive which has been dubbed the "TRAIN-Sylvania" blood drive is going to be held at North Station on Wednesday, October 24th from 10:00am - 1:00pm.

All blood donated at the event will benefit patients at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The MBCR will have a Halloween themed train, located on Track 1 at North Station, for the duration of the event. They will also be handing out Halloween long-sleeve shirts to anyone who donates.


Anyone looking to donate is recommended to make an appointment for the event. To make an appointment contact Sherry Rosen of the MBCR at (617)-222-8127 or sherry.rosen@MBCR.net. For information on eligibility to donate feel free to contact the Blood Donor Program at Partners Healthcare at (617)-632-2568 or blooddonor@partners.org.

MBTA Green Line train derails at Brigham Circle

All photos courtesy of Scott Page

Human error has been detrermined to be the cause of an MBTA green line derailment at Brigham Circle.

Yesterday at around 4:00 pm, MBTA Type-7 LRV #3633 derailed at the crossover at Brigham Circle station.

#3633 struck it's sister car Type-7 LRV #3634 which was sitting on the opposite track. The trains sustained minor damage during the accident. #3633 has some minor body damage (missing panels) and also sustained damage to it's center truck and articulation. #3634 also had some minor body damage. Also during the derailment, a light pole was bent over and a catenary wire bracket was broken off the line.

Most news outlets here in Boston are reporting only one form of human error was to blame in this situation. I believe, however, that there are three different ways people are at fault.

1: The Inspector at Brigham Circle Station

     -When Green Line trains terminate at Brigham Circle (which is all weekends and sometimes during the week) the inspector at Brigham must switch over the tracks so the trains can cross over and switch back outbound and return to the central subway. Today that did not happen. The inspector at the station failed to switch the track back over and subsequently the train derailed, thankfully only causing minor damage and not many injuries. I must however give the inspector a break. An MBTA press release stated that the inspector is an 18-year veteran of the MBTA who has had no prior major incidents.

2: The operator of #3633
   
     -Every operator that is trained to drive a trolley on the Green Line is taught to read their rail (make sure the switch they will be passing over is in the right direction) at every crossing and switch throughout the system. This however was not done today. If the operator had been paying attention to the rail in front of them, they would have noticed that the switch was not set properly and the accident would have been prevented.

3: The Administration/Inspector
   
     -According to the MBTA website, the schedule for the Green Line 'E' branch on Columbus day was the same as a Saturday schedule. The only exception was that trains would terminate at Heath Street instead of Brigham Circle like a regular weekend. Today that did not happen. If 'E' line trains were terminating at Heath St. this incident would have been avoided all together. This can however be blamed on a headway adjustment, meaning that the inspector at Brigham stopped the train before Heath because there were not enough Lechmere trains in the central subway (Which is done on a regular basis during the week).

Overall, this accident was not the fault of just one person and hopefully it was a learning experience for everyone involved.

After the incident, it took MBTA personnel six hours to get the trolley back on the tracks. #3633 and #3634 were then moved to an MBTA maintenance facility for evaluation and repair.

Beverly Scott: The new MBTA GM

Courtesy: MARTA

Yesterday's announcement of a new MBTA general manager brings with it not only a new era but also many challenges.

Yesterday at a publicly held interview and meeting, state transportation officials chose Dr. Beverly Scott, previously the General Manager of Atlanta's transportation system, to be the new head of the MBTA. As stated in my previous article, Dr. Scott was one of two finalists chosen for the position, both of whom were from Atlanta's Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA).

The national search for a new general manager took a little over a year to complete. The MBTA received over 100 applications for the job and eventually narrowed it down to the two finalists this past week.

Dr. Scott has been the GM of MARTA for the past five years. Scott also held a GM position at the Transportation system of Sacramento and has also held various positions at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York and Philadelphia. Dr. Scott will also be the first female GM at the MBTA, similar to the ground that she broke when she started her position in Atlanta. 

I have no doubt that having a new GM--especially one from out of state--will help to usher in a new era for the MBTA. However, I am a bit skeptical on how Dr. Scott is going to transition from running the ninth largest transportation system in the nation to running the fifth largest. 

The MBTA is a much different beast than most transportation systems in this country. We are plagued by outdated equipment, constant financial struggles and rough winters.

Here is a quick look at the differences between the MBTA and MARTA:

	MBTA	MARTA
Daily Ridership	About 1.3 Million	About 500,000
Modes of Transport	Bus, Light Rail, Rapid Transit, Trackless Trolley, Commuter Rail, Ferry	Rapid Transit, Bus
Financial Trouble	YES	YES
Debt	$8.5 Billion	$ 1.5 Billion
Rough Winter	YES	NO
Oldest Equipment	1969- 43 years old	1979- 33 years old
Newest Equipment	2010- 1 year old	2005- 7 years old
System Milage	1,193 Miles (total)	43 Miles
On Time Performance	89.5%	91.6%
Year of incorporation	1897	1972
GM Salary	$220,000	$315,000

As you can see, both systems are similar in a few ways but also very different. Dr. Scott headed an agency that was not only significantly smaller and in a much different climate but also one that has far less debt and financial troubles. Although Dr. Scott has over 30 years of experience in the public transportation field, I don't believe that she has ever had to deal with as many hardships as the MBTA faces.

Dr. Scott has a little over two months to prepare before she officially starts her three-year contract. During this time, I hope that she does as much research as possible on the MBTA. Here are a few key components that I hope she covers over the next three years.

1. Keeping up and actually tweeting on the @MBTAgm Twitter account.  
2. Continues to pursue revenue streams in advertising. Including electronic ads and station naming rights. 
3. Explore more "Green" and sustainable practices in transportation.
4. Pursue the possibile rehabilitation or retirement of some older rolling stock (Red/Orange) as well as examining new equipment purchases. 
5. Work with state officials to better understand and reform the way that transportation is funded in the Commonwealth. 

According to an article published by the Saporta Report, an Atlanta area business blog, Dr. Scott stated that stabilizing the MBTA was her first goal.  “I’ve always said I’m basically pretty much of a startup, fix-up, turnaround, transition person" said Dr. Scott. The article also noted that the MBTA would be Dr. Scott's last stop on a transportation career that has lasted three decades. “This is the one where I’m going to end up,” Scott said. “This is really a tremendous opportunity. The T is absolutely just an unbelievable regional asset, one for the state as well as one for this nation.”

I truly hope that when Dr. Scott starts her new position at the T on December 15 that she is ready take on the sometimes troublesome, yet gratifying system that is the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.