IT'S NOT just aging equipment and badly maintained tracks that are causing delays on the MBTA commuter rail lines. Conductors and engineers have launched an unsanctioned work-to-rule job action to show their anger at recent shift changes and to flex their muscle as they prepare for contract talks next year. The MBTA needs to show its support for the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail Company, which manages the service, by extending its contract for the next five years.
The commuter rail system is badly stressed by old equipment and a complex schedule. The Framingham/Worcester line is a special problem because the roadbed is owned by CSX, a freight company that has no interest in keeping the tracks in tiptop condition to facilitate commuter service. But the commuter rail managers were able to maintain an overall 80 to 85 percent on-time record until this summer, when managers announced they would adjust work schedules in preparation for the opening of service to Greenbush. On-time performance plunged, to 68 percent.
Train crews were forgoing the little shortcuts that, without jeopardizing safety, keep the trains on time. For instance, passengers were allowed to disembark only at the few doors where conductors were present.
George Newman, chairman of the engineers' local, denies that any job action was authorized. But formal or not, these delaying tactics shortchange both the passengers, whose fares increased 22 to 28 percent in January, and Massachusetts taxpayers, who through the MBTA spend millions of dollars a year to subsidize commuter rail.
While service deteriorates, the MBTA board is considering whether it should extend the contract of the commuter rail company, which expires July 1. Options under consideration are a two-, three- or five-year extension. Practically speaking, the company is guaranteed to stay on the job for the next two years; it would take that long to find a new operator, and there isn't much competition in the United States for this kind of work.
The company is led competently by a part-owner, James O'Leary, general manager of the MBTA from 1981 to 1989. He assumed a hands-on role in the summer of 2006, when the service was beset by air-conditioning failures. Daniel Grabauskas, current general manager, said the performance of the air conditioners was outstanding last summer.
To get these machines fixed, O'Leary resolved labor problems at the repair facility. He's working on new Worcester schedules to promote better spacing of trains and improved reliability. With a vote of confidence from the T, his company is a sound choice to handle the latest labor problems, improve on-time performance, and negotiate contracts that are fair to workers, passengers, and the taxpayers of Massachusetts, who ultimately keep the trains running.
