MBTA board extends commuter rail contract despite train delays

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

The company that runs Boston’s commuter rail service will get another three years to transport 72,000 suburbanites to their jobs every day, despite a recent spate of delays that has caused uproar among passengers.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority board voted this afternoon to extend the contract of the private consortium known as Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co. The five-year, $1.07 billion contract was set to expire in July 2008.

The commuter company had its worst service to date in October and November; 3 in 10 trains were at least five minutes late. The company faced another crisis in summer 2006, when canceled trains and non-airconditioned coaches left passengers steamed.

The rail company has vowed to improve service and officials have said that many problems were beyond its control -- including delays on a set of tracks dispatched by another railroad company.

The company is also working to improve relations with its labor force. Its general manager, James O’Leary, has said some workers were protesting the more-demanding work schedules announced in June by deliberately slowing trains. Union leaders representing engineers and conductors deny any organized effort.

Delays, though worst this year, have plagued the service since the contract began. A Globe review published Sunday showed large railroads in other states had better on-time performance most of the last four years, though other rail systems have a six-minute grace period before counting trains late.

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