A ride on the Red Line takes longer than a bike ride; Can the new General Manager fix this?
BOSTON - On the last weekday before the MBTA's new general manager takes charge, WBZ took a ride from the Ashmont Station in Dorchester to South Station during off-peak hours.
"This is off the tracks," said commuter Paul Comissiong as he stepped off the Red Line, one of the T's notorious problem spots.
The slowdowns were not a surprise, because T officials have repeatedly explained they are in place to allow crews to work on track maintenance. But at certain points, the train came to a full stop for about three minutes. The ride inbound took 31 minutes, and the return trip took 34 minutes. According to Google Maps, it would have been 16 minutes faster to drive a car along the same route, and 5 minutes faster to ride a bicycle.
"What a disappointment," said Comissiong. Other commuters felt the same.
"I would expect the train to be faster than a bike," said Janiah Villari who regularly rides the train to school.
The trip is six-and-a-half miles long, which means the train traveled about five minutes for every one mile. Last year's Boston Marathon winner would have beat it.
"If the T is not seen as a reliable mode of transportation, then our economy doesn't work," said Kate Dineen, Executive Vice President of A Better City, an advocacy group that's been pushing for improvement.
She worked with the T's incoming General Manager Phillip Eng at their previous jobs in New York. "In our shared time in New York state government, Phil did earn a reputation of being extremely competent, creative, and cool under pressure, so I think that's exactly the skill-set we need in a general manager."
