FRAMINGHAM, Mass. - Citing a surge in late and canceled commuter trains this year, 11 state legislators along the Worcester-to-Boston rail line are calling on freight operator CSX Corp. to help fix the delays, the MetroWest Daily News reports.
The lawmakers hail from Worcester to Newton and most MetroWest communities in between with stops on the Framingham/Worcester line.
In a letter to CSX, the legislators said while the company that runs the commuter trains is responsible for some delays, CSX also has contributed to the problem by being less responsive to problems on the tracks.
"It's been a disaster," said state Rep. Tom Sannicandro, D-Ashland, who also represents Framingham and co-signed the letter. "Trains are a half-hour late, 45 minutes late or canceled."
The MBTA contracts Mass. Bay Commuter Railroad Co. to run commuter trains. CSX owns the tracks and runs freight trains along the same routes.
Legislators said state Rep. Alice Peisch, D-Wellesley, organized a meeting with Transportation Secretary James Aloisi and the general managers of both the MBTA and MBCR so lawmakers could express their concern about delays.
"We get a continual stream of complaints concerning shoddy performance," said state Rep. David Linsky, D-Natick.
MBCR is admittedly responsible for some delays, lawmakers said in their letter. But both the commuter train operator and the transit authority indicated CSX also has been less cooperative in dealing with track problems.
Among those headaches is a section of track that floods in Natick whenever there is significant precipitation, Peisch said. The MBTA and the commuter train operator want to take steps to resolve the problem by installing a pump station, but have yet to get approval from CSX, she said.
Lawmakers asked CSX in their letter to allow the pump station to be installed as soon as possible.
The legislators also said CSX lacks maintenance coverage to deal with malfunctions in a timely manner. Peisch said the MBTA has offered to bear the expense of added maintenance along the rail line.
CSX spokesman Robert Sullivan said CSX reviews train performance three times a week with MBTA and MBCR and is committed to continued cooperation with the agencies on improvements. Peisch agreed communication between the agencies and CSX has greatly improved.
CSX was responsible for 23.8 percent of delays in January and 17 percent in December, Sullivan said.
Other lawmakers who signed the letter were Rep. Pam Richardson, D-Framingham, Rep. Danielle Gregoire, D-Marlborough, Rep. Carolyn Dykema, D-Holliston, Rep. Kay Kahn, D-Newton, Rep. Ruth Balser, D-Newton, Rep. Karen Polito, R-Shrewsbury, Rep. John Fresolo, D-Worcester, and Rep. Robert Spellane, D-Worcester.
"It's our intention to keep after the providers of the rail service to give the best service possible," Linsky said. "People pay a lot of money both in fares and parking to ride the commuter rails and we need to be able to rely on the service."
(This item appeared Feb. 19, 2009, in the MetroWest Daily News.)
