Rob's Rants

I wrote before about how I have traveled Amtrak’s Acela Express from end to end – that is from Boston to Washington, DC. In fact, when I travel to DC, the Acela is my preferred mode of transportation. Some (most) of my friends can’t understand why. Why would I sit on a train for 6+ hours when a plane takes 1½? This question inevitably follows the puzzled look when I tell I am taking the train, because most people don’t know anyone who has ever taken Amtrak anywhere.

I’m writing this on yet another train trip to DC, doing 120+ m.p.h. between Back Bay Station in Boston and Rt. 128 Station in Westwood, MA. And I will be the first to admit that six hours on the train is a long time. But as I make this trip I am trying to put down in words what it is that makes me choose the train again and again over what would arguably be a simple airplane flight. I think the train does hold some advantages over the plane that help to reduce the time penalty and make the 6+ hours bearable.

Good morning America, how are you?

‘Said don’t you know me, I’m your native son.

I’m the train they call the city of New Orleans,

I’ll be one 500 miles when the day is done.

The Whole Experience is More Civilized

Part of the allure of the train is that, relative to modern air travel, trains are still much more human. Airports and particularly airport security are cold and impersonal. The train has none of this silly security theater. No x-rays, no full body scanners, no groping by TSA goons. No lines, ID checks, or being herded like cattle through velvet ropes. Hell, if you pick up your e-ticket with a credit card, you rarely even need to show ID on Amtrak.

You know how you are warned never to leave a bag unattended at the airport? At an Amtrak terminal station (South Station, Penn Station, and Union Station on the Acela route) just drop your bag with an Amtrak Red Cap and they watch it while you roam around and do whatever. And, you know how in the airport, regardless of the best intentions of the crew, boarding the plane is always a long line and a fight for overhead bin space? The Red Cap Service gets you priority boarding as well so you can pick your seat and they will stow your bags for you too. All for the price of a tip (I usually give $5 a bag).

Train stations, even the amazing ones like Union Station in DC, are still built on a more human scale than airports. No shuttle buses, trams, or trains. No endless moving walkways or underground light shows. Just easy to navigate, usually historic buildings, in downtown locations.

Dealin’ card games with the old men in the club car,

Penny a point; ain’t no one keeping score.

Pass the paper bag that holds the bottle,

Feel the wheels rumblin’ ‘neath the floor.

As the sons of poor man porters and the sons of engineers

Ride their fathers’ magic carpet made of steel.

Mothers with their babes asleep,

Are rockin’ to the gentle beat,

And the rhythm of the rails is all they feel.

The On-board Accommodations Are Better

Everything on the Acela is business class or better. Like Jet Blue, all the seats are wide and leather-covered. The tray tables are huge and all the seats recline comfortably. But they go beyond that – seats are 2 x 2 and every seat has 110V electrical power. There’s FREE Wi-Fi on all Acela trains, and it works pretty well. Cell phone use is allowed at all times, as are all other electronic devices. Want to get up and move around? Go ahead. There are no seatbelts and no restrictions on when and where you can stand. Want to stretch in the area at the end of the cars – no complaints from the crew. The even have a snack car and you can go there whenever you want – not just when they feel like bringing you a 6 ounce beverage in a cheap plastic cup. For this trip, I arrived at South Station about 45 minutes before my train’s departure. Dropped my garment bag off with a Red Cap, then went to the ATM without having to lug the extra bag everywhere. Grabbed two slices of pizza and a Coke at Pizzeria Regina, and headed back to the Red Cap area 35 minutes before departure. We headed out to the train 30 minutes before departure. I picked whatever seat on whatever car I wanted and the Red Cap through my bag in the overhead for me. I sat down, reclined my seat, dropped my tray table, got out my computer and phone, plugged in, and had a little lunch. No one made me “return your seat back and tray table to the upright position.” I had a nice lunch, got up and threw away my trash, and returned to my seat to write this.

The windows are huge and there is actual scenery to see. Railways run through the heart of our cities. On the east coast, that means getting a close-up view of places like Newark, NJ, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. It’s important for people to see these areas – so many of which have been forgotten. Abandoned factories and run-sown housing remind us that not all of America has prospered in the last decade and there are areas that still need help. The train serves this important function well.

It also means that you get some spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean and the coastal areas of Connecticut, Delaware, and Maryland.

But all the towns and people seem,

To fade into a bad dream.

And the steel rail still ain’t heard the news.

The conductor sings his song again,

The passengers will please refrain.

This train got the disappearing railroad blues.

Good night America, how are you?

‘Said don’t you know me, I’m your native son?

I’m the train they call the City of New Orleans,

I’ll be gone 500 miles when the day is done.

Rail is a Worthwhile Cause to Support

Many of my friends say they support high speed rail in the US, but have never ridden a train. I believe there is an important place for rail in America and I choose to support that with my money and time. Do I wish that the Acela didn’t make so many damn stops between Boston and DC? Absolutely. I mean do we really need to stop in Stamford, CT; Penn Station, NY; Newark, Metro Park, and Trenton, NJ, and then Philadelphia? No. The stops should be Boston, New Haven, New York, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore, and DC. But I deal with it because I think that rail would better serve these short-range trips better and more efficiently than planes. So I vote with my butt and with my time and occupy a seat whenever I can. I have to say – in all the times I’ve ridden the Acela – at least 5 round trips now, every train has been full, so it can’t just be me with this idea.

There are a host of other personal reasons as well … for someone feeling busy and over-scheduled, the six hours of productive time on the train is a welcome respite from the rush of airport commuting. When else would I have had time to do this post?

I’m somewhere near New London, CT now and still speeding along on one of the last truly high-speed sections of track. I’m going to recline my seat, close my eyes, and listen to some music. Somewhere past Philadelphia I’ll be back online preparing for work tomorrow.

But for now I’m riding the rails …

Update: 4/30/11

About three weeks ago, Parkmobile finally released an update to this app which fixed the Android connectivity issues. So I’ve been able to use it to pay for parking again. That is a big improvement. The Android interface is still cludgy, but it works. The iPhone version seems to be a generation ahead now and it has some additional features that I hope will be trickling down to Android soon. But at least this app works now.

Below is my original post ….

———————————————————————–

After trying the Android version of their app this morning I am now beginning to hate them. The iPhone version was always quirky and clunky – but the Android version positively sucks. This morning it won’t load and keeps telling me I’m not connected to the Internet. Which I plainly am since I was reading the newspaper and typing this on the WordPress app just fine.

I even rebooted my phone. Thankfully I had my work iPhone so I used the app on that to pay. But after trying the Android version a dozen or more times today I am willing to declare the Android Parkmobile app: Worst. App. Ever.

The main problem – it works fine on a Wi-Fi connection. But absolutely won’t connect on a mobile data connection. 3G or 4G. And this is not a new problem. Here’s a sample of recent reviews on Absolutely Android:

By: AizikS
I am excited about this app, however it fails to communicate with the network. Tmobile G2, cyanogen 6.1

By: David
Cannot login, even with good 3G signal, it says connection too slow. Therefore, completely useless until they fix.

By: Jay
Not able to login, connection times out even on full bars. Pointless waste of time. Samsung vibrant (galaxy).

By: jefbags
Doesn’t work at all on Android 2.2. Pretty disappointing…

Seriously – it’s a mobile app so connections will be spotty. You have to do better than spinning with no status indicator and then telling the user they aren’t connected when they plainly are.

Total. Fail. And to think, I praised Parkmobile when the MBTA first switched. Shame on me.

Update: 1/13/11
This app still won’t work over a cellular data connection, but I was able to turn on Wi-Fi on the train and complete a parking transaction. And unbelievably, this app is clunkier than the iPhone version. So, bottom line, right now, even if you can get it to work, it’s not pretty. Daily Parkmobile users should use the iPhone version or pay via SMS. This app doesn’t add much value to the process.

In case anyone was wondering,the Wi-Fi on the Worcester still sucks. This morning I decided to give it a try again and my connection was dropped three times between Wellesley Hills and Back Bay. What a joke. Perhaps the MBCR should have put the money towards some new equipment. I’ll bet on time trains would attract more new riders than shitty wi-fi. Just a thought.

I’ve decided to move this post to its own page.

Have we all just resigned ourselves to accepting poor MBTA/MBCR ontime service?

Back in December 2007 a service called CleverCommute was launched in Boston (see this and this). The service is essentially a peer-to-peer announcement list where commuters of a given line can send messages to all subscribers alerting them about delays. etc. The idea is that people actually experiencing the problems will probably be a better source of information than the MBTA itself.

I’ve been a subscriber since January of this year to the Worcester line service and I’ve received exactly 0 e-mails. I’ve sent 4 (the start and end of two incidents). Why has this service not caught on?

Is it lack of awareness?

Have we all just resigned ourselves to poor service, so we don’t care why or if something is late?

Or are there just a bunch of lurkers waiting for messages, but no one contributing?

I, for one, would like any information I can get about how things are going. Hell, even if I’m on the affected train, some conductors are more forthcoming with information than others, so getting a message from someone in a different car might actually give me more information.

So if you’re reading this and are an MBTA commuter — sign up and tell others what’s happening.

I’ve been riding the Commuter Rail every day for about 10 months now and I have noticed several improvements that the MBCR/MBTA could make for little or no additional cost, which would improve the entire experience, at least for me. Besides the usual gripes about on-time performance, etc., these are some little things that would make a big difference.

1. Collect the fares. Nothing frustrates the core ridership paying up to $250 a month (and are looking at a fare increase) than watching people who don’t have to pay. A couple of people slipping by here and there is one thing, but I have ridden into South Station in the morning and not had the conductor collect a single fare in my car. Rediculous.
2. Announce the destination and the stops. And when boarding at South Station, announce the destination at least three times before the train leaves.
3. Here’s a really good one — if the equipment is sitting on the tracks, don’t wait until 10 minutes before departure to allow boarding. Let the early-birds get the good seats instead of unleashing the herd when the signboard lights up. The crew of the 6:10 PM Providence train from South Station are masters at this — they call the train the old fashioned way (by shouting “Providence”) 15 or sometimes 20 minutes prior to scheduled departure. Brilliant! How freakin’ hard would this really be? Is MBTA routing so f’d up that they don’t know where a train is going until exactly 10 minutes prior to departure? No way. My guess is that they have now conformed their process around the expensive announcement system that they bought rather than around passenger satisfaction. So I’ll bet that the system is programmed to display the train at exactly 10 minutes before departure and no one (other than the Providence crew) takes the initiative to overcome this limitation by telling people on the platform that the train is ready.
4. Clean up South Station. I mean, would it really be so hard to take a pressure washer to the platform and wash the freakin’ chewing gum off?
5. Change the lightbulbs. This is less noticable in the summer when it’s still light for the evening commute, but in the winter South Station looks derrelict. At least 1/3 to 1/2 of the light bulbs don’t work at any given time. There’s really no excuse for this. If it’s a money-saving scheme (and that would be just silly) then remove the unused fixtures. There’s no reason to let the place look like it’s half abandoned.
6. Give the train engineers a uniform or at least a hat. Half of them look like the homeless guys waiting on the steps of the “smoking” area at South Station. Not exactly professional looking or confidence inspiring for a transit system that has had two kids crash trains and kill people in the last year.

There you have it. 6 things the MBTA/MBCR could do for short money to at least make a show that they care.

[Update: additional speedtest reslts, 7/1/2009]

Riding the Information Super Highway from Worcester to Boston

Back in 2008, the MBTA announced that it would be installing Wi-Fi connectivity on the Commuter Rail lines, starting with a pilot on the Worcester-Framingham line that I ride. Awesome — I just started commuting in September of 2008 and the pilot was already in place; full deployment to the rest of the line was scheduled to begin January 2009 and be complete by summer. Visions of a productive commute danced in my head.

Now for the reality. I’ve been riding the Worcester-Framingham line faithfully for 9 months now. Nearly from end to end. I have tried to work online in the morning and in the evening, and even at odd times during the day when I had off-peak commutes. And I can only reach one conclusion…

The W-Fi service sucks. Totally. Worse than the Compuserve dial-up access I had over a Hayes 1200 baud modem in my old Apple II in 1984.

For proof I offer the speed test I conducted today on my way home (performed between Back Bay station and West Natick):

6/19/09 Speed Test

0.12 Mb/sec (120 Kb/sec)?! That’s barely 2x 56K dial-up. And a latency of 206 ms means they must have carrier pigeons they release to make the connection.

What’s wrong with it? Well…

• Only 2 coaches (max) per train have signal. And the “signs” (stickers) are already falling off so it’s anyone’s guess whether or not a given coach has Wi-Fi.
• Even if you win the coach lottery, it seems like the antennas are mounted in terrible locations. So regardless of where I sit I am only able to capture a signal one or two commutes per week.
• What bandwidth there is is shared among all users in range so it’s often horribly oversubscribed.
• The signal drops completely at least twice per ride.

As always, your mileage may vary. Others have reported different results (on different lines), though none seem to be anything to get excited about. See The Silver Onion blog, and the At First Light blog for examples.

What’s a commuter to do? Well I purchased a Verizon Wireless broadband plan today and I’ll be testing the USB modem on Monday. Hopefully that will let me actually get online and get something done. More to come.

Update 6/24/2009

In fairness to the MBTA I decided to test the connection when I had a chance to test a late night train (the 10:20 PM Worcester local) that was barely full. That speed test yielded the following (between Back Bay & Yawkey):

Woo hoo! An entire 1.75x faster than 56K dial-up. When no one is using it. Any system where the upload speed is 2X the download speed has something wrong. Good luck. I’ll stick with Verizon.

Update

To show that I’m not intentionally trying to bias the results, I am including a couple of tests I ran on a morning train when I actually had a full wi-fi signal on the train. These were run on the morning of 7/1/09, somewhere between Westborough and Framingham:

7/1/09 Morning Test

As you can see, they’re slightly better, but nothing to write home about. To add some perspective to this, with a Verizon mobile broadband USB stick, I routinely get speeds of .61 to .72 Mbps, or three times faster. And with much less latency it just feels much better.

7/1/09 2nd Test