February 25, 2008
Commuter Rail Kicks It Old School. Really Old School.
Noah Bierman at the Globe engages in a fun little exercise, comparing commuter-rail schedules from the early 1900s to the ones of today. And he discovers that the trains were faster back then. Here's some of his fine lines about the good old commuter-rail days:
Everything that depends on technology moves exponentially faster, it seems. Everything, that is, except commuter rail in Massachusetts.A pair of yellowed train schedules from the first part of the 20th century provides the proof. They show at least five instances when steam-powered trains from yesteryear outpaced today's diesel trains into Boston during morning rush hour.
It makes you wonder if things continue the way they are going on the commuter rail if next year Bierman should compare the schedule to the horse and buggy. To the MBTA's credit, there were fewer stops on some of the train lines and less regulation, so the story shouldn't be used as proof that Massachusetts commuter-rail hasn't evolved. However, the story can help you find something a little funny the next time you're stuck waiting for a slow train.
Image from Wikipedia/public domain.
| 
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
email this
add to facebook
add to del.icio.us
[ report this ]
Interesting article but I really thought this was an apples to oranges comparison. As noted - less regulation, fewer stops, less suburban sprawl to deal with thus smaller ridership. But I do agree that private ownership and the profit motive at that time provided some better service. I know think that model would work today - most of my coworkers drive in. I do often wish the US or at least the northeast would put more into mass transit - I take the thing everyday into town - except today when equipment failure caused my train to be too late to be useful.
[ report this ]
Ugh - I meant to say that I don't think the private ownership model would work today.
[ report this ]
Actually, they usually lost money on passenger service, even back then. Passenger service was a combination of pride and subsidies.