Commuters, legislators seek change

LYNN – Malfunctioning equipment resulting in late trains is a major service shortcoming that local train riders want the commuter rail system’s new owner to fix – and fix soon.”It seems like there’s a lot of breakdowns,” said Stephen Walnut as he waited in Thursday morning’s cold on the downtown Lynn platform for a Boston-bound train to arrive.”They’re nine minutes late,” added Mark Lombard as he pointed to an electronic information board mounted over the platform and designed to inform riders when the next train is due into the station.About 127,000 commuters, including residents in Lynn and neighboring communities, ride 14 commuter rail lines daily, according to published reports.French firm Keolis Commuter Services won the state transportation board of directors’ approval Wednesday to operate the commuter rail network under a $2.7 billion contract that could grow to more than $4 billion if the contract is extended through 12 years.The contract requires Keolis to increase daily train inspections, according to a report, and Walnut and Lombard said they think the company should increase commuter train crew sizes.”It’s annoying when they load only a couple of cars. I don’t know if it’s understaffing,” Lombard said.He commutes from Lynn to Salem daily and said riders who travel a relatively short distance but use the commuter rail frequently should be allowed to buy an “unlimited, short-hop” fare.”It would help me or, otherwise, I’m not saving any money,” Lombard said.Halley Smith said she is frustrated by the lack of prompt delay updates on station electronic messaging boards.”They don’t always update us enough. I’m standing there asking myself, ?Should I wait? Should I drive in?'” she said.State Sen. Thomas M. McGee has made Massachusetts’ transportation needs one of his legislative priorities, and he said the Keolis contract includes penalties for poor service.”The key is making sure service is on time and efficient,” McGee said.He said the first step for Keolis in winning commuters’ confidence is to ensure a smooth service transition over the next several months as Keolis takes over current commuter rail provider Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company’s contract.”They need to realize how much we need this service on the North Shore,” he said.Massachusetts Bay executives boasted to the Item about their 95-percent-or-better on-time performance records in December 2012 and suggested the best way for the state to ensure quality service is to sign a long-term contract with commuter rail operators that would allow them to build in major maintenance improvements, including new signals and equipment improvements.Michael Demars commutes from Hamilton to Lynn and said Massachusetts Bay does a good job running the rail system, but Smith said Wi-Fi connections on board trains “are a little spotty.”City Council President Daniel Cahill commutes using mass transit and said commuter rail service improved after Massachusetts Bay and the state added new locomotives to routes, including lines servicing the North Shore.”It seems as though any time there are delays, it’s service,” Cahill said.State Rep. Lori Ehrlich said she would like Keolis executives to sit down with commuters, including her Swampscott, Marblehead and Lynn constituents, and discuss service reliability. She called the change in commuter rail operators “very promising.””People are ready for better performance,” Ehrlich said.