Too bad the cash had to go to banks for debt service and such:
"T cars need immediate $100m in upgrades; Orange, Red lines are in dire straits" June 09, 2011|By Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff
MBTA general manager Richard A. Davey revealed yesterday for the first time that it will take $100 million to upgrade decrepit Orange and Red Line trains to keep them running until even costlier replacements can be afforded.
He reported that an exhaustive review of the two lines confirmed what subway riders had long suspected: The aging subway cars are challenging the MBTA’s ability to run a full set of trains each day, causing longer waits on platforms and more frequent service interruptions.
At this point Bostonians really have to be wondering where the money went. I see pensions, I see perks, I see salaries, I see bonuses, I see debt service to banks. Where it did not go was SERVICE, MAINTENANCE, or REPAIRS!
Though all 120 Orange Line cars and one-third of the Red Line cars are well past their intended lifespan, their replacement — at a cost of $1 billion — is perhaps a decade away. And service will probably degrade even further without the interim investment, Davey said.
Meanwhile, they want to INCREASE TAXES to COVER DEBT PAYMENTS on a new convention center so all the bigwigs can be chauffeured over to the big events in Boston.
“This is an inconvenient truth,’’ he told the MBTA’s board of directors....
Cars are breaking down roughly twice as often as they used to and require more substantial repairs....
In other words, the T is a hunk of junk.
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Related: MBTA reports a 5 percent surge in ridership
Don't Go to Boston This Summer
Don't worry, I won't.
At least they got a union:
"T union tells court ex-officer stole dues; Local 600 says its treasurer took $250,000" June 10, 2011|By Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff
The MBTA Inspectors Union says its former treasurer stole $250,000 from membership dues, withdrawing cash, writing checks to himself, and spending freely with a union credit card.
Officials at the union, known as Local 600, say they discovered the alleged theft only after Brian C. Sheehy ran unsuccessfully for the union presidency, then scrambled in vain to retain his old post and avoid turning over bank records to the new officers of Local 600.
The union’s allegations have come to light in US Bankruptcy Court, where Sheehy filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection one day before he was scheduled to be tried by a union tribunal seeking to recover the money....
When the union heads are no better than the bosses... sigh.
Seem to remember something about the Nazis and unions from my history books, but....
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Also see: Several injured when car hits MBTA bus
Blue Line shuttles planned, unplanned
Related: Massachusetts Residents Taken For a Ride on the T
Sunday Globe Commute
I'm getting off now.
