I really want to like the MBTA. It has tremendous issues that it has to sort out, but it allows me to economically live and work in a city that I love. After a disastrous commute last night, one of many I have on a weekly basis, I have decided to write to the brass and tell them how ridiculous the Blue Line has become at night. Below is an email to Dion Stubbs, the person in charge of the Blue Line:

Dear Mr. Dion Stubbs,
I am an everyday rider of the T and depend upon the MBTA to get me around the city. In general I really like the service, and find almost everything about T to be effortless, from buying passes to using the Web site to plan trips. However, one aspect of the service leaves much to be desired and must be fixed — the late night service of the Blue Line. 

On Tuesday Nov 18 at 10:05 pm I arrived at Government Center to take the Blue Line to Maverick to head home from work. I work nights in a restaurant to help make ends meet. When I arrived the station was moderately populated by fellow commuters. We then began to wait for a train. It was not until 10:25 that an inbound train to Bowdoin arrived. During this wait I estimated that the amount of people waiting for the train had grown exponentially to hundreds of commuters. When the train made the loop around the closed Bowdoin station and came back through Government Center, it did not stop. The next inbound train did not arrive for another seven minutes, during which another large group of people from a Government Center Green Line trolley came onto the platform to wait with everyone else. When the train finally arrived at Government Center the platform was full of hundreds of people, and the four cars were filled to capacity with quite a few people (including myself) left waiting on the platform for yet another train. The next train did not arrive until 10:40, and I boarded and went home. 

My wait for a train from Government Center to Maverick: 44 minutes. My total commute time from my job in Harvard Square to Maverick: 77 minutes. During this incredibly long wait I did not see one MBTA official anywhere in Government Center, nor did I hear any announcements over the PA or through the MBTA Alert system via my phone regarding the delay.

I completely understand that occasional delays are an unavoidable aspect of utilizing public transportation, and always come prepared with a book to read. However, it has been my observation that this situation is a nightly occurrence on the Blue Line, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings. Like myself, there is a large population of residents who work nights who utilize the Blue Line. It could be termed as an additional rush hour. The train does not compensate for this additional crush of people, and the limited service results in extreme overcrowding. When you factor in additional commuters from sporting events such as Red Sox or Celtics games, the situation becomes ludicrous. In addition, train conductors, obviously under stress to maintain a schedule, angrily call to passengers to “move away from the doors, let everyone in.” Everyone is away from the doors — the train is packed to capacity after one stop and there is just nowhere for more people to go. The calls for people to wait for additional trains also fall on deaf ears. Everyone has been waiting for too long and wants to go home. 

I have noticed that the T has recently begun running six-car trains during the weekdays with multiple six-car trains running during traditional morning and evening commutes. Running six-car trains during the entire day and on the weekends would help alleviate the strain. Having T employees around to help guide crowds onto trains and sending full trains through stops would expedite the process and help all of us get home quicker and safer. If anything, running more frequent service during the late-hour rush would help eliminate the crush of people at Government Center and State Street. 

Mr. Stubbs, I sincerely hope that you and your team begin to take a closer look at the late night Blue Line service. Thank you for your time. 

Regards,
Alex Howell

My true fear is one of safety — with so many waiting for the train and then trying to push onto it once it finally arrives, it’s only a matter of time before someone gets trampled or acidentally pushed onto the tracks. It will probably take a disaster like that to move the T to action.