51 Million Reasons Why The Train Will Be Late

If you read the S-T Thursday cover to cover, you would have found a story on page A11, "Mass. House approves bailout for for troubled T".  A $51,000,000.00 bailout.  

Now at least when Uncle Sam authorizes a bailout, there are strings attached.  Granted those are to private companies, but the MBTA might as well be one.  

To be fair (or should it be to guaranty voters low fares?), not all of the T's problems are from mismanagement, sweetheart pensions, excessive salaries and the host of other routine and accepted government enterprise standards.  There are issues related to those pesky tunnels (prime examples of public projects mismanaged to the level of a new art form).  There are other things that can be said "in defense" of the T.  I ain't taking on that position.  I don't believe in weak defense.

What you didn't read in the article in the S-T is what some legislators in different areas had to say.  The most interesting tidbits are gleaned from one or two proposed amendments to the bailout bill, which would have directly affected rail coming our way.

The bailout itself has a significant impact on rail for the South Coast.  Even with a 23% fair increase the T needed the additional $51,000,000.00, this was needed even after some cute moves to funnel funds to the T from other agencies.  In fact the true deficit started at somewhere around $159,000,000.00.  

Absent significant reform, it will remain year in and year out.  The questions being asked, more vocally there ever in Boston by the way, is how can services be expanded to other areas when you cannot afford to run what you have.

More riders aren't going to solve the problem because to price the ticket at the cost of operation would mean no riders.

The T is something like the fifth largest transportation agency in the country.  It is also the most heavily indebted I believe.  It is the proverbial hydra and there is no Hercules to combat it.

You can ride the T from Boston to TF Green Airport in Rhode Island, but for some reason can get a ride out of New Bedford or Fall River to anywhere on it.  

Please spare me the rationale about relieving congestion at Logan, convenience for travelers, "demand".  Long before the need for a train to a Rhode Island airport was even thought of or considered important, the people in the South Coast had a real need and have been crying for an important link to our great state capital.

Our local rep, Mr. Straus from Mattapoisett, is now chair of the Transportation Committee.  Let us see exactly where that is going to lead us.  Had someone tell me yesterday that our rep had his job for as long as he wanted it.  The person even guaranteed that "fact" to me.  That being the case he has an eternity to deal with the matter.  What the heck, it wouldn't be that much longer than we have all ready waited.

Folks, the $51,000,000 given away is going to have to be given away year after year, not to mention the extra money from one time assets and other moves.  Now operating at a deficit is nothing new for the state or many of its multi-layer agencies.  Heck increasing the deficit would not even front page news.

Doing so to benefit anyone outside the power corridor up North however would be though.

If the T comes to New Bedford during my lifetime I will be pleasantly surprised.  A casino in Taunton would go a long way in justifying a T down here, for a host of reasons.  Don't be too surprised however if that train whistle gets tooted in Fall River well before here in New Bedford.

Being totally honest, how could you justify expanding an enterprise running a deficit like the T?   Until it drops from 1st place in debt, I don't really see it happening.