This was put together by Keolis, a private company that is contracted to operate the commuter rail. They are paid a flat fee by the MBTA to do so. They cannot bill the MBTA for things like this. They did it out of their own pockets as part of their effort to improve customer service.

No tax or fare dollars were spent to make this.

And for the record, the previous operator, MBCR, also made a video explaining slippery rail delays at one point.

Thank you , Keolis/MBTA PR Department

By anon on Mon, 10/27/2014 - 12:31pm.

But your magical version of reality is nonsense. "Paid for out of their own pockets...to improve customer service"???? That's hilarious and not true, unless Keolis is incredibly stupid. Like any bid submitted to win any contract, I am sure that they figured the production cost of this type of video and a lot of other wasteful spending too. If MBCR did it, they included it when they figured their bid too. And the MBTA is complacent for letting them do it. That is true whether the video is a specific line item in the contract or not.

So take the cost of the contract, less the cost of this video, and less the cost of similar wasteful spending, and voila, the contract, the fares, and the taxes could and should be proportionally less.

This post is totally false

By anon on Mon, 10/27/2014 - 2:06pm.

Of course tax dollars and fares were spent.
Of course Keolis is not "spending money out of their pockets to improve customer service", unless its the taxpayers money and fares that were transferred to their pockets via the contract.
Whether its billable or not is irrelevant, it's included in the cost of the contract. And taxpayers and fares pay for the contract.
All of you 31 up votes are probably coming from the same IP address, either at Keolis or the MBTA. What a farce.

Now that there is a pair of you that match

By SwirlyGrrl on Mon, 10/27/2014 - 10:27pm.

Lets fold you both over and put you back in the drawer.

42 now

By cybah on Tue, 10/28/2014 - 7:07am.

42 now. And lets see... the post comes from a regular user who posts regularly from REGISTERED account.

Then we have two anons.... 'nuff said. Come back when your registered and want to make a valid argument, then we'll listen.

Fact checking

By anon on Tue, 10/28/2014 - 9:45am.

So Cyb....
Up-votes are more valid because the original poster is registered?
False
If a poster is registered then he/she couldn't possibly be a representative or employee of a company or government agency?
False
The original allegation that the promotional video is free and the taxpayers/fare payers didn't in some way pay for it? You know, because Veolis loves us?
False
Adam makes the rules, not you Cyb. As long as he allows anons to post, their comments are just as valid as yours , even though I understand you are very special, because you registered.
True
Just because some Uhubbers like the video and think its awesome, doesn't mean that its free.
True

Thank you
Love, anon

Erm, I most definitely do not

By DTP on Tue, 10/28/2014 - 6:26pm.

Erm, I most definitely do not work for the T or Keolis (protip: spellcheck). In the interest of disclosure, however, I have previously worked for MassDOT, and am currently a consultant.

And the point about me having an account rather than just posting anonymously is that people can see my post history and what comments to attribute to me.

Finally, the reason Keolis paid for this video at their expense not the MBTA's is most definitely because they're trying to improve customer service. The T saddled them with a lot of requirements and connected disincentives to make sure they perform better than MBCR did, and this is the first large rail contract Keolis has won in North America. That's why their bid was so low, and why they're doing PR stuff like this - they're trying to get a foothold in the US transit market, and one of the easiest ways to do that is to make a good impression.

Same reason we in the consulting world sometimes swallow the costs of doing business with a new client: to make a good impression and hopefully win more business.

Of course, the Fitchburg line woes

By roadman on Mon, 10/27/2014 - 10:16am.

were nothing compared to the Reading Line this morning. 7:30 out of Reading was about half an hour late owing to"previous mechanical problems", so they ran it express from Wakefield to North Station. The 8:00 out of Reading was about 20 minutes late leaving (citing the same "previous mechanical problems"), and was super crowded by the time it got to Melrose Hihglands - having to pick up all the folks the late 7:30 train blew by at all the intermediate stations.

However, I do have to admit that this is the first serious failure I've encountered since Keolis took over the commuter rail last July. Still, it's a bit disturbing they took a page drieclty out of MBCR's playbook.

all they need is a...

By North Beginner on Mon, 10/27/2014 - 11:02am.

all they need is a high pressure air hose for each rail in front of the locomotive before the wheels aiming at tracks. Like an inch away from each track. Super focused air jet. One that will put a hole in your skin if you where to put your hand in front of it. That will blow all the leaves, water and crap off the rails as they go down the line. They might need a separate compressor and air tank for this on the locomotive. No water or gel required.
Why do we over complicate everything at the MBTA?

High pressure air hose =

By roadman on Mon, 10/27/2014 - 11:50am.

damaged rail surface.

Not to mention

By octr202 on Mon, 10/27/2014 - 12:01pm.

All the ballast and other debris that would be thrown up by those air cannons.

Crushed wet leaves are like grease. Try using compressed air to clean grease off a hard surface - it'll take a lot.

Why do we over complicate

By Ari O on Mon, 10/27/2014 - 12:01pm.

Why do we over complicate everything at the MBTA?

Yeah, I can't think of any issues with this. High pressure air won't have any negative effects on, say, the ballast along the track. But rock projectiles aren't a problem, so not an issue.

What about flamethrowers? Just put one on the front of each train, and incinerate all that stuff on the rails! Makes about as much sense.

Slippery Rail

By SwirlyGrrl on Mon, 10/27/2014 - 12:51pm.

1 oz rum
1 oz maple liqueur
3oz cranberry juice cocktail or cran-mac cider (if you can find it!)

Shake over ice, strain into a glass.

Variation: Pour into a glass, top with hard cider and stir.

Why train 408 from Fitchburg was late today, in cartoon form

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