3 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

CBS Boston, 4/25/17:

 

Shortage In Commuter Rail Coaches Causes Overcrowding

 

 

If you think you have been a harder time finding a seat on the commuter rail lately, you’re not alone.

 

For the last six weeks, there has been a shortage of commuter rail coaches.

 

Entire story

[CNJRoss]

CommonWealth Magazine, 4/25:
 

Mysterious malady plagues commuter rail wheels

Keolis hasn’t met its coach target since mid-March

 

 

JUST AS THE MBTA’S COMMUTER RAIL operator is starting to get a handle on its shortage of working locomotives, the company is facing a mysterious problem with the wheels on its passenger coaches.

 

Since March 9, Keolis Commuter Services has been unable to meet daily requirements for passenger coach availability, racking up fines in the process. Keolis officials say the wheels on the coaches are the primary culprit; the wheels have been plagued with nicks and hairline fractures that are not dangerous but have to repaired before they worsen and become a safety problem.

 

SNIP

 

David Scorey, the general manager of Keolis, told the Fiscal and Management Control Board on Monday that the nicks and hairline fractures on the wheels are not unusual, but he’s seen nothing like what’s happened since mid-March. He estimates 70 coaches were identified with the problem over a two-to-three week period. “We’re trying to figure out why so many in such a short time,” he said.

 

More here.

[Sloan]

It's puzzling why Keolis allows bad-order equipment to languish in maintenance yards.  The contractor should be aggressively reaching out to other commuter rail operators such as Metro-North, Long Island RR, and New Jersey Transit for spare coaches until Keolis can fix the fractures.  Maybe the company is doing that, but that's not evident in the articles cited.

 

Sloan

[KevinKorell]

I doubt they will find spare coaches at NJ TRANSIT or the other operators particularly at rush hours when they are needed the most.  NJT has its own issues with lack of seats and standees packed in like sardines, and I have coworkers who have shared similar stories about LIRR.