All the public transporation proponents want us to take the T. Cuts down traffic and pollution. The problem with the T, though, is it doesn't run with enough frequency.
I'll be in Boston tonight. Trains at night run every hour-and-a-half. To get home by commuter rail, I have the choice of the 8:20, 10:05, or 11:25 out of South Station. All locals. If I miss one, I got a long wait for the next one. Why don't they run at least every half hour?
I'll tell you why. Because no one rides them at that hour. But, would more people begin to take the train if they ran more frequently? Would more people do more, spend more, in Boston, if it were easier to get in and out on the train? Which comes first?--more riders or more trains? Would more people ride the train if it were easier, especially if some incentives were thrown in, like tax deductions for people who commute by rail?
But, to get this started, it will take money to subsidize. We just have to decide that it's important, and that at the beginning our values are worth the cost, in other words, the tax dollars.
I don't think it will happen, though. I happen to love the train including the T. I love the ride. I love the time to think and read and work. I love watching the people. But I've come to realize I am so different from my fellow human beings. Most people hate the train. They think it's dirty. The people are crummy. The whole business is low class. If you ride the train you don't Have It All.
Well, excuse me.
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