The MBTA was up and running (but far from full capacity) Wednesday, a day after rail service was shut down for repairs following a snowstorm that dumped two feet of snow on the Boston area. WGBH senior reporter Phillip Martin looks at a day in the life of those who had no choice but to go to work on Tuesday.
What’s your commuter experience been like this week and how might it be improved? We'd like to hear from you. Leave your comments below.
On Tuesday, the most hardened commuters heard only the sound of bus engines firing up, boots on slushy pavement, the rotation of bicycle wheels and drivers traveling on wet slippery roads .
Peter Oliver said he normally commutes to Boston by rail from Winchester.
“I drove in. It’s not my normal typical way to get to work.”
Oliver said if rail service continues to operate this way, he will have to drive in everyday.
Driving was the mode of transportation for many, but some did not have that option. Neil Woodworth lives in East Boston:
“Because we live in East Boston, the only transportation out of East Boston for the most part is the the blue line, from Maverick Station. It’s definitely inconvenient without the Blue Line.”
Woodworth and his friend, Michelle Dailey, had to take a taxi in. The fare was $20 and they said for them, that was expensive.
The absence of commuters at train stops Tuesday made those places seem like virtual ghost towns. But Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said that was an inadvertent benefit for the city.
"I actually think the fact that the MBTA didn’t run today was a good thing for the city. It allowed us the opportunity to get a lot of the work done as far as snow removal and not having congestion in our street. I know the business community doesn’t want to hear that but I asked the use community if they would try to let people work from home, so the fact that the T was not open today might have been very helpful to us in the city."
Thousands of people who depend on subways, trolleys and commuter trains stayed away in droves, but many said they had no choice but to go to work. Shane Ryan is an investment banker in the financial district.
"Normally, I take the B -line. I live in Allston”. nstead, Ryan says he stayed with his girlfriend in the North end in order to be close to work. "I know there are tons of storms in Boston but the international market keeps going."
Some jobs are deemed more critical than others and health care tops the list. Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said that’s why his officers actually drove some doctors, nurses, technicians and other health professionals to their jobs on Tuesday. The commuter shutdown this week came in the midst of an intense political battle between MBTA executive Beverly Scott and Governor Charlie Baker over disrupted service.
But Michelle Dailey, who shared a costly taxi ride from East Boston to get downtown, says she doesn’t care about the politics of the situation.
“I have no idea where the problem stems from cause I’m sure it’s not just one person," she said. "I’m sure it’s a group of people or I don’t know where it’s originating from, but it’s a problem."
