There is nothing funny about riding the train these days. Unless of course you find the ineptitude of the railroad company and clulessnes of state government officials to be hilarious. I don't. Every train is late, that is except the ones which have been cancelled. Every train is jam-packed with riders crammed and standing in the aisles and in every nook and cranny. The only good news, I suppose, is that the aisles are so clogged that the conductors cannot check tickets. Which means unless you have a monthly ticket, as do I, that you ride for free. Hooray! A free ride after which you need a shower and a change of clothes. My friend the Station Master told me this evening that it was going to get worse before it gets better, and it's not going to get better for a long, long time.. I have heard that 50% of New Haven Line cars are in the repair shop at any given time. Certainly the weather is partly to blame, but these are the same cars I rode when I was in high school, and that was a long time ago. I have heard for years that new cars are on the way, but they never come. It's like a Beckett play except with trains instead of Lucky.
How did this happen? I really don't know, and nobody is taking bakery numbers to accept responsibility. The truth is that nobody is responsible, and that is how the system was designed. The loosey-goosey relationship between the states of NY and CT and the MTA was intended to obfuscate; intended to make it possible for all parties to finger-point; intended for taxpayers and riders to take the fall. Personally I am very distressed. As I approach my golden years, it has become more and more challenging to deal with the commute on a good day than it was during my salad days. On a bad day, or in this case on a long succession of bad days, it really takes the wind out of my sails. There is nothing funny about riding the trains these days.
Oh, yes....there is a crying baby in the seat behind me.
No comments:
Post a Comment