Rail line fails punctuality test; Framingham-Worcester commute has most delays.

Byline: Priyanka Dayal

Trains on the Framingham-Worcester commuter rail line this year have performed worse than trains on every other commuter line, with only 78 percent arriving on time.

For the month of November, on-time performance for trains on the line was 57 percent, compared to 69 percent for trains across the entire system.

Trains are considered late if they arrive more than five minutes after their scheduled arrival time.

"Historically the Framingham-Worcester line has performed the worst and continues to perform well below the overall system," said Scott Farmelant, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co. MBCR manages the commuter rail system for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

CSX, the corporation that owns the tracks on which commuter trains travel between Worcester and Boston, spent almost a year replacing 33,000 rail ties on the line. The maintenance work was scheduled to be done at night, when commuter trains don't travel. Still, the work seems to have backed up commuter trains during peak hours.

CSX spokesman Robert Sullivan said the track work was done at night so it would have the least effect on commuters.

"This was major work," he said. "We did almost all of this work at night. Normally when we do maintenance work like this - heavy work where you are replacing a lot of rail and thousands of crossties - it's work that you do during the day."

The tie replacement, which began with preliminary work last fall, was completed by Oct. 12. So track work can't account for the significant delays to commuter trains in November.

Mr. Sullivan said CSX is

meeting with MBCR and MBTA officials several times a week to determine the cause of delays. He did not say whether officials have pinpointed any reasons for the delays.

Only 78 percent of commuter trains on the Framingham-Worcester line were on time during the first 10 months of this year, compared to about 86 percent of trains in 2006 and 2005.

Despite poor on-time performance, ridership has remained strong. In October the MBCR counted 10,991 people on Framingham-Worcester commuter trains during peak commuting hours, making it one of the best-used lines in the system.

Transportation officials set the target for on-time performance at 95 percent. Mr. Farmelant said since the MBCR started managing the commuter rail system in July 2003 until Oct. 31 of this year, 91 percent of all trains, and 83 percent of Framingham-Worcester line trains, have been on time.

"Everything is being done to improve on-time performance on the system," he said. "The challenge with the Worcester line is control."

The Framingham-Worcester line is the only commuter rail line operated by CSX. It is heavily traveled by freight trains, which can impede service on commuter trains. CSX controls dispatching for the entire line from Selkirk, N.Y.

The line stretches from Union Station in Worcester to South Station in Boston, with 15 stops in between.

Delays are the result of many factors, Mr. Farmelant said. He said wet leaves sometimes stick to railroad tracks and make them slippery, causing trains to slow down. But he attributed most delays this year to the extensive track work.

"The big issue with the fall was the massive tie replacement project that CSX undertook," he said. "Obviously this is important work that needs to be accomplished to keep the system in good order. They were doing overnight work that was supposed to be done before the morning commute, but it was impacting the morning commute," he said, especially between Labor Day and mid-October.

"Their intention was to minimize impact, but they created greater impact."

MBTA spokesman Joseph P. Pesaturo said on-time performance on the entire commuter rail system is the lowest it has been in years and called the figures discouraging, but said the MBTA is working with the MBCR to improve performance.

"One of the most challenging lines for us is the Framingham-Worcester line," he said.

The MBTA last week launched an e-mail and text message alert system that notifies commuters of delays on subway and commuter trains. The pilot program will be limited to 3,000 people and will continue for about five weeks before the program is made available to all commuters. More than 2,400 people have signed up to receive alerts, Mr. Pesaturo said.

Contact Priyanka Dayal by e-mail at [e-mail].

The record: Trains on the Framingham-Worcester commuter rail line this year have performed worse than trains on every other commuter line, with only 78 percent arriving on time.

The quote: `Everything is being done to improve on-time performance on the system. The challenge with the Worcester line is control.' - Scott Farmelant, spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co.

ART: MAP; CHART; GRAPH

CUTLINE: Commuter rail

PHOTOG: T&G Staff/TOM HUNT