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07-04-2008, 09:18 AM
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Junior Member
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Join Date: Jul 2008
2 posts, read 2,360 times
Reputation: 10
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Fitchburg Commuter Rail Line (Please Help)
Hello,
My wife and I are looking into moving to Acton, but as I'm a teacher I need to be in town before 7:30. I'm curious how often the first train of the day on the Fitchburg line arrives in North Station on time (7:15) particularly in the winter. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
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07-04-2008, 10:00 AM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: North Carolina
370 posts, read 233,875 times
Reputation: 288
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07-05-2008, 08:39 AM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Cambridge, MA
1,072 posts, read 832,992 times
Reputation: 480
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If the info's not on the MBTA Website, there's now a large poster in the lobby at North Station (by the timetable racks) which lists the on-time records of each of the commuter-rail lines down to the hundredths of a percentage point. Generally it runs 85 - 95%. This holds true regardless of the time of year. Unlike road and MBTA crews, the commuter-rail staff stays prepared for snowstorms and keeps those tracks cleared short of a major blizzard. And if a major blizzard occurs, no schools will be open anyway. What should ultimately determine your home-buy decision is which school it is you're employed at, how likely it is that you'll remain in that position at that school, and how much the train's scheduled arrival "cuts things close."
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07-05-2008, 06:01 PM
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Junior Member
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Join Date: Jul 2008
2 posts, read 2,360 times
Reputation: 10
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More Specific Question
Thanks for your responses. What I'm really trying to figure out is specific to that train. The Fitchburg Line is notorious for bad service, but because of delays later in the day and I'm curious if there is anyone out there who has knowledge that is train specific to the first train of the day.
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07-08-2008, 03:45 PM
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Member
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Lexington
31 posts, read 28,607 times
Reputation: 11
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From my experience with that train, I don't remember any systematic problems. The delays would be random due to a signal problem or mechanical issue. They would vary from 5 to 50 minutes (skewed more to the 5 minute side). However, while random, they seemed to occur every 3-4 weeks, which was more than mildly annoying. So out of the 260 days of work, the train would be late about 12-15 times...or about 5%, which ain't so bad.
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07-08-2008, 03:48 PM
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Member
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Lexington
31 posts, read 28,607 times
Reputation: 11
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By the way, Acton is a terrific town. We hated leaving (but I hated my commute a bit more than I liked staying).
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