Share Your Commuter Rail Horror Stories With MA Lawmaker

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Calling a Jan. 7 signal failure along the Framingham-Worcester MBTA line a "disgraceful" failure, Framingham state Rep. Jack Lewis has put out a call for commuters to share their worst stories ahead of a meeting between lawmakers and Keolis and the MBTA.

"I will make sure that your stories are hand-delivered to those who have been tasked with, to quote them, 'making sure this doesn't happen again,'" Lewis wrote Wednesday in a Facebook post.

The Jan. 7 issue caused trains up and down the Framingham-Worcester line to grind to a dead stop. Commuters were stuck in trains for hours, and some were left stranded in Natick. The MBTA has blamed the problem on an issue with Verizon's telephone system.

But, as Lewis said in his Facebook post, it's just another in a long line of countless delays and problems. Lewis' husband commutes from the MetroWest area, and so he knows about every single delay along the busy rail line.

"Rarely a day goes by without receiving an update on the performance of the 506 inbound train or the 519 outbound train from him, and rarely does a week go by without an email from one of you concerning the failure of our Commonwealth to invest in our public transportation system and the negative effect that it is having on your quality of life, along with our ability to parent and work," he wrote.

Lewis says he's convening with other lawmakers to debate increasing transportation revenue this year.

If you have commuting horror story to share, email Lewis at jack.lewis@mahouse.gov.