Working on the (success of commuter) railroad(s)

All aboard, Elburn. Among the first commuters to take advantage of Metra's new station in Elburn board a train to Chicago early Monday morning, the first day trains of the Union Pacific West line ran from the new end-of-the-line depot. (Tribune Photo by George Thompson) Jan. 23, 2006

In some places, railroad commuter lines are thriving. This week, Metra in Chicago has launched a new line--"Next, last stop: Elburn--Politicians, train execs join residents to celebrate Metra extension."

The Virginia Railway Express and Maryland Commuter Railroad systems appear to be doing well, VRE is at capacity, even though both systems continue to tweak their service, and are being hammered by increases in the price of diesel fuel.

On the other hand, the Sounder System in Seattle-Tacoma hasn't been as successful as people would like--or VRE wouldn't have been able to borrow train cars and engines from them for six years.

MBTA Commuter Rail Tickets Sold: Although ridership picked up last fall after gas prices rose, the number of MBTA commuter rail tickets sold has dropped since peaking in 2003, even as the number of people employed in Boston, Cambridge, and Quincy has remained steady. Source: Boston Globe.

The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine has a long piece on the decline of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) commuter rail system that is worth reading--"Rail at a Crossroads: Ridership is down and job growth has taken off outside Route 128. Instead of pouring millions of tax dollars into commuter trains, is it time to hit the brakes?."

My response is always to figure out the ins-and-outs and focus. E.g., I think that the general "Metro Opens Doors" campaign isn't very focused. And that there need to be micro-marketing campaigns designed to add ridership in areas where there is capacity, but not much utilization. Having office building-focused marketing campaigns is one thing that transit systems ought to be doing. Arlington County may come closest to doing this.

Janet Knott, Boston Glove.

Frankly, this image illustrating the Globe piece is great fodder for looking at the problems and issues, as well as the basis for a great marketing campaign.

Index Keywords: transit; railroads