Marie on the T

If you’re taking the T between the airport and government center stations this weekend, leave 15 to 20 minutes early; you’ll have to take the bus.

From this morning to tomorrow night, the Maverick, Aquarium, State Street and Government Center stations will be closed because of construction at the State Street Station.

Blue Line service between Airport and Government Center stations will be replaced with shuttle buses that will stop at each station.

Shuttle buses are free. Standard fares will be collected at all stations between Wonderland and Airport stations. Normal Blue Line service will resume Monday.

Passengers traveling to Logan International Airport may also take the Silver Line from South Station.

So the debt-ridden MBTA plans to ask its board of directors on Nov. 1 for the go-ahead to spend more than $1 million on a bus-driving simulator that would train drivers by mimicking real driving conditions.

That’s no small sum to expect taxpayers to spend, particularly considering the T has doubled fares in the last seven years, largely because it has the highest debt load of any transit agency in the nation - $5.1 billion, much of it related to transportation projects it has been required to undertake under a legal agreement to reduce the pollution generated by the $15 billion Big Dig.

But the number of preventable accidents involving vehicles owned by transit agenicies that do have simulators typically has dropped, whereas the number involving T buses has risen steadily from 272 in the first eight months of 2003 to 374 over the same period in 2006 before dipping to 354 this year.

What we don’t know - because the T won’t tell us - is how much all of those accidents have cost taxpayers in damage repairs, insurance settlements, lawsuits and, most importantly, injuries.

Don’t get me wrong; personally, I’m in awe of anyone who can maneuver a 40- or 60-foot bus anywhere, much less in Boston rush-hour traffic. But don’t the people who pay MBTA salaries have a right to know before the T spends another $1 million of their money?

MBTA trains, both outbound and inbound, on the Worcester/Framingham Commuter Rail Line will be delayed at least 15 minutes beginning this weekend due to track work.

Workers will replace 32,000 railroad ties in three phases over six weeks:

Phase 1:
Duration: Saturday, Aug. 25, to Thursday, Aug. 31
Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Aug. 25 and 26; 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Aug. 27 to 31
Delays: Trains #517 and #526 will not operate. Bus service will be provided.

Phase 2:
Duration: Saturday, Sept. 1 to Saturday, Sept. 8
This phase is not expected to affect service.

Phase 3:
Duration: Sunday, Sept. 9, to Thursday, Oct. 4
Hours: 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., weekdays; 5 p.m. to 5 a.m., weekends
Delays: This work is expected to cause delays of 10 to 15 minutes on all trains.

Calling all Patriots fans: Now you can take the T to home games.

Beginning Friday, Aug. 17, trains will travel from South Station and Providence Station to Gillette Stadium, making stops along the way.

The round-trip fare is $12.00 in cash. MBTA passes will not be accepted. Commuters may purchase tickets at the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad windows at South Station and Back Bay Station, and onboard the train.

The second phase of an upgrade of the MBTA Green Line’s D branch will begin Saturday, forcing
passengers to be shuttled by bus between Reservoir and Fenway stations until Sept. 1.

Shuttle buses will run every three to five minutes during rush hour and every four to 10 minutes during non-peak hours. T officials recommend that passengers allow an additional 10 to 15 minutes for their trips. When the Red Sox are playing at home, shuttle buses will run directly from Riverside to Fenway without stopping.

For more information, visit www.mbta.com or call the MBTA Customer Care Center at 617-222-3200, TTY 617-222-5146, from 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends.

Over the last five weeks, workers have installed about 10,000 ties along the tracks between Riverside and Reservoir stations, T spokeswoman Lydia Rivera said, leaving another 6,000 to be installed between Reservoir and Fenway.

Workers are surfacing and aligning the track, which will allow the T to introduce easy-to-board, low-floor Green Line train cars in early 2008 to accommodate people with disabilities, the elderly and parents with strollers.