Bus or train? Some commuters watching the weather

NEWBURYPORT - If the MBTA's new train service hopes to attract most of its riders from the commuter crowd, MBTA officials had better pray for bad weather.

That's because a number of commuters who live locally - and now take the bus to Boston - said they'll be reluctant to abandon the bus and embrace the train unless it's snowing or raining. However, in those conditions, commuters explained, a bus ride to Boston can take much longer than the normal 60 to 75 minutes, which makes a train ride a much more appealing alternative.

MBTA executives will be carefully watching commuters' behavior once train service resumes Monday - after a hiatus of more than a 20 years. While tourists and casual riders should make up a portion of the early passengers, the MBTA expects commuters to come out in far greater numbers. So the transit authority has been promoting everything from the comparative comfort of its train seats to the reliability of its train schedule, in hopes that the publicity can attract everyday customers.

But in interviews last week, a number of commuters - most of whom happen to work in Boston's financial district - said they would be less inclined to take the train because it stops at North Station. Getting to offices in the financial district would require walking or hopping on the subway after leaving the train - an unappealing facet to the daily commute for some people already pressed for time.

Deanna Janvrin, who rides the bus from Newburyport most every day, is a reluctant commuter. She would rather drive her own car, which would spare her 30 minutes of travel time, but the cost of city parking and the anxiety of rush-hour traffic are enough to deter her.

The bus can get stuffy, and inconsiderate passengers, like the man who tilted his seat all the way back into her knees one day last week, can make the trip unpleasant.

Janvrin has heard the train seats are more comfortable, and she could save a modest amount of money, but the train stops at North Station, which she laments is "kind of far away" from her office in the financial district.

Like a number of commuters interviewed last week, Janvrin is somewhat ambivalent about the train - not wildly enthusiastic about its arrival, but willing to give the alternative a try.

"It's probably a good season for the train to be starting because the weather is changing," said Dave Porter, a commuter from West Newbury. "Personally, I think a lot of people will take the train when the bad weather gets here."

Others are more sanguine about train service.

Christine and Ron Wanderlich, proprietors of The Whistlestop convenience store about 100 meters from the train depot, have banked their small business on the train's success.

They said interest in ticket prices and the train schedule has been strong. "The biggest comment we get is, `It's finally coming. We've been waiting such a long time,'" Wanderlich said.

A number of inquiries have come from senior citizens eager to find a safe, inexpensive way to visit Boston.

"When they heard the price ($2 one-way), that seemed to really, really blow their hair back," he said.

The Whistlestop is modifying its food service and check-out lines to accommodate time-strapped commuters.

They'll be adding an ATM for last-minute cash, and they plan to ask city officials for permission to stay open 24 hours a day.

For train travelers who have a moment to relax, the Wanderlichs are also renovating a cafe-style space adjoining their store so travelers will have a place to sip coffee and peruse morning papers while waiting for their train.

The MBTA is expecting some of its riders to be people like Fred Gabriel of West Newbury, who is enthusiastically awaiting the resumption of train service.

"I can't wait to try it," he said after getting off his 6 p.m. commuter bus last week. "Just the idea that you can get in (to Boston) without dealing with all that traffic ... especially on Friday, it's ridiculous on the bus."

Though the MBTA likes to point out that train service will be cheaper than other forms of transportation, commuters interviewed last week said ticket price won't play a large part in their decision.

Dave Porter, the West Newbury commuter, pays $165 a month to ride a Coach Company bus that drops him off less than a block from his office in the JFK Building in Boston. The way Porter figures it, riding the train would cost him $128 a month, plus $1 per day for parking, for a total of $148 per month.

Bus routes start earlier and run later. The train would leave him at North Station, a short subway ride on the Orange Line from work - no great hardship, but time not spent commuting can be precious to commuters.

"So," Porter said after walking off his regular bus last week, "I don't know that (price) makes that much difference. Then you figure in the time savings ... I don't know, I really don't."

"I'm going to wait and see how it goes," Porter continued.

Commuters and prospective tourists alike believe the train will be more reliable, and less stressful in foul weather than either riding a bus or driving an automobile.

Christine Wanderlich has always wanted to take her daughter to see "The Nutcracker" in Boston at night, but concerns about driving in bad weather have stopped her - until now. She plans to take the train because she considers it safer and more reliable than driving.

Paul Haney of Amesbury, a bus commuter, predicts that buses will reach the city faster than the train in the summer because neither weather nor heavy traffic makes driving Route 1 through Revere into the city, and Interstate 93 returning home, such a horrendous proposition.

"In the summertime," said the seasoned bus commuter, "it's a breeze."

"The reason I'll probably end up on the train," Haney said, "is the weather."

When heavy rain falls, the stretch of Route 1 through Revere can feel like the drive-thru line at a fast-food restaurant during the lunch-hour rush. And even the most unflappable commuters don't like to think about the I-93 merge in snowy conditions.

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