More Signs of the Apocalypse?

Nah, just business as usual on the MBTA.

I speak, of course, of the T's decision to improve on-time performance on the Framingham line by simply adding six to twelve minutes to the existing schedules. Presto! trains that were chronically six to twelve minutes late are now on time.

One is tempted to ask what happens when the trains start being six to twelve minutes behind this new schedule. (But we know the answer to that, don't we?) One is also tempted to ask if this process of elastic scheduling is finite, or if the schedule extension goes on indefinitely (but we know the answer to that, too).

All this may explain the fares. We aren't just paying for transportation, we're paying for the comedy.