When the subway breaks down, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has to take the heat from angry passengers. It’s a public agency, and it is accountable to us. When the commuter rail breaks down, nobody seems to take responsibility (“Commuter rail firm has been proud T partner,” Letters, Jan. 15).

The MBTA blames the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co. because MBCR runs the trains. MCBR blames the T for providing faulty equipment. The T tries to keep the trains running on time by including a penalty clause in the MBCR contract, but then accepts the excuse that the late trains aren’t MBCRs fault, so the penalties aren’t applied.