T wireless program to give riders delay updates

The nation’s oldest subway system is rolling into the wireless age, announcing a pilot program to help time-starved commuters stay on schedule.

The MBTA has introduced T-Alerts today, which will update commuters of service delays via e-mail and text message. The mobile alerts stemmed from the updates that are already posted on the MBTA’s Web site.

“We heard from a lot of people that it was very useful, as long as they were at their home or office computer,” said Dan Grabauskas, general manager of the T. “People really wanted us to go mobile.”

Information about the program will be available on the MBTA’s Web site today and tomorrow, and passengers can sign up for the service starting Wednesday afternoon. Only 3,000 people will be included in the pilot program. The MBTA will ask the participants for feedback and make the improved updates available to all commuters sometime around Jan. 1, Grabauskas said.

The service will allow each passenger to get updates on up to three train, bus or ferry routes during the days and times that the rider typically travels. If the route is running 15 minutes late, a message will be sent to subscribers’ e-mail, cell phones or wireless devices.

“You can literally tailor the alerts to the trips you take,” Grabauskas said.

He said the service will allow riders to make “real time” travel decisions.

Passengers can even get updates on disabled elevators or escalators on their travel route, which Grabauskas believes will be useful for passengers in wheelchairs or pushing strollers.

Similar programs are already used by commuters in New Jersey, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.