Boston's rail commuters gave mixed reviews on the new seats of the Metro Boston Transit Authority's Blue Line cars. Some riders complained the new seats were too slippery, while others appreciated the wider space it offers.

The new seats is made of fiberglass with a shape not fitting the human spine. The old model had soft vinyl seats, but narrower by 2 inches. Hence, only 35 passengers could sit per row in the new car compared to 42 riders before, regular commuters told the Boston Globe.

The fiberglass makes the new seats vandal-proof, but not liquid-proof in case passengers spilled their drinks on the seats. Spilled liquid is not absorbed by the materials, but slides off easily, like many riders who have complained of slipping when the train stops.

The MBTA insisted the seats just takes getting used to among commuters. It spent $1.8 million to bring in 106 new subway cars, 12 started rolling on Massachusetts' tracks since February and the remaining 94 to be delivered gradually until the end of 2009.

But the rail seats are the least of MBTA's financial concerns. Its bigger concern is the 3-year old bridge on its Greenbush commuter rail line which it must tear down and rebuild for being below state and federal environmental benchmarks for its potential to cause more floods in the area when a huge downpour occurs, the Boston Herald reported.

On Thursday the MBTA board approved the construction of a new span in Scituate at a cost of $532 million, which includes $5 million just to tear the bridge.