“THERE’S A PLACE in the world for the angry young man,” wrote Billy Joel almost 50 years ago. Unfortunately, that place seems to have expanded in our public square (for […]
MBTA
Posted inTransportation
Tibbits-Nutt out, Eng elevated in abrupt shakeup at MassDOT
Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt suddenly resigned Thursday, prompting the governor to ask the head of the MBTA and the state’s highway administrator — a pair of trusted veterans — to work two jobs simultaneously.
Posted inTransportation
‘Contactless’ fares quickly grow popular among T riders
MBTA riders long wanted the agency to catch up with its peers and provide a way to pay fares that didn’t involve CharlieCards or vending machines. After the first year, data show many commuters are embracing the new option.
Posted inOpinion
The real danger facing the T
There is a clear threat to our public transit system here in Boston, and it is not crime or “vagrancy.” It is the systematic clawing back of federal funding and the withdrawal of environmental justice and equity guidelines that seriously imperil how residents move.
Posted inOpinion
Without a watchdog, T operating costs spiral
But making T finances more sustainable by bringing them in line with other large urban transit agencies takes more than just capital improvements. It will require legislative leaders and Gov. Healey to reinstate and empower an entity like the Fiscal and Management Control Board to explicitly focus on operating cost control.
Posted inTransportation
US Customs detains 8 Red Line subway cars in Philadelphia
MBTA officials said US Customs is trying to verify CRRC, the Chinese rail car manufacturer, is complying with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
Posted inHousing
Marblehead voters overturn multifamily housing zoning
Tuesday’s outcome places Marblehead among the 38 communities that have not yet achieved compliance with state law, risking loss of eligibility for competitive state grant programs potentially worth over $10 million.
Posted inTransportation
MBTA commuter rail operator’s CEO heads back to France
The change at the top of Keolis Commuter Services comes as the contract, held by the company since July 2014, is set to expire June 2027.
Posted inTransportation
The next MBTA commuter rail contract is likely to look similar to the current one
Details of the decision will be rolled out at a downtown Boston meeting later this month.
Posted inState Government
MBTA zoning law targeted by GOP budget amendments
Even following a Supreme Judicial Court ruling in January against Milton that deemed the law constitutional and gave the attorney general’s office the ability to enforce it with legal action, unrest remains in other communities — many of which are using Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s contention that the law is an “unfunded mandate” to pursue further legal action.
Posted inTransportation
Meet Beacon Hill’s new top House lawmaker on transportation
Colleagues call Arciero a pragmatist who’s willing to listen, while Beacon Hill observers note that he was already a key player who helped shepherd Gov. Maura Healey’s multibillion housing bill.
Posted inHousing
A new wrinkle in MBTA Communities rebellion, courtesy of DiZoglio
Responding to a request from Wrentham officials, Auditor Diana DiZoglio waded into a local battle over the controversial MBTA Communities law, finding that the law is an “unfunded mandate” handed down by state officials.
Posted inTransportation
This is one of the biggest decisions the MBTA will make in the next five years
The commuter rail system sees 550,000 weekly passengers and the MBTA officials want to see even higher numbers, part of an effort to ease traffic congestion by making the commuter rail a more attractive alternative.
Posted inTransportation
Suburban commuter rail stations need more housing density, new report says
“For Greater Boston, leveraging the vast, underdeveloped land around commuter rail stations represents a crucial opportunity to address housing shortages, reduce car dependency, and better utilize existing transit infrastructure,” the report said.
Posted inPolitics
Political Notebook: Maura Healey’s echo | Bitcoin strategic reserve?
There was talk of no new taxes, fixing the MBTA, and cutting red tape, all while avoiding direct references to Donald Trump.
Posted inTransportation
Healey task force turns to existing tax to boost MBTA, transportation infrastructure
Healey administration officials are attempting to deploy millionaires tax revenue in a way that was first tested on a smaller scale last year.
Posted inEducation
The dividing line on millionaires tax money
One of the main backers of the 2022 ballot question says a split between education and transportation shouldn’t be locked in.
Posted inTransportation
Healey huddles with her transportation task force ahead of report’s release
The governor met with her transportation funding task force as its members convened their final session and prepared to submit a final draft of a report expected to be released in the coming days.
Posted inOpinion
Transportation funding task force nears finish line
The governor’s task force on transportation funding is scheduled to hold its final meeting with both Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll in attendance.
Posted inTransportation
Healey task force on transportation funding will miss its December 31 deadline
The task force Gov. Maura Healey created to propose a new funding model for transportation in Massachusetts is going to miss its end-of-2024 deadline.
Posted inGovernment
Political Notebook: Lack of roadmap riles some on transportation task force
Members of Gov. Maura Healey’s transportation funding task force gathered this week in downtown Boston. But whether they’ll get to where they’re supposed to go is in the eye of the commuter.
Posted inOpinion
The Allston I-90 project: once again off the rails
It was disappointing when Secretary of Transportation Monica Tibbits-Nutt announced that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation was embarking on a path forward for Allston Landing that backtracked on prior commitments to the impacted communities and may jeopardize (and in some ways reverse) the project’s commitment to providing important environmental, economic, and social justice outcomes.
Posted inTransportation
Regional transit agencies are getting state funding to go fare-free. The T won’t be on the list.
Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt said while 13 of the 15 Massachusetts regional transit authorities can now provide year-round fare-free bus service, thanks to state grants, that won’t be happening anytime soon at the MBTA, the state’s largest transit agency.
