THE MBTA and the Washington, DC, transit systems are trying to woo back riders as the summer comes to an end, but they are taking slightly different approaches. Both systems have suffered a COVID-induced falloff in ridership that is likely to continue as many employees continue to work (at least some of the time) from […]
MBTA
Posted inTransportation
#111 bus now getting attention from the MBTA
THE MBTA’S 111 bus is one of the transit authority’s busiest routes. It runs from Everett through Revere and into Chelsea, where it picks up most of its passengers. It continues over the Tobin Bridge into Charlestown before heading to the T’s Haymarket Station via the North Washington Street Bridge. For years, passengers have complained about […]
Posted inOpinion
Fed support for transit operations needed
AS CONGRESS SLOWLY advances what will become a complete package of transportation funding and policy decisions that define the federal role for at least the next decade, it may be a good time to renew the call for transformative change in federal participation in transit operating costs. Without a change in federal policy, all of […]
Posted inTransportation
EJ communities need rep on new T board
DUE TO STRONG support from transit riders and workers, the Massachusetts Legislature recently took a huge step forward to ensure racial equity and environmental justice in the Commonwealth’s largest transit authority — and now Gov. Charlie Baker has an opportunity to listen to communities of color and do the right thing. For months, riders and workers […]
Posted inThe Download
Weekend commuter rail off to good start
Weekend service on all of the MBTA’s commuter rail lines returned on July 3, and already ridership is back close to pre-COVID levels. Saturday ridership is roughly 77 percent of what it was during the summer of 2019, while Sunday ridership is 100 percent, according to Justin Thompson, a spokesman for Keolis Commuter Services, the […]
Posted inTransportation
Weekend commuter rail off to good start
WEEKEND SERVICE on all of the MBTA’s commuter rail lines returned on July 3, and already ridership is back close to pre-COVID levels. Saturday ridership is roughly 77 percent of what it was during the summer of 2019, while Sunday ridership is 100 percent, according to Justin Thompson, a spokesman for Keolis Commuter Services, the […]
Posted inThe Download
New Orange Line cars being tested
The MBTA has begun testing its new Orange Line cars with the goal of returning them to active service in the coming weeks, a move that suggests the transit authority is finally closing in on the cause of a derailment nearly six months ago. The Orange Line derailment – not to be confused with the […]
Posted inTransportation
New Orange Line cars being tested
THE MBTA has begun testing its new Orange Line cars with the goal of returning them to active service in the coming weeks, a move that suggests the transit authority is finally closing in on the cause of a derailment nearly six months ago. The Orange Line derailment – not to be confused with the […]
Posted inThe Download
Can Massachusetts avoid the return of horrible congestion?
If you thought traffic was bad before the pandemic, wait until this fall. “I don’t think anyone wants to take the T,” said Emily, who has driven to work since last summer, but recently restarted taking the MBTA, due to the lack of a parking space and worsening traffic. In 2019, Boston area drivers already […]
Posted inTransportation
Can Massachusetts avoid the return of horrible congestion?
IF YOU THOUGHT traffic was bad before the pandemic, wait until this fall. “I don’t think anyone wants to take the T,” said Emily, who has driven to work since last summer, but recently restarted taking the MBTA, due to the lack of a parking space and worsening traffic. In 2019, Boston area drivers already […]