MBTA OFFICIALS said on Monday that they plan to restore bus, subway, and commuter rail service to pre-pandemic levels as soon as possible even though they are forecasting that ridership […]
Tracking Transportation
Keeping track of transportation
Posted inTransportation
Should we still call it ‘commuter’ rail?
THE MBTA is launching a fairly radical change to its commuter rail operations on April 5, running fewer trains at the traditional morning and evening peaks and spreading service out […]
Posted inTransportation
New Orange Line train derails; none injured
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ONE OF THE MBTA’s new Orange Line trains derailed in a work zone near Wellington Station on Tuesday morning, creating significant delays while passengers were shifted […]
Posted inTransportation
Lynch: Congressional delegation ‘furious’ about T cuts
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MEMBERS OF THE state’s Congressional delegation will have “hard discussions” with the MBTA and Gov. Charlie Baker in hopes of encouraging the transit agency to back […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Capital spending about to start falling
THE MBTA said its spending on capital projects is expected to start falling in fiscal 2023 and plummet to half its current level by fiscal 2026, prompting the chair of […]
Posted inTransportation
T projects fare revenue to be down for at least 5 years
THE MBTA is projecting that fare revenue will not return to pre-pandemic levels for the next five years and possibly longer, and transit authority officials say they are counting on […]
Posted inTransportation
Sneak peak of this year’s transportation debate
THE HOUSE AND SENATE chairs of the Legislature’s Transportation Committee engaged in a back-and-forth debate about legislative priorities on transportation this year, with Sen. Joseph Boncore of Winthrop calling for […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Poll shows support for both EVs, public transit
THE FUTURE of transportation in Massachusetts is at a crossroads. As the debate between Gov. Charlie Baker and state lawmakers over the climate bill continues, one key issue is whether the […]
Posted inTransportation
Boncore bill backs fare-free MBTA
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A THREE-STEP, 12-cent gas tax increase, fare-free MBTA and regional transit authority buses, new surcharges on parking space rentals and purchases, higher ride-hailing fees and more […]
Posted inTransportation
With ‘cliff’ looming, T stalls for time
MBTA OFFICIALS are planning to put off the release of a new, five-year capital plan until June 2022, a move that reflects the financial uncertainty caused by the coronavirus and […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA tries new approach with commuter rail cuts
WITH NO EXPECTATION of a quick turnaround in ridership, the MBTA is preparing to move ahead with bus and subway service cuts next month while adopting a more revolutionary approach […]
Posted inOpinion
Commuter rail should be experimenting
SOME OF THE MOST encouraging news coming out of the pandemic has been the ability of Massachusetts companies to quickly pivot and meet suddenly changing needs. Shoe manufacturers are making […]
Posted inOpinion
Put an end to cuts at the MBTA
LAST FALL, when the MBTA announced it was planning deep cuts to bus, train, ferry ,and commuter rail service, the opposition was swift and virtually unanimous. Riders, workers, elected officials, and employers raised the alarm that […]
Posted inTransportation
T starting to get serious about fare evasion
AS IT MOVES toward a new way of boarding passengers on buses and the Green Line, the MBTA is starting to address the touchy subject of fare evasion. Currently, passengers […]
Posted inTransportation
T control board takes on its critics
THE MBTA’S oversight board on Monday pushed back against relentless criticism from a host of critics for refusing to undo service cuts and for failing to move beyond what a […]
Posted inEnvironment
Baker takes more conciliatory tone on climate change bill
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER sent the Legislature’s twice-passed climate change bill back on Sunday with new, compromise language that strikes a more conciliatory tone and dials back some of his earlier […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA offers 2 employees ‘sign-on bonuses’
A correction has been added to this story concerning the information regarding Angel Pena. THE MBTA has begun offering so-called “sign-on bonuses” to attract some employees to join the transit […]
Posted inTransportation
T control board’s annual report calls for new revenues
THE MBTA’S Fiscal and Management Control Board sent a 10-page annual report to the Legislature on Monday that is fact-based and largely straightforward with its updates on major initiatives and […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Seeking transformation amid constraints
THE MBTA’S Fiscal and Management Control Board heard a series of presentations on Monday about capital projects to transform the bus, subway, and commuter rail lines and the big takeaways […]
Posted inTransportation
Harvard raises concerns on ‘no-build’ Allston option
A TOP OFFICIAL at Harvard University sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack last week raising concerns about the state’s growing interest in just patching the crumbling elevated section […]
Posted inTransportation
We can’t follow on transportation; we must lead
NOTHING LASTS FOREVER, and that particularly includes time serving in public office. For some, longevity in office can be a rare opportunity to make impactful change; for others, it can […]
Posted inOpinion
Baker faces same choice Sargent did in 1972
IN 1972, Republican Gov. Francis W. Sargent confronted the question of whether to perpetuate a decades-old plan to run the I-95 highway through Boston neighborhoods, or to adopt a forward-looking, […]
Posted inTransportation
T general manager receives $20,800 bonus
MBTA GENERAL MANAGER Steve Poftak, who receives a base salary of $324,800 a year, recently received a bonus of $20,800 for 2019. Based on pre-established performance goals, Poftak was eligible […]
Posted inTransportation
Pollack headed to Federal Highway Administration
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION on Thursday tapped Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack as deputy administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, creating a yawning void in the state’s transportation bureaucracy. Gov. Charlie […]