THE MBTA’s FISCAL AND MANAGEMENT CONTROL BOARD on Monday tweaked its recommendation for the makeup of a new T oversight board once the existing panel goes out of existence at […]
Tracking Transportation
Keeping track of transportation
Posted inTransportation
T $25m behind on contract pledge to union
TOP MBTA OFFICIALS acknowledged on Monday that they have failed to comply with a key provision in a union contract requiring the transit authority to spend $25 million a year […]
Posted inTransportation
Straus says TCI is getting in the way
THE HOUSE’S LEADER on transportation issues raised concerns on Friday that the transportation and climate initiative being pushed by Gov. Charlie Baker is sputtering, and may be getting in the […]
Posted inTransportation
TCI club appears to be shrinking
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE IN A PROTEST-INTERRUPTED State of the State address Thursday, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott cast a shadow on the prospects of him signing his state up for […]
Posted inTransportation
Patrick recounts bruising transportation funding battles
DEVAL PATRICK WAS GOVERNOR the last time the Legislature grappled with providing new funding for transportation, and for him it’s not a pleasant memory. On the Horse Race podcast from […]
Posted inTransportation
Brownsberger: Take two on reducing congestion
MASSACHUSETTS IS CURRENTLY contemplating a program of investments in regional rail expansion that may cost tens of billions of dollars over several decades. Within that program we need to prioritize the highest value […]
Posted inTransportation
Advocates call for T control board extension
SOME OF THE STATE’S leading transit advocates are calling for extending the life of the existing MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board for six months to a year and making buses […]
Posted inOpinion
TransitMatters rebuts Brownsberger
METRO BOSTON enters 2020 in the firm grip of a transportation crisis. That crisis manifests itself as a combination of the worst traffic congestion in the nation, an unreliable inner-core […]
Posted inOpinion
Add homes at train stops, reduce traffic
HIGH HOME PRICES and soaring rents. Countless hours spent sitting in traffic. This is all par for the course for Massachusetts residents, but it doesn’t have to be. Allowing modest […]
Posted inTransportation
MassDOT contractor facing heat after fatal collision
THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION is starting the new year reviewing a contract it has with a highway safety company after one of the firm’s employees was allegedly driving drunk during […]
Posted inTransportation
The big squeeze at Big Dig 2
THE MASSACHUSETTS TURNPIKE PROJECT that some are starting to call Big Dig 2 is struggling to squeeze 12 lanes, four railroad tracks, park land, a pedestrian path, and two bike […]
Posted inTransportation
Keolis crews get more training on switches
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MBTA AND KEOLIS will expand training programs for commuter rail personnel after an initial investigation determined that human error in switch usage caused a derailment […]
Posted inTransportation
Subway ridership rebounding, but still lackluster
RED LINE RIDERSHIP appears to be rebounding, with the number of average weekday trips now trending back to the same level it was prior to the June 11 derailment at […]
Posted inOpinion
What we should focus on in the rail debate
A correction has been added to this story. Congestion at rush hour: That is the problem we should be trying to solve as we contemplate alternative rail and transit expansion […]
Posted inTransportation
Theoharides: Sununu rejection of TCI no surprise
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE STATE’S LEAD NEGOTIATOR on a multi-state pact to lower carbon emissions from vehicles said Thursday she was not surprised New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu withdrew […]
Posted inTransportation
Groups slam temporary Charles River bridge
This story was updated at 2 p.m. TO MAKE ROOM for a massive reconstruction of the Massachusetts Turnpike near Boston University, the Charles River Watershed Association said it would opt […]
Posted inTransportation
Baker’s walk on the wild side
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER’S all-in embrace of the transportation climate initiative is another step away from his shrinking Republican base and a tacit admission that the state needs more transit funding. […]
Posted inTransportation
TCI could up gas prices 5 to 17 cents a gallon in 2022
OFFICIALS DEVELOPING A new regional approach to reducing tailpipe emissions on the East Coast are considering policies that would add between 5 cents and 17 cents to the cost of […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Machinists hit deplorable conditions
THE HEAD of the MBTA’s machinists local said on Monday that the union is living up to the promises it made as part of a labor contract signed in 2018 […]
Posted inTransportation
Surging sales tax helping T balance budget
THE MBTA IS FACING intense pressure to increase operations spending on safety and other initiatives, but some of the higher expenditures are being offset by an unexpected surge in sales […]
Posted inTransportation
Pollack, control board at odds on income-based fares
REJECTING CONCERNS raised by state Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack, members of the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board on Monday insisted on moving faster to embrace lower fares for low-income […]
Posted inTransportation
Baker talks up his transportation-funding approach
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Wednesday outlined for the business community a proposal to address climate change and raise money for transportation in a way that he believes is far superior […]
Posted inTransportation
Smoke, sparks at Park Street
JUST A DAY after a devastating safety report that excoriated the culture at the MBTA, passengers documented dramatic sparks and smoke on the Green Line at Park Street. No one […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Fairmount pilot likely to make cut
THE MBTA IS WINNOWING down the number of pilot projects it plans to launch next year, and a proposal for the Fairmount commuter rail line appears to have made the […]