JEFFREY GONNEVILLE, the deputy general manager of the MBTA, will take over as the interim general manager when Steve Poftak steps down on January 3. As the T’s second-highest-ranking official, […]
Tracking Transportation
Keeping track of transportation
Posted inTransportation
App-based drivers make push for a union
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE EVERYONE IN the State House and surrounding area of downtown Boston heard app-based drivers calls Wednesday afternoon for collective bargaining rights — or at least they […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA eyes purchase of Widett Circle parcel
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MBTA OFFICIALS gave the green light Thursday to begin the work of acquiring a 24-acre plot of land in Boston, where they hope to build a […]
Posted inTransportation
The long GLX wait is over
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HUNDREDS OF EXCITED riders crowded into trains going north of Lechmere Station for the first time Monday morning, eagerly chattering to other passengers about their experiences […]
Posted inOpinion
An MBTA to-do list for Gov. Healey
THE HEALEY/DRISCOLL administration will take office at a time when rider confidence in the MBTA and T employee morale have reached unprecedented lows. The necessary task of restoring confidence and […]
Posted inTransportation
Biotech workers driving more, using the T less
SURVEYS OF LIFE science employees by MassBio in July 2019 and November 2022 indicate workers are now driving more and using public transportation less. The survey results mirror what the […]
Posted inTransportation
Buried rail car turned up in GLX excavation
THE TEAM that constructed the Green Line extension to Medford and Somerville encountered all sorts of obstacles over the last four years, including unexpected bedrock, contaminated soil, ground water, and, […]
Posted inTransportation
REAL ID deadline pushed back to 2025
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SAYING IT WANTED to alert the public, the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles late Monday announced that the US Department of Homeland Security has extended the […]
Posted inTransportation
Baker, Polito call South Coast Rail a matter of fairness
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said the $1 billion South Coast Rail project scheduled to open late next year is about fairness to southeastern Massachusetts. At the […]
Posted inTransportation
Riders scarce at the T in first quarter
THE MBTA’S first quarter financial report for the fiscal year wasn’t very good, so the transit authority tossed in some potentially promising news from the next quarter. The T has […]
Posted inTransportation
North Station commuter rail gates show promise
PASSENGERS SEEM to be adapting to new commuter rail fare gates at North Station, and early data indicate the tap-in, tap-out gates may be having a positive impact on fare […]
Posted inTransportation
Sargent and Dukakis offer lessons for Healey
AS THE DAYS dwindle down toward another Boston winter, a new gubernatorial administration prepares to occupy the rabbit warren of office space dedicated to the executive branch in the Bulfinch […]
Posted inTransportation
Uber, Lyft riders subsidize taxi, livery firms
FOR EVERY Uber and Lyft ride in Massachusetts, the state collects an extra 20 cents. Half of the 20-cent fee is split among municipalities based on where the rides originate, […]
Posted inOpinion
Digging into safety oversight options for MBTA
WITH HIGH-PROFILE MISHAPS and equipment failures in recent months, the MBTA is under unprecedented scrutiny for its recent safety record. The Federal Transit Administration’s Safety Management Inspection (SMI) report released […]
Posted inOpinion
Five steps for turning the MBTA around
IN THE WAKE of safety concerns, the unprecedented complete shutdown of the Orange Line, opaque and untimely communications, and service delivery obstacles, the MBTA continues to make quasi-daily headlines for […]
Posted inTransportation
GLX manager Dalton gets 6-month contract extension
THE MBTA has extended until mid-2023 the contract of the manager overseeing the Green Line extension into Somerville and Medford. The move appears designed to keep John Dalton under contract […]
Posted inTransportation
Don’t break up the T, expand it statewide
FOR AT LEAST seven years, state Rep. William Straus has been shopping the idea that we should abolish the MBTA. Rep. Straus, who is chair of the Joint Committee on […]
Posted inTransportation
Green Line to Medford opening Dec. 12
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ONE FINAL DELAY of a couple of weeks looms, and then the long-awaited second and final Green Line extension branch will open to riders on December […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA board ends 2-year hiatus on fare enforcement
THE MBTA board of directors on Thursday voted unanimously to end a two-year hiatus on issuing fines for fare evasion, but most of the members were skeptical the T’s “non-punitive” […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA says ridership won’t be back to normal in 5 years
THE MBTA is not expecting ridership to return to pre-COVID levels within the next five years, even with the addition of new services like the Green Line extension and South […]
Posted inTransportation
Are T fare evasion regs tough enough?
MBTA OFFICIALS on Wednesday pleaded with transit authority board members to quickly approve regulations dealing with fare evasion so the T will no longer be forced to turn a blind eye […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA fare enforcement in ‘legal vacuum’
TWO YEARS AGO, the Legislature amended the MBTA’s fare evasion statute, decriminalizing the offense and lowering the range of possible fines. The Legislature left the details to the T, but […]
Posted inTransportation
Powering up highway charging stations
DRIVING ALONG the Massachusetts Turnpike, electric vehicle charging stations are popping up at the service plazas, a harbinger of a future without internal combustion engines. But a new study from […]
Posted inOpinion
The Orange Line roadmap for commuter rail
DURING THE ORANGE LINE shutdown, the commuter rail network proved its tremendous value to Greater Boston’s transit system. It also showed exciting potential for the future. Last month, the MBTA […]