So far, the T has received 58 new Red Line cars, with two more expected in December. Those vehicles — part of a 252-car replacement fleet — are running years behind schedule.
Transportation
Posted inEnvironment
Massachusetts agencies never followed a 2017 rule to cut emissions from state vehicles, court documents show
The rule was issued under Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and followed a landmark court ruling that found the state needed to issue more specific and stringent regulations in order to meet the 2050 climate commitment.
Posted inEnvironment
Massachusetts EV charging plans continue to take hit
The delays underscore the challenges facing the state in cutting pollution from the transportation sector, which accounts for the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts at 38 percent.
Posted inNewsletters
The (Re)Publisher – November 11, 2025
November 11, 2025 Dear Publisher, Below is the latest roundup of news and opinion from CommonWealth Beacon. You are welcome to republish any of the content below — we only […]
Posted inTransportation
Drawbridge, Green Line investments top narrower MBTA capital plan
Boxed in by prior commitments, inflation, and federal uncertainty, the MBTA is narrowing its approach to its five-year capital plan to focus on projects such as replacement of the North Station Draw One bridge.
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 inThe Codcast
Blocking and tackling with Massport CEO Rich Davey
This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Rich Davey, who just finished his first year as CEO of Massport. They talk about his long history of ground transportation work, plans to improve air travel, and whether Boston actually could have handled the 2024 Olympics.
Posted inState Government
Mass. could join states that ban concealed license plates
Motorists would be banned from installing tinted license plate covers on their cars that distort or block key information under a bill that secured initial approval in the House this week.
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
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 inEnvironment
DEP delays electric vehicle sales requirements for two years
The Healey administration announced it will not enforce minimum electric vehicle sales requirements for model years 2026 and 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 inEnvironment
Massachusetts postpones rule requiring truck makers to sell electric vehicles
After pressure from industry groups, Massachusetts has delayed the enforcement of a truck emissions rule that Trump administration is trying to eliminate.
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 inOpinion
Transportation insecurity is holding Massachusetts residents back
When people can’t get where they need to go, barriers to basic needs like education, employment, and health care persist.
Posted inThe Codcast
The stakes of Western Mass. transit gaps
CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith is joined by state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa of the First Hampshire district and Laura Sylvester, public policy manager at the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, to discuss transportation challenges in Western Massachusetts and how they connect with other policy areas.
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 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 inPolitics
Political Notebook: The tensions and tangles over federal funding
The saying about New England’s fluid weather – wait a minute, and it’ll change – could also apply these days to the pronouncements coming out of Washington.
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 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.
