TORONTO TRANSIT OFFICIALS on Monday briefed the MBTA on their vision for commuter rail – a vision that many Massachusetts transit advocates would like to see the T emulate. Three […]
Transportation
Posted inTransportation
McGee: Cut commuter rail fares from Lynn
LYNN MAYOR THOMAS MCGEE, backed by three lawmakers from the area, urged MBTA officials to test more frequent commuter rail service to and from Boston at prices similar to those […]
Posted inTransportation
Dustup at T over bus improvement efforts
THE MBTA’s OVERSIGHT BOARD, which has been urging the transit authority to think big when it comes to improving bus service, accused the agency of adopting a timid approach after […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Half-price reverse commute fare to Foxboro
THE MBTA INTENDS to begin testing commuter rail service between Boston and Foxboro starting October 21, complete with a half-price fare for people who reverse commute to the suburb. The […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA: Weakened steel ring led to June derailment
This story has been edited to include additional comments made after the findings were first disclosed. A BRITTLE STEEL AXLE on the front of the third car of a 50-year-old […]
Posted inTransportation
Universal congestion pricing is the way to go
MASSACHUSETTS LIVES and breathes as the Commonwealth of firsts. From the Mayflower to the continent’s first subway system, this state knows what groundbreaking transportation looks like. While we have accomplished […]
Posted inTransportation
Pollack’s comment on HOV lane anecdotal
TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY Stephanie Pollack is famous for her love of data, but it appears she went with anecdotal evidence on Tuesday when she told local officials that 80 to 90 […]
Posted inTransportation
TransitMatters: South Station expansion unnecessary
THE ADVOCACY GROUP TransitMatters says a number of relatively simple changes in commuter rail operations could increase the number of trains moving in and out of South Station and make […]
Posted inTransportation
Pollack: HOV lanes aren’t working
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE HIGH-OCCUPANCY VEHICLE lanes, or carpool lanes, north and south of Boston are not really what they’re cracked up to be. The HOV lanes, which are […]
Posted inUncategorized
Congestion may be bad, but commute times changing little
BOSTON IS STRUGGLING with the worst congestion in the nation, but drivers surprisingly say they haven’t seen a big increase in their commuting time over the last decade. According to […]
Posted inThe Download
Congestion may be bad, but commute times changing little
Boston is struggling with the worst congestion in the nation, but drivers surprisingly say they haven’t seen a big increase in their commuting time over the last decade. According to […]
Posted inTransportation
Baker rides the T
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER boarded a southbound Red Line train on Monday morning, putting behind him years of refusal to ride the transit system he oversees. The visit from Park Street […]
Posted inTransportation
Audit: Transportation a barrier to food assistance benefits
TRANSPORTATION CHALLENGES are the biggest barrier Massachusetts residents face in applying for federal food assistance, according to a report released on Monday by state Auditor Suzanne Bump. Participation in the […]
Posted inTransportation
Lawrence eliminates fares on 3 bus routes
IN A BID TO BOOST public transit ridership, Lawrence on Monday started allowing residents to ride three downtown bus routes for free. The city is providing $225,000 to the Merrimack […]
Posted inTransportation
Back Bay-Logan bus is a big hit
A SPECIAL PERK and a much lower price have transformed the Massport bus operating between Back Bay and Logan International Airport into a hit with travelers. In the first four […]
Posted inTransportation
T urged to experiment with income-based commuter rail fares
THE MBTA SHOULD EXPERIMENT with income-based fares and cut charges for reverse-commuting and off-peak travel, the think tank MassINC argues in a new policy brief. The brief doesn’t advocate for […]
Posted inOpinion
An action plan to address the Mass. transportation crisis
THE RECENT REPORTS on the New England governors meeting to discuss the crisis in transportation in the region gives us some hope that Gov. Charlie Baker is now open to […]
Posted inTransportation
SL3 could be solution to Logan’s access issues
THE MBTA HAS ADDRESSED some of the most pressing needs for more transit service at times of day when people need to travel by making early-morning and late-night service permanent. […]
Posted inTransportation
T releases contracts with safety panel members
THE MBTA on Monday released contracts it signed with a trio of experts who were hired two months ago to review the agency’s safety procedures and past derailments. Former US […]
Posted inOpinion
Public-private partnerships could finance new bus garages
ON AN AVERAGE WEEKDAY, the MBTA bus system moves about 400,000 people—that’s one-third of the MBTA’s total ridership. The T’s bus system is essential to maintaining our region’s economic growth, […]
Posted inOpinion
Time for state to walk the walk on bus rapid transit
THE OPENING OF THE ENCORE BOSTON HARBOR casino gave Everett and the lower Broadway corridor a big boost, but the municipality was already growing quickly. Everett’s population grew from less […]
Posted inTransportation
Commuter rail riders ‘somewhat satisfied’
COMMUTER RAIL RIDERS overall are “somewhat satisfied” with the rail system’s performance, according to internal polls commissioned by Keolis Commuter Services that have shown steady but slow improvement over the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Bowes out at RMV’s Merit Rating Board
THOMAS BOWES was publicly fired Tuesday and jettisoned from an executive position within the Registry of Motor Vehicles where he had allowed thousands of infraction notifications to pile up unaddressed […]
Posted inTransportation
Union slams RMV report for naming names
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS QUESTIONS CONTINUE to swirl over who knew what and when about persistent record-keeping failures at the Registry of Motor Vehicles, the union representing two RMV […]