TRANSPORTATION
From the MBTA and regional transit authorities to road and highway projects and policy, CommonWealth Beacon delves into the web of current public and private transportation challenges and proposed solutions to keep the Bay State moving.
Healey: T will ‘take care of business’ in short term, TBD on revenues
Bringing the MBTA up to state of good repair comes with a hefty price tag – $24.5 billion, according to a stunning announcement in mid-November – but Gov. Maura Healey says she’s confident in the agency’s assessment that riders won’t need to wait for an allocation of that size to see improvements.
What commuter rail ridership gains mean for Boston
RIDERSHIP ON THE MBTA’s commuter rail system continues to rebound strongly, providing an interesting data point in the debate over whether Boston in the post-COVID era will face an office space glut that will make the city feel like a ghost town of empty buildings. When COVID-19 hit in March 2020, ridership on commuter rail…
MBTA says two-thirds of assets are beyond useful life
Roughly two-thirds of the MBTA’s assets are beyond their useful life and would cost $24.5 billion to bring into a state of good repair, according to a new analysis of the transit authority’s infrastructure.
Tibbits-Nutt named transportation secretary
Gov. Maura Healey removed the acting prefix and made Monica Tibbits-Nutt its full-fledged transportation secretary .
Why did MassDOT hang T employees out to dry?
A Boston Globe story on employees working long-distance at the MBTA had 4 corrections. The employees who were incorrectly targeted and the reporter who lost her job were victims of a state bureaucracy that failed to stand up for its workers.
MBTA plans to eliminate all 191 subway slow zones by end of 2024
MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng outlined a plan on Thursday to eliminate all 191 slow zones on the subway system by the end of 2024 and restore service to regular speeds.
Short takes: Extended hunt for SJC justice
“Third time’s the charm” is a proverb, not necessarily a legal doctrine. Even so, the team tasked by Gov. Maura Healey to help fill an upcoming vacancy on the state’s highest court is again extending the application deadline for people interested in becoming a justice on the Supreme Judicial Court.
Red Line slow zones gone, but unpredictability is not
RED LINE PASSENGERS on Monday said 16 days of repairs on the stretch of track between the Ashmont and JFK/UMass stations eliminated slow zones and dramatically improved service, but the ride remained unpredictable as one car during the afternoon experienced problems and had to be pulled from service. “Absolutely awful experience once again,” said Alanya…
Blue Line ridership disappointing during and after tunnel closure
THE SUMNER TUNNEL shutdown on July 5 prompted an increase in MBTA passenger levels on subways, buses, ferries, and commuter rail, but the increase wasn’t as big as expected and there’s little evidence that people who tried public transit during the closure remained riders after the reopening on August 31. According to a presentation to…
MBTA bus network redesign put off until end of 2024
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AFTER PAUSING the campaign due to a shortage of drivers, MBTA officials are hopeful they can revive an effort to overhaul and expand the bus network by the end of next year. Justin Antos, the MBTA’s senior director of bus transformation, said Tuesday the project that aims to boost bus service…
GLX repairs could take 14 days
THE MBTA is considering a proposal to slightly widen the tracks on most of the Green Line extension to Somerville and Medford by shutting the system down early for 10 to 14 days starting November 1. General Manager Phillip Eng told the MBTA board of directors on Tuesday that the T’s contractor has proposed shutting…
Short takes: Retired reporter’s scoops keep people clicking
EVEN BEFORE TWITTER changed hands to its current owner, who insists on calling it by another name, the social networking site was in a state of decline. What used to be a real-time news ticker is overrun with anger and misinformation. But some feeds are still worth following, and that’s the case with @GlobeFPhillips, operated…
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