JIM ALOISI likes to write a holiday verse every year for CommonWealth, and this year he went all out. This year’s ditty is a clever take on linking the Red and Blue Lines. You can read/sing it yourself (to the tune of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) or you can listen to Aloisi and Chris Dempsey, the director of Transportation for Massachusetts, belt it out for you.

Enjoy, and have a happy holiday season!

A Transit Holiday Season

You know Porter and Airport and Broadway and Beachmont,

Wellington, Wollaston, Alewife and Ashmont,

But do you recall

The most famous station of all?

Park Street the Red/Green Station

Was at crush capacity.

And if you ever saw it,

You would call a TNC.

All of the transit riders

Used to sigh and feel upset.

They knew that more investment

Was the only certain bet.

Then one snowy Christmas Eve

The Secretary came to say:

“Park Street you’re so tried and true,

We’re going to connect the Red and Blue.”

Then how the riders loved it,

As they shouted out with glee:

“Park Street the Red/Green Station

You’ll function as a modern T!”

With Best Wishes to all for the holiday season –

James Aloisi is a former secretary of transportation, a member of the TransitMatters Board, and the principal of Trimount Consulting.