METRO BOSTON enters 2020 in the firm grip of a transportation crisis. That crisis manifests itself as a combination of the worst traffic congestion in the nation, an unreliable inner-core transit and bus network, and an antiquated approach to commuter rail operations that leads to outdated, inconsistent, and unreliable service. The crisis threatens our growing […]
Josh Fairchild
Posted inOpinion
TransitMatters: Our plan for regional rail
MASSACHUSETTS BENEFITS GREATLY from a legacy passenger rail network mostly built out in the late 19th century. Thankfully, much of it was saved from the worst impulses of mid-20th century auto-centricism, which makes us a rarity among large metropolitan areas in the United States. It’s the kind of priceless infrastructure that you just couldn’t build […]
Posted inOpinion
Kicking the tires on battery-electric buses
THERE IS GROWING CONSENSUS that our transportation system needs to move away from fossil fuels toward a cleaner electric-powered future. This is not only an environmental issue. It goes directly to the quality of service and the cost and reliability of the equipment. Whether we are talking about the intercity rail system or the inner […]
Posted inOpinion
Bustitutions aren’t the only option during shutdowns
THE MBTA RECENTLY ANNOUNCED that the Orange Line would be shut down on weekends between Ruggles and Forest Hills for much of this summer and into the fall. These shutdowns are the consequence of the long-overdue initiative to close the T’s $7.3 billion maintenance backlog. The work coming to the Orange Line now and in […]
Posted inTransportation
TransitMatters outlines Faster Forward initiative
WE AT TRANSITMATTERS were a bit startled to hear the assertion, made in the governor’s recent State of the Commonwealth address, that while “the MBTA’s historic failure during the winter of 2015 laid bare the vital need for a complete overhaul . . . never forget the T always had the money, [and only] lacked […]