THE MBTA’S recent announcement of a $155 million land purchase at Widett Circle is an opportunity for the agency to consolidate its wide footprint of bus and rail facilities in central Boston, reducing the amount of valuable land used for these purposes. Yet the agency is intent on doing the opposite. As StreetsblogMass pointed out, […]
Ethan Finlan
Posted inOpinion
The Orange Line roadmap for commuter rail
DURING THE ORANGE LINE shutdown, the commuter rail network proved its tremendous value to Greater Boston’s transit system. It also showed exciting potential for the future. Last month, the MBTA added additional trains to serve Forest Hills, Hyde Park, and Oak Grove; increased its marketing of commuter rail; and waived fares for riders in Boston […]
Posted inOpinion
Regional rail can aid pandemic recovery
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC is wreaking havoc on our economy. As of June, over 17 million Americans were out of workand Boston’s unemployment rate was roughly 18 percent. Many small businesses, the backbone of our Main Streets, have shut their doors forever. In the Gateway Cities, unemployment hovers at 19.2 percent; Lawrence has a jaw-dropping unemployment […]
Posted inOpinion
TransitMatters: Train search should focus on basics
THE MBTA’S REQUEST for information to railcar manufacturers regarding electric multiple unit trains, often called EMUs, was a welcome sign of progress towards electrifying the commuter rail system and converting it into a high-speed, high-frequency regional rail network. By focusing on vehicles compliant with new Federal Railroad Administration standards, long in use in Europe, the […]
Posted inTransportation
Extend the Keolis contract another 4 years
KEOLIS’S CONTRACT to operate commuter rail for the MBTA expires in 2022, with two options to extend it for two years. It takes about two years to solicit bids and decide among them, so the Fiscal Management and Control Board must decide now whether to renew or rebid. We believe that the contract should be […]
Posted inOpinion
TransitMatters rebuts Brownsberger
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an unreliable inner-core transit and bus network, and an antiquated approach to commuter rail operations that leads to outdated, inconsistent, and unreliable service.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 […]
Posted inOpinion
Why a Red-Blue pedestrian link won’t work
THERE HAS BEEN a recent renewed advocacy push to bring attention to the Blue Line’s failure to provide the necessary connectivity any good rapid transit line must. This focus on the Blue Line – the system’s shortest rapid transit line, connecting Revere, East Boston, and Logan Airport to downtown Boston – coincides with the MBTA’s […]
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 […]