Alon Levy

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 […]

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an unreliable inner-core transit and bus network, and an antiquated approach to commuter rail operations that leads to outdated, inconsistent, and unreliable service.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 […]

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 […]

EFFECTIVE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION systems are those that excel at getting people to places they want to go. That may seem an obvious point but the two attributes that help make this happen – access and connectivity – are often overlooked or not fully realized. As a result, many people are regularly frustrated by a transit […]