PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEMS face daunting challenges across the US, from pandemic ridership losses to traffic congestion, fare evasion and pressure to keep rides affordable. In some cities, including Boston, Kansas City, and Washington, many elected officials and advocates see fare-free public transit as the solution. Federal COVID-19 relief funds, which have subsidized transit operations across […]
Tracking Transportation
Posted inOpinion
Let’s make free fares in Worcester permanent
A correction has been added to the commentary. THE WORCESTER Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) has solidified its place as a leader in the fare-free public transportation movement, with the WRTA Advisory Board voting unanimously on April 20 to continue operating fare-free through June 2024, thereby becoming the longest-running fare-free transit system in the state and […]
Posted inTransportation
Healey shaking up MBTA oversight board
JUST WEEKS after appointing a new general manager at the MBTA, Gov. Maura Healey is shaking up the transit authority’s oversight board. Thomas Glynn, MBTA general manager under former governor Michael Dukakis and CEO of the Massachusetts Port Authority under former governor Deval Patrick, is replacing Betsy Taylor as chair of the board. Taylor is […]
Posted inTransportation
Boston, Harvard, BU negotiating I-90 Allston funding
STATE TRANSPORTATION officials say they are working with the city of Boston, Harvard University, and Boston University on a finance plan for the Allston I-90 project that should be ready to include in a federal grant application within the next four to six weeks. At a virtual meeting with an I-90 Allston stakeholder group Thursday […]
Posted inTransportation
More near-miss incidents reported at the T
NEAR-MISS incidents at the MBTA between maintenance staff and vehicles keep on coming. At a meeting of a safety subcommittee of the MBTA board last Thursday, T staff disclosed there had been four near misses between March 13 and April 7. Most were caused by poor communication between maintenance workers, train operators, and staffers in the […]
Posted inTransportation
Addressing T slow zones will take much of this year
THE MBTA’S new general manager on Wednesday outlined initial plans for removing slow zones on the Blue Line that suggest track defects went unaddressed for a long time and that fixing them will inconvenience riders through the end of the year. T officials in March imposed slow zones across much of the system when it […]
Posted inTransportation
Moulton’s ambitious, expensive, and enthralling transportation vision
AT A TIME when roughly a quarter of the MBTA subway system is crawling along at a safety-induced snail’s pace, US Rep. Seth Moulton is pushing an ambitious expansion of the T’s commuter rail network. He acknowledges the first priority is getting the T’s subway system back in working order. “The reality is that the […]
Posted inOpinion
Is transit a public good?
A RECENT Bloomberg City Lab article by the highly regarded transportation thought leader David Zipper used recent statements by proponents of free public bus transit in Boston and Washington, DC, to assert, quite provocatively, that transit is not a public good. His assertion relies on adherence to the economic definition of “public good,” a definition that […]
Posted inTransportation
T officials disclose 4 ‘near misses’ in subway
MBTA OFFICIALS on Thursday disclosed a series of safety incidents over the last month, including four “near misses” involving subway trains and track repair workers and a commuter rail train that suffered wheel damage when a hand brake remained engaged for most of a run. The near misses were all described as “human capital errors,” […]
Posted inTransportation
Ex-Keolis official accused in $8m commuter rail fraud
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A FORMER TOP OFFICIAL at Keolis Commuter Services pleaded not guilty to a slew of federal charges Wednesday after prosecutors alleged that he and another man working for a Keolis vendor stole more than $8 million from the company that operates the MBTA’s commuter rail system. Prosecutors accused John Pigsley, 58, […]