STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FEDERAL REGULATORS once again ordered the MBTA to make immediate changes after a series of incidents in which employees narrowly avoided being struck by trains, a repeat of the same “near miss” issue that landed the T in the spotlight earlier this year. Warning that “a combination of unsafe conditions and […]
Transportation
Posted inTransportation
How dissatisfied are riders with the T?
A NEW POLL indicates MBTA riders are not happy with the transit authority’s service, with the slow-zone plagued subway and trolley system receiving the worst marks. The poll of 1,000 Massachusetts residents in the MBTA service area found that nearly two-thirds were unimpressed with the subway and trolley system – 27 percent said its service […]
Posted inTransportation
T’s commuter rail adding late night, peak service
THE MBTA’S commuter rail service operator is preparing to expand service this fall, adding late-night departures from Boston and more trains during peak periods on select lines to meet increased demand. The commuter rail operator, Keolis Commuter Services, already offers service at roughly one-hour intervals through most of the day. The new schedule, which begins […]
Posted inTransportation
Healey transportation secretary stepping down abruptly
This story has been updated. GOV. MAURA HEALEY said on Monday that Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca is stepping down after seven months on the job, with neither official offering an explanation for the abrupt departure. Speculation abounded over the weekend that Fiandaca was on her way out, but no one in the administration would confirm it. […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA to shut down portion of Red Line for 16 days
WITH SLOW ZONES continuing to expand across the MBTA subway system, the authority is preparing to shut down a troubled section of the Red Line for 16 days in October to replace all of the track and do away with most of the speed restrictions that currently plague that section of the system. MBTA General […]
Posted inEconomy
Boston, Harvard, BU pledge $300m for I-90 Allston project
THE CITY OF BOSTON, Harvard, and Boston University are pledging $300 million toward the development of the $1.9 billion I-90 Allston multimodal project, which would pave the way for development of a major new neighborhood and a new MBTA station called West Station on land owned largely by Harvard. Highway Commissioner Jonathan Gulliver, at a […]
Posted inTransportation
Healey offers few details on I-90 Allston financing
A clarification has been added to this story. THE HEALEY ADMINISTRATION filed a series of federal grant applications on Monday for four high-profile transportation initiatives, but withheld details about the financing package for the I-90 Allston project. A press release issued during the afternoon indicated the state was seeking a total of more than $2 […]
Posted inTransportation
T unions look to do much better under Healey
THE RELATIONSHIP between the MBTA and its largest union appears to be undergoing a sea change under Gov. Maura Healey. Under the administration of former governor Charlie Baker, a Republican, the Carmen’s Union and the MBTA were often at odds. It started in 2015 when Baker used the fallout from snowmaggeddon to push through the […]
Posted inrecycling, State House News Service, Transportation
New MBTA contract perks included to attract, retain workers
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MBTA’S struggles with hiring and retaining workers have grabbed headlines for months, but supporters of a new labor deal featuring pay and benefit upgrades say it represents cause for hope that the T will eventually secure the workforce needed to ensure quality service. The tentative four-year agreement includes a raise […]
Posted inOpinion
Are we being ‘yessed to death’ on Red-Blue connector?
MY MOTHER was a very exacting person, and I can remember times when she asked me to do something that I really didn’t want to do (most likely attend a family gathering I’d rather avoid). I would say “alright Ma, OK,” and she would look me in the eye and say “Don’t ‘yes’ me to […]