IT HASN’T RECEIVED a lot of attention, but the MBTA has an extra $1.2 billion in untapped capital funds at its disposal. The agency’s five-year capital spending plan has $9.4 billion in funding sources but only $8.2 billion in planned spending. T General Manager Steve Poftak said in May that he would like to spend […]
Transportation
Posted inOpinion
Fixing Kendall Square’s mobility challenges
TRANSPORT KENDALL, a partnership of the Kendall Square Association, the city of Cambridge, and the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority, recently issued a report that appropriately underscores that transit, bicycling, and walking are central to Kendall Square’s economic success. Its core argument is spot-on correct: “Kendall Square now needs to aggressively pursue transportation solutions to anticipate and […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA releases video of Red Line derailment
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MBTA RELEASED video Friday of a June 11 Red Line derailment that officials say will continue to cause delays through most of the summer, the same day T officials said service on a stretch of track will return to normal two weeks earlier than expected. After being instructed by […]
Posted inTransportation
Calls grow to put brakes on Eastie land deal
CALLS FOR STATE transportation officials to slow down the process of selling the rights to a narrow strip of land parallel to a congested East Boston roadway have found a receptive ear in the chairman of the MBTA’s oversight board, who has put the issue on the agenda for discussion at the panel’s weekly scheduled […]
Posted inTransportation
Riders give T worst marks yet in June performance review
RIDERS’ OPINIONS OF the MBTA plummeted in June, perhaps unsurprisingly, as more than half of the respondents to the T’s regular survey were at least somewhat dissatisfied with the service overall. The June rating of 2.5 out of 5 is the lowest since that survey began in February 2016, and a striking dip from ratings […]
Posted inTransportation
Walsh unloads on T
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE BOSTON MAYOR MARTY WALSH called Wednesday for the MBTA to invest about $9 million in running Red Line and commuter rail trains more frequently, slamming the system — wracked with ongoing delays after a derailment last month — as “not currently a functional service” for much of the city. His request, […]
Posted inTransportation
Before the T derailed, its funding got on the wrong track
A MESSAGE TO MBTA riders in distress: It doesn’t have to be this way. The T has been starved for adequate funding while overburdened with debt for decades. Increased fares, that began July 1, are not only poorly timed in the aftermath of the recent derailments, but also a regressive measure that will hit hardest those who […]
Posted inTransportation
Talk of new transportation revenues premature
THE ROARING MASSACHUSETTS private economy is the envy of the nation. For a second consecutive year, it has helped create a substantial state budget surplus—even while the rate of state spending continues to advance. But CNBC recently lowered Massachusetts’ ranking in its annual Top States for Business from No. 8 to No. 14, with the […]
Posted inState House News Service, Transportation
License suspensions now total 1,607 after RMV review
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE REGISTRY OF MOTOR VEHICLES has not only been failing to review out-of-state violations by Massachusetts drivers, but has often failed to warn other states about infractions by their drivers in the Bay State. State officials said Friday that license suspensions here in Massachusetts stemming from a mishandled notification backlog had […]
Posted inTransportation
Sometimes a Mr. Fix-it needs to get under the hood
IT MUST HAVE BEEN A SIGHT. Gov. Charlie Baker, who has steadfastly refused to ride the MBTA as governor, was nevertheless there on a Red Line passenger platform about a week after the June 11 derailment and crash that has precipitated a summer full of delays. The governor wasn’t at JFK/UMass to catch a train, […]