MBTA OFFICIALS say they expect to hold the line on expense growth this fiscal year, but they are worried about rising pension costs and a push in the Legislature to limit the transit authority’s control over above-ground digital advertising displays near stations. Michael Abramo, the T’s chief administrator, said expenses (excluding debt costs) are expected(...)

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TRYING TO ENTICE MORE PEOPLE to ride commuter rail on the weekends, the MBTA’s oversight board on Monday approved a new $10 weekend pass that entitles the holder to take unlimited trips on the system on Saturdays and Sundays this summer. The pass is the second part of a first-of-its-kind effort to build ridership on(...)

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IT’S BEEN NEARLY 40 YEARS since the Orange Line has seen new subway cars, but that changed on Tuesday when a set of four cars made a special appearance on the test track at Wellington Station in Medford. The new cars are bright and shiny. Their ride is much smoother. And that smell – oh,(...)

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AS HE SEEKS REELECTION, one of Gov. Charlie Baker’s biggest concerns is that voters will lose patience with his efforts to turn around the MBTA. So whenever an opportunity presents itself, the governor and T officials like to offer riders previews of coming attractions. Last week it was the Green Line of the future. On(...)

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FOR OVER A HUNDRED YEARS, the design of Green Line cars has been dictated by the Lechmere Inner Loop, a 42-foot radius curve that has required custom-designed vehicles ever since the T moved beyond World War II era trolleys. This custom design has shackled the T and all Green Line riders to trolley equipment that(...)

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THE SENATE WAYS AND MEANS BUDGET proposal for the coming fiscal year would give a 10 percent increase in funding to the state’s 15 regional transit authorities, which provide bus service to residents outside the MBTA service area. The budget plan would provide $88 million in funding, with $84 million allocated among the authorities using(...)

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A TRANSIT ADVOCATE WARNED on Monday that the MBTA’s planned rebuild of three commuter rail stations in Newton would hinder the system’s ability to provide regional rail service in the future. At a meeting of the Fiscal and Management Control Board on Monday, T officials said they planned to build new, handicap-accessible stations on the(...)

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THE MBTA IS STARTING to develop a Green Line train of the future that will be much longer and carry far more passengers than existing train sets. T officials told the Fiscal and Management Control Board on Monday that the new trains would start arriving in 2028 and the cost of the entire project will(...)

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