Tracking Transportation

Keeping track of transportation

MBTA cancels late-night service

T official says program impeded efforts to repair tracks

By Andy Metzger MBTA 1 Comment Feb 29, 2016

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AFTER NO DISCUSSION at Monday’s public meeting, the MBTA control board canceled extended-hours weekend service, authorizing the transit agency to terminate it by March 19. MBTA Assistant General Manager Charles Planck told the T’s Fiscal and Management Control Board that the extended hours, which began as a pilot in March 2014,(...)

Time is not right for large T fare hike

Any increase above 5% would show agency is tone-deaf

By Vivian Ortiz and Charlie Ticotsky MBTA 2 Comments Feb 24, 2016

THE MBTA ASKED THE PUBLIC what it thinks of the agency’s proposal to raise overall transit fares by as much as 10 percent and the cost of some passes by as much as 23 percent. And the public has spoken: More than 2,000 people took the time to comment on the proposed fare hike online.(...)

Backups help keep T buses on road

Consultant says T repair costs very high

By Jack Sullivan MBTA 0 Comments Feb 22, 2016

THE MBTA SPENDS A LOT OF MONEY maintaining its aging buses, but the transit agency does a good job of keeping its fleet on the road, thanks in large part to a large group of contingency vehicles that can be rushed into service when a bus requires repairs, according to an analysis by a consultant.(...)

T fare hike seems likely

Top official calls public opposition “modest”

By Bruce Mohl and Jack Sullivan MBTA, Transportation 1 Comment Feb 22, 2016

ALL SIGNS ARE pointing to a fare increase at the T; the only question is how big it will be. The Fiscal Management and Control Board is scheduled to vote on a fare increase on March 7. Two options are on the table, one that would hike the system-wide average fare by 6.7 percent, bringing(...)

MBTA reining in operating expenses

Officials say FY16 increase will be lowest in 15 years

By Bruce Mohl and Jack Sullivan MBTA 0 Comments Feb 22, 2016

TOP MBTA OFFICIALS are forecasting that operating expenses at the transit authority will grow by less than 1 percent this fiscal year, the lowest rate of increase in at least 15 years. Operating expenses at the T have been increasing 5 percent a year on average over the last 15 years, but officials say they(...)

Even with increase, governor says T price would be reasonable

By Matt Murphy MBTA, Transportation 7 Comments Feb 18, 2016

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AMIDST ANOTHER DAY OF CHAOTIC COMMUTES for public transit riders, Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday delivered a forceful defense of proposed MBTA fare hikes as he tried to empathize with the frustration of the riders struggling to navigate through cancelled commuter trains and overcrowded T cars. Amtrak, which operates the rails(...)

Keolis loses $29.3m in first year

French parent company is covering commuter rail losses

By Andy Metzger MBTA, Transportation 1 Comment Feb 18, 2016

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE The international firm that runs commuter rail trains in and out of Boston racked up $29.3 million in losses over the first year of its long-term contract, requiring its French parent company to subsidize its Massachusetts operations. According to state Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack, Keolis Commuter Services likely failed to fully(...)

The wars at the T have to stop

Put riders first with reform and revenue

By James Aloisi MBTA 6 Comments Feb 16, 2016

THE CARMEN’S UNION NEEDS A LITTLE HELP with public relations. When the MBTA pitches a softball and you not only swing and miss but also hit the batboy in the face, you need to think about whether you need some help connecting the bat to the ball. This is pretty much what happened recently when(...)

Governor proposes $200 million in roads funding

State would need to find room under debt ceiling

By Andy Metzger Charlie Baker, Massachusetts Legislature, Municipal Government, Taxes and Budget Issues, Transportation 0 Comments Feb 12, 2016

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THREE DAYS AFTER saying he would file a multiyear local road funding bill, Gov. Charlie Baker submitted a one-year, $200 million borrowing bill that includes $50 million for a five-year small bridge program. With the state on track to hit its debt limit of $21.735 billion in fiscal 2017, the administration(...)

T board cautious on privatization

‘If we’re going to do it, we need to do it right’

By Bruce Mohl MBTA 0 Comments Feb 10, 2016

THE MBTA’S OVERSIGHT BOARD on Wednesday cautiously began exploring the privatization of some of the agency’s non-core services, prompting a forceful response from union officials who emphasized the dramatic impact these efforts could have on long-time T employees and their families. Brian Shortsleeve, the T’s chief administrator, said a request for information from private companies(...)