Tracking Transportation

Keeping track of transportation

Tired of waiting for MBTA, lawmakers push Fairmount changes

Bills back electrification, subway-equivalent fares along entire line

By Jennifer Smith MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments May 11, 2023

ADVOCATES SAY the commuter rail’s Fairmount Line is low-hanging fruit for electrification, service improvement, and fare equity. But it’s been low-hanging fruit for many years, and some lawmakers are tired of the slow pace of action at the T. The Fairmount Line is the only commuter rail line to sit entirely within Boston, traveling between(...)

Woman struck by utility box to sue MBTA

Attorney says client wants to know cause of falling objects

By Alison Kuznitz MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments May 10, 2023

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE 28-YEAR-OLD WOMAN who suffered injuries when she was struck by a falling utility box at the MBTA’s Harvard station this month is now suing the beleaguered transit authority. Thomas Flaws, a lawyer at Boston-based Altman Nussbaum Shunnarah Trial Attorneys, plans to file the lawsuit later Wednesday, the firm said in(...)

Senate budget boosts RTA funding, backs fare-free buses

Accelerates Beacon Hill debate about how best to support low-income riders

By Bruce Mohl regional transit authorities, RTA 0 Comments May 9, 2023

THE STATE’S 15 regional transit authorities, long considered a transportation afterthought on Beacon Hill, are suddenly all the rage. RTAs, which operate local bus networks across the state outside the MBTA’s service territory, have long had a line item in the state budget. After adjusting for inflation, however, the state’s basic operating support for the(...)

Stop the deaths at MBTA, parents tell lawmakers

Their son fell through closed, broken staircase near JFK/UMass

By Chris Lisinski MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments May 9, 2023

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE CALLING FOR ACTION to “stop the pain and suffering,” the parents of a Boston University professor who died when he fell through a broken MBTA station staircase made an emotional call Monday for strengthening safety oversight of the under-fire transit agency. Debra Bingham and Kent Hamilton of Milton told lawmakers about(...)

New Bedford says MBTA is shortchanging the city

Challenges Globe story suggesting mayor undermining South Coast Rail

By Bruce Mohl MBTA, Municipal Government, New Bedford, Transportation 0 Comments May 2, 2023

THE BOSTON GLOBE reported on Sunday that New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell could derail the long-awaited South Coast Rail project by threatening to file a lawsuit challenging the legality of an MBTA eminent domain taking of five pieces of property in the city. According to the Globe, New Bedford officials even sent a draft legal complaint(...)

Fare debate: Make buses free to all

Increases ridership, improves service, helps drivers

By Phineas Baxandall and Stacy Thompson MBTA, State Government, Transportation 0 Comments Apr 30, 2023

WHEN IT COMES to fare-free transit, there are endless opinions. The concept is often assumed to be a fringe idea or not viable in the long-term. Detractors question its benefits and worry that it may force public transit systems to choose between improving service and making it free. However, even before the pandemic accelerated the(...)

Fare debate: Give low-income riders a break

Means-tested fare would save eligible riders about $500 a year

By Lydia Edwards MBTA, State Government, Transportation 0 Comments Apr 30, 2023

EVERY DAY, hardworking Massachusetts residents face a difficult dilemma: pay for transportation to get to work or afford basic necessities. This is an unfair and unnecessary burden on those who contribute to the economic prosperity of the state. On this International Workers Day, it’s time to take action and make public transportation affordable for our(...)

MBTA addressing slow zones with track replacement

Nearly 1.5 miles of Red Line track to be replaced in May

By Bruce Mohl MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments Apr 27, 2023

THE MBTA says it expects to replace 10,700 feet of rail by the end of May on portions of the Blue, Red, and Green lines to address slow zones. The raw number is difficult to place in context without additional information, but it suggests the transit authority must complete a huge amount of track work over(...)

Healey appoints new transportation safety czar

Lavin previously worked on MBTA safety review panel in 2019

By Chris Lisinski MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments Apr 24, 2023

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. MAURA HEALEY on Monday appointed veteran transit official Patrick Lavin, who worked on a 2019 independent report highlighting widespread safety problems at the MBTA, to a newly created safety role linking the T and other state transportation departments. Lavin will become the first-ever chief safety officer at the Department of(...)

MBTA schedules slow zone work on Red Line

Scope of rail defect problem coming into focus, cause remains unclear

By Bruce Mohl MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments Apr 24, 2023

THE MBTA on Monday announced new steps to address slow zones caused by subway track defects that were apparently identified by routine rail scans but for some reason never addressed by transit authority personnel. The scope of the problem is coming into focus, even as its cause remains unclear. The problem surfaced in March when(...)