State’s rail link study full of flaws

Costs way overstated, benefits minimized

By Transit Matters Transportation 0 Comments Oct 14, 2018

METRO BOSTON’S disconnected commuter rail network is a problem. Without a direct connection between the networks feeding South Station and North Station, travelling between opposite sides of the city and region usually means foregoing rail and travelling by car over congested highways. This access barrier makes it harder for people to get to jobs, or(...)

We need to rethink rideshare fees

They need to go up, particularly in ‘congestion zones’

By Jascha Franklin-Hodge Transportation 0 Comments Oct 13, 2018

BOSTON-AREA COMMUTERS average 60 hours per year stuck in traffic and it’s only getting worse. Over the summer, a study by transportation planner Bruce Schaller confirmed what many in Boston have long suspected: rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft are adding to urban traffic congestion. Schaller estimated that rideshare adds an extra 164 million(...)

Sizing up Baker, Gonzalez on T, energy, environment

Forum highlighted sharp differences in approach, philosophy

By Bruce Mohl Energy, MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments Oct 12, 2018

GOV. CHARLIE BAKER and his Democratic challenger Jay Gonzalez have a lot in common. Baker grew up in Needham and Gonzalez lives there now. Both ran health insurance companies and also took turns heading up the state’s Executive Office for Administration and Finance – Gonzalez under former governor Deval Patrick and Baker under former governor(...)

T notes: Riders embracing early morning buses

New commuter rail platform in Worcester; big disruptions coming on D Line

By Bruce Mohl MBTA 0 Comments Oct 1, 2018

MBTA OFFICIALS SAY the addition of early morning buses on 10 routes has increased ridership by more than 900 riders and reduced crowding. One example is the Route 455 bus from Lynn to Wonderland. Its first trip used to leave Lynn at 5 a.m. carrying an average of 51 passengers, with 12 of them standing.(...)

Long wait for Red, Orange Line improvements

Final signals contract awarded, but major benefits unlikely until 2024

By Bruce Mohl Charlie Baker, Elections, MBTA 0 Comments Oct 1, 2018

THE MBTA’S OVERSIGHT BOARD on Monday awarded the final major contract needed to complete an overhaul of the Red and Orange Lines, but the milestone agreement was another reminder of how long it takes to implement change on the state’s transit system. The contract for new Red and Orange Lines cars was awarded in October(...)

T notes: FTA gives PVTA $2.4m grant

UMass Lowell pays half-price for commuter rail

By Bruce Mohl MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments Sep 25, 2018

THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION on Tuesday awarded $366 million in bus infrastructure grants to 107 projects in 50 states, including a $2.4 grant to the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority in Massachusetts. The authority, which serves 24 cities and towns in western Massachusetts, plans to use the money to convert its 110-year-old bus maintenance garage into(...)

T notes: Migraines prompt 40% of FMLA leaves

20,000 at UMass Lowell can ride commuter rail for free

By Bruce Mohl MBTA 0 Comments Sep 24, 2018

ROUGHLY TWO-FIFTHS of the 1,850 MBTA employees eligible for intermittent leaves under the Family and Medical Leave Act suffer from migraines, according to Bonnie Haase, the assistant general manager for human resources. At a meeting on Monday of the T’s Fiscal and Management Control Board, Haase outlined the steps her office is taking to curb(...)

MBTA: Our bus network isn’t working

Oversight board calls for ‘disruptive’ long-term changes

By Bruce Mohl MBTA 0 Comments Sep 24, 2018

THE MBTA HAS CONCLUDED that its bus network, which handles more than a third of all of the trips provided by the agency, isn’t working. On-time performance overall is 65 percent, well below the not-so-ambitious target of 75 percent. Feedback gathered by T staff over the last year indicates bus service is not reliable, too(...)

Judge dismisses 2d complaint against T’s Ramirez

But says allegations suggest he knowingly reported false information to Global Power shareholders

By Bruce Mohl MBTA 0 Comments Sep 24, 2018

A FEDERAL JUDGE IN TEXAS dismissed a second shareholder complaint against MBTA General Manager Luis Ramirez for issuing false and misleading financial reports during a previous job. The judge gave him a pass largely because the amount of money involved was so small that it would not have affected an investor’s decision to invest in(...)

Strapped to the status quo express

We can’t keep running away from the need for new revenue

By James Aloisi Charlie Baker, Elections, MBTA 0 Comments Sep 23, 2018

MASSACHUSETTS HAS A PROBLEM talking candidly about its transportation revenue needs. This is not a new problem. We have been in its grip for decades, and the result has been public policy based largely upon timidity, small and largely ineffective steps, and creative sound bites. Beginning in 1991, governors have often gone to great lengths(...)