T board safety subcommittee offers condolences

Say they ‘feel the pain’ of Lalin, Monsini deaths

By Bruce Mohl MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments Apr 14, 2022

MEMBERS OF A safety subcommittee of the MBTA offered their condolences on Thursday to the families of Robinson Lalin and Peter Monsini. Lalin of Boston died around 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning when his arm got caught in the doors of a Red Line train at Broadway Station and he was dragged to his death. Monsini(...)

Bond rating firm not alarmed by gas tax suspensions

By CommonWealth Staff Taxes and Budget Issues, Transportation 0 Comments Apr 13, 2022

In Connecticut, Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont and the Democrat-controlled legislature responded to the sharp runup in fuel prices by passing a law suspending the state’s 25-cent excise tax on gasoline and eliminating bus fares statewide for a three-month period running from April 1 to June 30. For good measure, the Connecticut legislation tossed in a(...)

MBTA is missing big opportunity with commuter rail

Regional rail, electrification should not be overlooked in capital spending plan

By Jarred Johnson MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments Apr 12, 2022

A FEW WEEKS AGO I, along with hundreds of others gathered at the opening of the first phase of the Green Line extension, felt a huge sense of pride seeing the first major expansion to the rapid transit network since the 1980s. There were loud cheers as Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley both(...)

When driving, get out of the bubble

Connect with your fellow humans, and don’t forget to wave

By Emily Stein Transportation 0 Comments Apr 9, 2022

IT’S NOT OFTEN that I get a warm fuzzy feeling while driving these days. With new cars that are designed to go faster, seal off the outside world, and are raised so high off the ground you can no longer see the top of a child’s head in front of your hood, it’s no wonder(...)

Senate plan puts too much emphasis on electric vehicles

State needs to also focus on getting people out of cars, electrifying rail system

By James Aloisi Climate change, Transportation 0 Comments Apr 8, 2022

THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATE on Thursday rolled out Senate Bill 2819, “An Act Driving Climate Policy Forward.” The bill was apparently meant to showcase the Senate as leading the way for a more sustainable, net zero carbon future. The goal is laudable, but the approach – at least as it relates to the transportation sector –(...)

Dealing with crowding on the Minuteman Bikeway

To avoid unwanted interactions, I wish that the path was wider

By Hayward K. Zwerling Bicycle, Transportation 0 Comments Apr 7, 2022

ON A WEEKEND in early March, the weather broke; the temperature was in the high 50s and New Englanders were out en masse walking, running, and cycling while we all attempted to avoid puddles and remnant snow patches. For my trice weekly exercise routine, I ride my bike from Davis Square out the Somerville Community(...)

Wu wants to test electric school buses

Plans to fully electrify fleet by 2030

By Sam Doran Elementary and Secondary Education, Transportation 0 Comments Apr 7, 2022

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE BOSTON WILL ROLL in a small number of electric school buses next school year in a pilot program geared toward fully electrifying the city’s fleet in the next eight years, Mayor Michelle Wu announced Wednesday, and the city is also laying groundwork for vocational training around electric vehicles. Up to 20(...)

Quincy mayor skeptical on fare-free buses

Koch, MBTA Board member, worries about fiscal cliff

By Chris Lisinski MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments Apr 6, 2022

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE LEADERS IN SEVERAL CITIES and towns around the region have been placing calls to explore their own fare-free bus options since Boston officials launched a high-profile pilot program, but in Quincy, the top elected official does not share the same enthusiasm. “I think it needs more study,” Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch(...)

Proposal would save commuters money at little cost to state

By John Keenan and Steven Owens Massachusetts Legislature, Transportation 0 Comments Apr 2, 2022

IN EXPLORING legislation to expand commuter transit benefits, we sought to save Massachusetts residents money and improve our environment. Then a global pandemic changed the entire transportation landscape. Presently, use of MBTA services and regional transit authorities across the state are still just a fraction of what they had been prior to COVID. Commuter rail(...)

Some but not all subway service resuming after garage collapse

Orange Line reopening; Green Line remaining closed

By Bruce Mohl MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments Mar 29, 2022

MBTA OFFICIALS are resuming some but not all of the subway services that were shut down after a portion of the Government Center Garage collapsed on Saturday just above the subway tunnels. Officials said Tuesday evening that Orange Line service between North Station and Back Bay Station would resume but no stops would be made(...)