Study of N-S Rail Link was flawed

$17b cost was inflated, didn’t consider the benefits

By Jim Mathews Transportation 0 Comments Dec 28, 2018

RECENTLY I HAD a prime opportunity to plead for some action – finally! – on the vitally important North-South Rail Link project in Boston. I joined former governor Michael Dukakis in Boston to testify at a public-comment session of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, adding the Rail Passenger Association’s voice to others who questioned the latest, $17(...)

Broken transportation system needs new revenue

Commission’s report provides a roadmap to the future

By Joseph Boncore and Jesse Mermell MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments Dec 26, 2018

SINCE JANUARY, the segment of the Massachusetts civic community with an interest in transportation and climate change has been waiting for the report requested by Gov. Charlie Baker of his Commission on the Future of Transportation. Charged with tackling topics that will influence the economy and landscape of the Commonwealth for years to come, the(...)

Boston’s congestion prompted me to move

My experience puts a human face on a very serious policy issue

By Peter O'Connor Transportation 0 Comments Dec 22, 2018

I MOVED TO BOSTON from New London, Connecticut, in my early thirties, in 1994. The reasons were both professional and personal. As a still young-ish lawyer interested in real estate and urban development, Connecticut cities such as New London, Hartford, and Bridgeport certainly provided interesting (if daunting) professional challenges, but far less in the way(...)

Are Chinese rail cars a Trojan horse?

MBTA’s contract with CRRC worries GOP rep

By Michael Jonas MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments Dec 20, 2018

AS IF THE MBTA doesn’t have enough trouble keeping its aging fleet of trains going, a state lawmaker is warning that the cure may be worse than the disease. State Rep. Shawn Dooley says the T is jeopardizing the safety and personal information of riders by contracting with a Chinese-owned firm to build 400 new(...)

Mass. joins regional bid to price transportation carbon

Revenues from fuel permits would be used to reduce emissions

By Bruce Mohl Charlie Baker, Energy, Transportation 0 Comments Dec 18, 2018

MASSACHUSETTS and eight other states plus the District of Columbia pledged on Tuesday to spend a year developing a regional system that would put a price on the carbon contained in transportation fuels and invest the proceeds in initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The states did not commit to any specific plan or any(...)

T notes: Board acts as if Ramirez never existed

Early morning bus pilot made permanent; weekend commuter rail fare in limbo

By Bruce Mohl MBTA 0 Comments Dec 17, 2018

THE MBTA’S FISCAL AND MANAGEMENT Control Board acted as if former general manager Luis Ramírez never existed at its meeting on Monday, failing to even acknowledge his exit last week let alone discuss why he was no longer suitable for the post after just 15 months on the job. There was the occasional reference at(...)

Decision time near on Cape bridges

Pollack says state backs new, six-lane structures

By Bruce Mohl Charlie Baker, Transportation 0 Comments Dec 17, 2018

THE TOP TRANSPORTATION OFFICIAL in the Baker administration said on Monday that she would like to see the two bridges crossing the Cape Cod Canal and the surrounding road networks replaced as part of a joint federal-state effort. At a meeting of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation board, Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack confirmed what state(...)

Mass. exploring carbon fee on auto fuels

Advocates say announcement likely next week

By Andy Metzger Transportation 0 Comments Dec 14, 2018

MASSACHUSETTS IS EXPECTED to join other East Coast states in attempting to design a system that would assess a fee on the carbon content of automobile fuels and use the proceeds from that fee to finance a transportation system generating fewer greenhouse gases, according to people familiar with the planned announcement. The system would require(...)

Commission report focuses on congestion, climate change

Electric vehicles, carbon fees, tolling among recommendations

By Bruce Mohl Charlie Baker, Electricity, MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments Dec 14, 2018

A COMMISSION APPOINTED by Gov. Charlie Baker made 18 recommendations on Friday to address the state’s transportation future, including a goal that nearly all vehicles available for sale be electric by 2040, an initiative to reduce vehicle emissions by assessing a fee on the carbon content of fuels, and “the consideration of congestion pricing.” Headed by(...)

Ramirez out, Poftak in as T general manager

Separation agreement calls for ex-GM to receive about $152,400

By Bruce Mohl Charlie Baker, MBTA 0 Comments Dec 11, 2018

This story was updated at 2 p.m. to include compensation information. LUIS RAMIREZ IS OUT as general manager of the MBTA after just 15 months on the job and the Baker administration is replacing him with Steve Poftak, a member of the T’s oversight board who filled the GM’s seat for two months before Ramirez(...)