Tracking Transportation

Keeping track of transportation

T notes: Commuter rail on-time performance takes dive

Pension fund urged to invest all its money with PRIM

By Bruce Mohl MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments Nov 18, 2019

THE ON-TIME PERFORMANCE of the commuter rail system took a sharp dive in late September and October, particularly on the Fitchburg, Franklin, and Providence lines. According to statistics released at a meeting of the Fiscal and Management Control Board on Monday, the system as a whole was on-time (defined as within five minutes of the(...)

State officials defend temporary roadway in Charles River

Soldiers Field Road bypass would require adding some fill

By Bruce Mohl MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments Nov 18, 2019

TO REBUILD AND REORIENT an elevated section of the Massachusetts Turnpike near Boston University, the state Department of Transportation is currently planning to build a temporary Soldiers Field Road bypass out over the Charles River about 50 feet offshore, which would require filling in parts of the river where the bypass connects to land. The(...)

House to vote on distracted driving bill Tuesday

Compromise bill takes less expansive approach on traffic stops, racial profiling

By Andy Metzger cell phones, distracted driving, racial profiling, safety, texting 0 Comments Nov 18, 2019

IN THE FINAL days of major lawmaking before the winter break, the Massachusetts House and Senate are poised to send the governor legislation to ban drivers from handheld cellphone use. The bill has sought to balance the goal of stricter traffic laws to curb a road hazard that has led to deaths in Massachusetts with(...)

T launches PR offensive on repair work

Poftak stars in video; ads run in 3 newspapers

By Bruce Mohl 0 Comments Nov 18, 2019

AS PART OF A BROADER EFFORT to explain what the MBTA is doing to improve service, the transit authority ran full-page ads in the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Metro on Monday. The ads, entitled “A progress report for October,” detail improvements being made on the subway, bus, and commuter rail systems. The ads, which(...)

Double standards at the MBTA

Independent contractor who resigned faced less accountability

By Timothy W. Lasker Charlie Baker, MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments Nov 17, 2019

I AM THE PRESIDENT and business manager of OPEIU Local 453, a union representing over 400 middle-level administrative and professional employees in every department at the MBTA. When I watched the investigative report on Channel 5 last week about Mark D’Angelo, director of labor relations at the MBTA, I was shocked, saddened, and outraged on(...)

DeLeo calls off transpo tax debate – for now

Speaker says House will try again next year 'to get this right'

By Bruce Mohl and Andy Metzger gas tax, House, Robert DeLeo, taxes, TCI 0 Comments Nov 14, 2019

HOUSE SPEAKER ROBERT DELEO is putting off a debate over tax legislation to fund transportation improvements until next year, throwing into doubt whether anything will happen in an area that advocates and business groups say is in desperate need of more funding. After expressing some uncertainty Wednesday about his plans to take up the tax(...)

Chamber backs free bus service in Worcester

Business group calls for 3-year, no-fare experiment

By Bruce Mohl Transportation 0 Comments Nov 13, 2019

TUCKED INSIDE this week’s transportation funding proposal from the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce was an unusual request. In addition to offering support for a statewide tolling initiative, a hike in the gas tax, and an increase in rideshare fees, the business group said some of the new revenue should be used to experiment with(...)

DeLeo unsure about tax bill timeline

Says ‘stay tuned’ on whether action next week is possible

By Andy Metzger gas tax, Robert DeLeo, tax, taxes 0 Comments Nov 13, 2019

HOUSE SPEAKER Robert DeLeo expressed some uncertainty Wednesday afternoon about whether the House will be able to advance a tax package before the end of the year. “Right now we’re still working on it. It’s still something that we’re working on,” DeLeo said after a Democratic caucus. “I would advise you to stay tuned in(...)

Allston/ commuter rail/ Harvard/ I-90/ Pollack/ Salvucci/ Turnpike/ West Station

Fed review of I-90 project begins with a blackout

Locals want plan for mobility through Allston during construction

By Andy Metzger 0 Comments Nov 8, 2019

RECONFIGURING THE MASSACHUSETTS TURNPIKE in Allston and building a new transit station there will create construction disruption approaching the scale required for the Big Dig, so it was either inauspicious or fitting that the first federal public comment meeting Thursday night ended early because of a power outage. The meeting was nearing its final phase(...)

Biz group outlines roadway pricing proposal

Says $50 billion is needed for transportation over next 20 years

By Bruce Mohl Massachusetts Legislature, MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments Nov 7, 2019

THE BUSINESS GROUP A Better City estimates Massachusetts will need to raise a minimum of $50 billion over the next 20 years to meet transportation needs, and is proposing a series of specific revenue measures, including increased taxes and assessments on gas; higher rideshare fees; a surcharge on commercial parking spaces; and new tolls on(...)