A NEW REPORT highlights where the MBTA is lagging behind goals set by its previous oversight board or in some cases moving in an entirely different direction. The report, prepared by the business group A Better City, indicates the biggest shift is taking place with electrification of the commuter rail system and the establishment of […]
MBTA
Posted inUncategorized
Wu backs low-income MBTA fare
BOSTON MAYOR Michelle Wu, who has made a fare-free MBTA one of her top priorities, on Monday said she supports passage of a law creating a reduced fare for low-income riders of the transit authority. In remarks at a rally near Park Street Station, Wu didn’t distinguish between her two positions and implied the two […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA goes out to bid for battery-electric buses
THE MBTA is beginning the process of electrifying its bus fleet, launching a long-awaited procurement that could lead to the purchase of 460 battery-electric buses over the next five years. The T’s request for proposal went out on Friday, with the transit authority seeking a battery-powered bus supplemented with a diesel-power heating system and capable of […]
Posted inOpinion
Lifting mask mandate is right thing to do
LET ME BEGIN by saying I believe in vaccines. I am fully vaxxed and double boosted. I believe in the value of wearing a quality, well-fitting mask in most indoor venues where I don’t know the people I am gathered with. I use an N95 in certain limited circumstances where I think the risk level […]
Posted inTransportation
Court ruling lifts CDC’s transportation mask mandate
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MASKS WILL no longer be required on MBTA vehicles and properties, Massachusetts Department of Transportation officials announced Tuesday afternoon, a day after a federal judge in Florida struck down a nationwide masking mandate on public transportation systems. “The Commonwealth has followed federal guidance in terms of face coverings and to be […]
Posted inTransportation
T board safety subcommittee offers condolences
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
MBTA is missing big opportunity with commuter rail
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 […]
Posted inTransportation
Quincy mayor skeptical on fare-free buses
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 […]
Posted inTransportation
Some but not all subway service resuming after garage collapse
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 […]
Posted inTransportation
T tells riders affected by tunnel diversions to stay home if they can
IN ANNOUNCING the shutdown of subway service running through the tunnels underneath the Government Center parking garage, the MBTA laid out ways for riders to get where they need to go but ultimately concluded the smart move may be not getting on the T at all. “Because of expected delays as buses navigate downtown streets, […]