Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about MBTA

The Blue Hill Avenue Fairmount Line stop, pictured in spring 2019. Courtesy of the MBTA.

MBTA Board Endorses Major Upgrades to Commuter Rail System

By Christian MilNeil | Nov 4, 2019 | No Comments

The MBTA Fiscal and Control Management Board has endorsed an aspirational vision to electrify the MBTA commuter rail network to provide all-day, rapid-transit-style service throughout eastern Massachusetts, with an initial phase focused on upgrading Boston’s Fairmount Line, the Boston-Providence line, and the Rockport line through Chelsea, Revere and Lynn. The vote caps off a year-long […]

Orange Line bus shuttles wait on Rutherford Avenue to make the turn into the Community College station on the morning on Monday, October 21, after a construction accident during weekend track work delayed the reopening of the Orange Line into midday Monday. Photo courtesy of Ari Ofsevit.

Advocates Demand Better Emergency Response Plans For Subway Failures

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 24, 2019 | No Comments

This Monday, for the second time this year, commuters woke up to the unexpected rush-hour closure of a subway line after delays to weekend track work kept the Orange Line’s downtown tunnel closed well into Monday afternoon. The T diverted riders onto shuttle buses running between Sullivan Square and Haymarket, and asked riders to crowd […]

An outbound MBTA Fairmount Line train stops at the Talbot Avenue station in December 2012. Photo by Wikimedia Commons user Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0.

MBTA ‘Rail Vision’ Comes Into Focus

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 21, 2019 | No Comments

Electrifying the commuter rail network could have profound effects on transit ridership and transportation emissions in the region, according to the MBTA’s formal analysis of possible capital improvements to the commuter rail system. For the past year, the MBTA’s “Rail Vision” study has convened state transportation planners and a public advisory committee to analyze the […]

Mayor Walsh, Advocates Call For More Fairmount Line Trains

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 7, 2019 | No Comments

A proposed demonstration project could significantly reduce wait times for commuter rail riders from Dorchester, Mattapan and Hyde Park.

A rendering of a proposed Mystic River bike and pedestrian bridge, which could connect the Northern Strand multi-use path in the City of Everett to the Assembly Orange Line Station in Somerville. Rendering by AECOM, courtesy of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

For Priority Trails-To-Transit Projects, MBTA Can’t Get Out of Its Own Way

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 4, 2019 | No Comments

Today’s Boston Globe reports on the ongoing efforts to build a new bike and pedestrian bridge over the Mystic River to connect Everett to the Assembly Orange Line stop, and how administrative bottlenecks at the MBTA are hampering the project in spite of broad financial and political support. Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria is extremely eager […]

Governor Baker, MassDOT Secretary Stephanie Pollack, and MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak celebrated the new Orange Line train at Wellington Station on August 14, 2019. Photo by Joshua Qualls, courtesy of the Governor's Press Office.

Hair-Raising Door Glitches Send New Orange Line Trains Back to the Shop

By Christian MilNeil | Sep 25, 2019 | No Comments

Frequent riders of the MBTA’s Orange Line have noticed that the line’s brand-new vehicles haven’t been around to delight their riders for a few days. Last night, transit advocate Chris Friend observed that the last time one of the new trains was in service was last Friday afternoon, right around the time this MBTA customer […]

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