Transit
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Transit Dispatches: Updates From the September MBTA Board Meeting
The MBTA's Fiscal and Management Control Board met for the first time in over a month today, in a joint meeting with the MassDOT board of directors. Here's a roundup of what they discussed:
September 16, 2019
TransitMatters Report Asks State to Cancel South Station Expansion
TransitMatters argues that South Station is big enough to accommodate a dramatic increase in commuter rail service – but only if the MBTA makes organizational changes to move trains more quickly in and out of the station.
September 12, 2019
Pioneer Valley Rail Advocates Celebrate New ‘Valley Flyer’ Service
Rail advocates in western Massachusetts are celebrating the inaugural run today of a new Amtrak service that will afford Pioneer Valley residents and visitors better daily connections to and from New York City.
August 30, 2019
Mothballing Back Bay Highway Ramp Delivers Windfall to Taxpayers, Developers and T Riders
The closure of a lightly-used Turnpike on-ramp from Clarendon Street under Boston's Back Bay Commuter Rail station will add considerable value to a major redevelopment proposal on the adjacent block, and keep traffic from a nearby parking garage away from the busiest sidewalks around Back Bay Station.
August 28, 2019
The Transit Line That Got Away: Learning From the 28X
The MBTA's Route 28 bus ranks as the region's highest-ridership bus route with over 12,000 riders on a typical weekday. When it runs according to schedule, that bus takes about 30 minutes to traverse the 4.1 miles between Mattapan Square and Dudley Square – an average speed of about 8 miles per hour.
August 26, 2019
Addressing the Climate Emergency Could Deliver A Big Payday to Transit
At a public workshop in Chelsea Tuesday evening, Massachusetts officials said that they are committed to improving air quality and funding better transit options, particularly in low-income and racially diverse communities, while they design a new "cap and invest" program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks.
August 15, 2019
Fresh and Less Squeezed on the Orange Line
The MBTA's first new Orange Line train in decades started carrying passengers this morning after months of delays, to positive reviews and some spontaneous applause from riders:
August 14, 2019
Cambridge, Watertown Declare Success for Mount Auburn Bus Lanes
The "pilot" phase for the new Mount Auburn bus lanes in Cambridge and Watertown is over, and the two municipalities are making the new bus lanes and transit-priority traffic signals a permanent amenity for riders of the 71 and 73 MBTA's "trackless trolley" bus routes.
August 12, 2019
New MassDOT Congestion Study Offers Few New Solutions
An overdue MassDOT study of statewide traffic congestion confirms what many already knew: that crowded roads, buses and trains are pushing the Boston region's transportation system to a "tipping point" where travel times are highly unreliable.
August 8, 2019
Batteries, Or Overhead Wires? The Debate Over Zero-Emission Bus Technology
Transit advocates worry that the MBTA is undermining the proven electric trolleybus technology it's been using for decades.
August 5, 2019
