Suburban transit isn’t just about getting people to work – it’s about supporting local economies and making Greater Boston more livable. But right now, it is treated as an afterthought.
A big challenge looms for the MBTA as it tries to move its commuter rail lines into the 21st century: Picking who will operate the sprawling system for the public transit agency, how will they do it, and for how long.
Despite having one of North America’s most extensive commuter rail and subway networks, Greater Boston has some of the least-dense areas around transit stations, according to a new report.
MBTA officials will soon have to decide how to structure the contract with the outside firm that will convert its suburban train system to “regional rail,” a step that has ramifications for the project’s cost.
MBTA officials say fare collection efforts are being stepped up on the commuter rail system, but the loss of revenue remains a problem, with a quarter of fares not being collected on trains operating out of South Station.
Trains powered by electricity rather than diesel fuel are not scheduled to begin rolling on the Fairmount Line for years, but public officials are so excited about the now-concrete plans for more frequent service with less pollution that they gathered in the hot sun Tuesday morning to celebrate an achievement that likely won’t be attained until 2028.
The T recently hit several milestones in turning its commuter rail network into a tool to unlock new development sites. But the real estate community should keep an eye out for three
Electrification of the MBTA’s commuter rail lines has been a long-held dream for developers, riders and transit advocates, alike. And Boston residents could be first in line for a preview of what it could look like.
The dream of frequent, electrified suburban trains in Greater Boston has long seemed perennially on the horizon. Could this time be different? Indications are, yes. And housing developers should start keeping an eye on the project.
Lynn has its train back, after over a year without following the MBTA’s closure of its downtown commuter rail station in October 2022 due to growing safety concerns.
Newton city councilors are facing pressure to scale back plans to rezone the community’s 13 commercial nodes for more multifamily development to comply with the state’s MBTA Communities law, but one of the mooted suggestions could come at a cost: plans to revamp its commuter rail stations.
The state’s new plan to reduce its carbon emissions is missing two key and common-sense items: commuter rail electrification and a regional approach to flooding from storms and extreme heat.
Several MBTA commuter rail lines are getting more rush-hour service as data mounts that commute problems are a leading cause of Boston-area workers reluctance to return to the office full-time.
Around 50 percent of the Cape and Islands’ workers travel over the bridges to come to work, Rep. Dylan Fernandes said: “Anything we can do to have fewer cars on the Cape gives residents more transportation options to choose from.”
A year after MBTA officials closed the Lynn commuter rail station without a plan for a temporary station in place, construction is due to start on platforms that will resume rail service to the city.
Data shows Boston commuters ditched the drive for mass transit this summer. Massachusetts can learn from the experience and try to make those choices permanent.
Before the pandemic, traffic congestion cost the region’s economy over $4 billion in lost productivity – and it’s only gotten worse. But there is an alternative, if the Healey administration and the legislature seize the moment.
As many in the Boston area await an infrastructure project that would replace an I-90 viaduct through Allston and increase public transit access in the area, members of the MetroWest delegation warned on Wednesday that the project will need to be done with care to not disrupt commuters who live west of the city.
The eastern Massachusetts commuter rail network and its hundreds of thousands of riders would no longer be the responsibility of the MBTA under safety and management reforms targeted by the House’s transportation chief.
One project among many up for federal infrastructure dollars is revealing that state and Congressional leaders are not always on the same page when it comes to what makes a state application competitive.
