Don’t Give Up on the T
A sobering report from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation shows the T won’t be fixed, much less back to normal, any time soon. But that’s no reason to give up on it.
Report Documents ‘Stunning’ MBTA Labor Shortage
The MBTA appears to be on track to start the next fiscal year with staffing levels 20 to 25 percent below what’s required to maintain the system and needs to hire 2,800 workers in the next 12 months to ensure safety and progress, according to a new report, which raises questions about how long staffing-related service reductions will remain in place.
Quit Your Whining About the MBTA
I don’t know about you. But I am fed up – and I mean fed up! – with all the negativity in the local media about the world’s greatest transportation system.
Slow Zones to Continue on MBTA Despite Green Line Progress
One-quarter of the entire MBTA subway system will still be subject to more-sluggish-than-usual travel even after the agency lifted end-to-end speed restrictions on the Green Line Monday morning.
Banker & Tradesman’s Editorial Cartoon: A New Normal at the T?
MBTA board chair Betsy Taylor recently suggested the T’s huge ridership drop is now a “new normal.” Maybe there’s a reason for that?
The Next Steps for the MBTA
Transforming the organization will require new leadership, a new culture and new funding plans. Each of these changes can begin right now.
MBTA Mum as Slow Zones Hit One-Week Anniversary
The MBTA lifted an end-to-end speed restriction on the Mattapan Line trolley early Thursday morning, but there’s still no official timeline for ending mandatory slowdowns across the entire Green Line and pockets of the Red, Blue and Orange Lines.
MBTA Removes Some Speed Curbs, Won’t Commit to Timeline for Others
MBTA officials announced late Thursday night they would immediately impose speed restrictions across all four subway lines following a Department of Public Utilities site visit, an unprecedented step that will cause immediate disruptions for riders.
Close Call Prompts T to Remove Station Panels
MBTA staff will remove ceiling panels at Harvard Station after a corroded panel fell about 10 feet and landed “very close to a customer,” Interim General Manager Jeff Gonneville said Friday.
No Clear Sign When T Will Restore Subway Service
Instead of a dispatcher shortage hobbling efforts to run MBTA subway trains at normal frequencies, it’s now a lack of train operators doing so, T officials say.
Healey: Hired Team Will Examine MBTA Train Contract
The MBTA is convening an independent team to get to the bottom of the delays in construction and delivery of more than 300 new Red and Orange Line cars, Gov. Healey announced to reporters Thursday afternoon after taking a ride on the Red Line and touring the T’s operations center.
Delays Appear to Hit MBTA GM Search, New Train Production
As the MBTA struggles with service delays and prepares to suspend downtown Orange Line service for three upcoming weekends to work on tracks that were part of last year’s month-long end-to-end shutdown, Gov. Maura Healey said the new general manager she plans to name at the T will be charged with making sure that “these things stop happening.”
Bus Driver Hiring Woes Continue at MBTA
The MBTA is “not making the sort of progress we really want to see” in its efforts to recruit new bus operators, a top official said Thursday, describing ongoing challenges in one of several areas where staffing shortages have bled into service disruptions.
MBTA Finds Fault in More New Orange Line Cars
Orange Line riders should expect slow commutes with gaps of about 15 minutes between trains after the MBTA pulled nine cars from service because of unexpected “electrical arcing,” the agency announced Friday.
Crisis Pushes Transit Down Beacon Hill’s Priority List
Time will tell but it doesn’t sound like Senate President Karen Spilka is eager for that branch to take up more than $600 million in new transportation taxes approved by the House before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
T Needs More Time to Fix New Orange Line Cars
New Orange Line trains will not return to passenger service this week as originally planned, the agency announced Friday, saying its crews need “additional time” to fix a problem with faulty bolsters that prompted the vehicles to be pulled from service.
MBTA Pulls All New Orange Line Trains Off the Tracks
The MBTA on Tuesday morning announced it has pulled all of its new Orange Line trains out of service.
Successor to MBTA Control Board on Beacon Hill To-Do List
Preparing to sign off this summer after five years of overseeing the T, the Fiscal and Management Control Board urged lawmakers to act by mid-spring to put a successor organization in place.
Will This Be the Year of Big Change?
Making predictions can be a lot of fun. And as we head into the first week of 2020, what better time to look ahead?
New Orange Line Cars Remain Out of Service
Heading into 2020, the MBTA does not have a timeline for putting its new Orange Line cars back into service after the trains were pulled from the rails in November.
