But problems on the Red Line Monday morning cast a shadow over officials’ celebratory mood as they gathered for a press conference to promote the elimination of all slow zones on the MBTA subway network “for the first time in 20 years.”
New data seems to suggest that the MBTA’s year-long campaign of subway maintenance shutdowns has worked.
Does it seem like your T ride is improving? It actually might be. Statistics show the transit agency is turning a corner on subway slow zones, speeds on the Blue and Orange Lines and the largest workforce in years that resulting in better service.
After reopening the core of its Orange Line subway Friday following a nine-day closure for repairs, the MBTA says it’s made “significant progress” in eliminating delays caused by track in disrepair.
The MBTA is planning to unleash a year-long campaign of maintenance shutdowns to eliminate the slow zones and other track headaches that have bedeviled subway riders for over a year.
The MBTA resumed running trains on the Green Line Extension at full speed on Tuesday following a string of overnight maintenance efforts that involved physically pushing the tracks apart to let trains move faster than a walking pace.
The MBTA has finally released the results of an external investigation into its employees’ failure to properly inspect subway tracks. But full accountability for the fiasco is still lacking.
Poorly trained staff, a breakdown of communication between T leaders and employees, and missing documentation of inspections are among the reasons the MBTA’s tracks have deteriorated to the point where it is not safe for trains to operate at full speeds, according to a new report.
Dorchester’s mass transit backbone, the Ashmont Branch of the MBTA’s Red Line, will close for over two weeks in October as the transit agency struggles to contain deteriorating track conditions.
A slew of recent good news coming out of the MBTA should give the state’s business leaders confidence the agency is on the mend. But huge challenges still loom that need immediate attention.
The new head of state transportation safety thinks the T is “in a better place” than another major East Coast transit agency that suffered a safety meltdown, but it still has a lot of work to do.
Cities and towns that help fund the MBTA are concerned it will be “impossible” to restore pre-pandemic service levels and that the agency might need to hike fares given the growing shadow of a budget shortfall that officials so far have failed to address.
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.
MBTA trains are likely to continue operating slower than usual for the foreseeable future as officials turn their attention from a lack of documentation to fixing numerous track defects, which will require temporary shutdowns over multiple nights and weekends in April.
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.
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?
Transforming the organization will require new leadership, a new culture and new funding plans. Each of these changes can begin right now.
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.
