Media Statement: Capital Needs Assessment Inventory

BOSTON, November 16, 2023 —  We're pleased that the Healey-Driscoll administration and MBTA leadership have released the Capital Needs Assessment Inventory. This long-awaited document confirms what many have suspected, that the previous administration’s reports dramatically underestimated the true extent of the State of Good Repair backlog. We applaud the MBTA staff who have put an incredible amount of hard work into this report. While $24.5 billion will be a shocking number for many, this is only the cost of bringing the system back to a baseline state of good repair and does not include many vital projects needed to avoid overcrowding, address traffic congestion, or support further housing growth.

Riders, especially low-income riders and riders with disabilities, have borne the brunt of decades of austerity and underinvestment. Our nation-leading traffic congestion is largely a product of a system that has not only failed to keep up with a state of good repair but has also failed to make the needed maintenance, modernization, and expansion investments. If we are to meet the pressing challenges facing the region, we must bring the system into not just a state of good repair, but make it into a future-proof, climate-resilient, and world-class system.

The MBTA leadership and Healey-Driscoll Administration must work with federal, state, and local elected officials, advocates, and stakeholders to identify the long-term, sustainable funding sources to address the backlog in a manner that grows ridership and does not lose sight of the essential modernization, resiliency, and expansion needs. TransitMatters stands ready to support the Healey-Driscoll administration in breaking with a culture of austerity and building the safe, modern, equitable, accessible MBTA the region needs.

For media inquiries, please e-mail media@transitmatters.org. 

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Banner Photo Credit: Brooke Winter

Media Statement: 2024 Diversion Schedule

BOSTON, November 9, 2023 —  TransitMatters applauds the MBTA and General Manager Eng for releasing a long-term diversion schedule for 2024. For too long, the T has communicated diversions to the public on an ad-hoc basis with limited warning. Planning this work far in advance allows riders to make adjustments for when their trips are impacted. It also gives us at TransitMatters better confidence that the T is coordinating repairs and capital improvements to minimize disruption for riders.

While the T disrupts rail service, the MBTA needs to ensure replacement service is as seamless as possible. Communications about when and how service will be replaced or supplemented should happen early and often. The T should work with municipalities to ensure replacement bus service is fast and frequent and mitigate potential traffic issues along the route. Along parallel corridors, the T should increase Commuter Rail service and allow riders to board by showing their CharlieCard, explore free fares, and increase service on parallel and diversionary high-frequency bus routes.

The MBTA has reduced service on rapid transit for a year and a half. The Red Line is still only running 50% of pre-COVID service. Slow zones remain at or near record levels for any time before 2023. While these diversions are necessary to clear the existing backlog of speed restrictions, track defects occur as a part of regular wear and tear. Going forward, the MBTA should ensure it has the capacity to handle new track defects with minimal disruption to regular service.

If we want ridership to return to the pre-COVID levels, the T must improve speed restrictions and service levels as quickly as possible and run regular service as often as possible. Riders can learn to rely on the MBTA again, and we look forward to them doing so. We hope that this new plan builds on the success of the recent Red Line diversion and gives riders precious hours of their lives back.

For media inquiries, please e-mail media@transitmatters.org. 

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Banner Photo Credit: Brooke Winter

Podcast 26 - Security, Maintenance and A Plan for Overnight Bus Service

Many things led to the end of the most recent attempt to extend MBTA service late into the night, and the latest MBTA mitigation proposals don't really solve the problem. But what if, instead of trying to cater to the college entertainment demographic, we designed a comprehensive overnight network focused on people working early or late?

Ari Ofsevit, transportation planner and the Amateur Planner (@ofsevit), joins us as we consider (40:22) what a useful and affordable overnight network would look like, and how to finally make it happen. Building on the T's existing but little-known early morning trips (full details), we could have a citywide bus network that runs all night, every night. And no, the private sector is not the answer.

First we talk transit security in light of the increasingly frequent bombings around the world, and consider what the recent WMATA and BART shutdowns might tell us about the MBTA infrastructure. Also, why being honest about our situation and advocacy for their needs would earn the MBTA a lot of respect.

TransitMatters advocates for fast, frequent, reliable and effective public transportation in and around Boston. As part of our vision to repair, upgrade and expand the MBTA transit network, we aim to elevate the conversation around transit issues by offering new perspectives, uniting transit advocates and promoting a level of critical analysis normally absent from other media.

Like what you hear? Share it around, tell your friends and colleagues, and subscribe to the blog and podcast (on iTunes) to be notified of new posts and episodes. Support our work by becoming a member, making a donation or signing up to volunteer because we can't do this alone. Let us know what you think: connect with TransitMatters on Facebook or Twitter. Follow Jeremy Mendelson @Critical Transit, Josh Fairchild @hatchback31, Jarred Johnson @jarjoh, Marc Ebuña @DigitalSciGuy, or email us here.