Action Alert: Support Regional Rail in the CIP!

Regional Rail needs your support!

The MBTA’s lack of a clear commitment to Commuter Rail electrification in the CIP is troubling. Although there are line items related to Regional Rail studies, new vehicles, and even the new maintenance facility, no explicit commitments to Phase 1 of Regional Rail or electric multiple units leave us disappointed. We need you to show your support through making a public comment on the CIP.

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How to Help:

Copy the text below in your email and send your message to
cipengagement@mbta.com and CC: cip@transitmatters.info. 

This helps us track how many riders are sending in supportive comments for Regional Rail. Feel free to add your own language to it (e.g., tell the T what fast Regional Rail would mean for you) or just use our copy. Thanks for your help! Email Link

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Dear MBTA Capital Investment Plan Team, 

I am writing to express my support for, and urge you to include, meaningful investments towards building a fast, frequent, clean Regional Rail system in this year’s MBTA Capital Investment Plan. The draft of the 2023-2027 Capital Investment Plan (CIP) includes only vague mentions of Rail Transformation with no real mention of electrification. The inadequate allocation of planning funding that is present will not enable us to reach climate goals, lower congestion, or increase ridership. I urge the T to complete electrification on the Providence/Stoughton Line, as well as begin design and pre-construction work on the Fairmount, and Newburyport/Rockport lines. I also urge the T to complete “no regrets investments” on the Worcester Line, the Old Colony network, and the Haverhill Line. Thank you for your hard work and the many positive investments in the CIP; we hope we will be able to celebrate further investments in Rail Electrification and Transformation in the final draft. 

Sincerely, 

[Your Name]

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mailto:cipengagement@mbta.com?cc=cip@transitmatters.info

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Data Dashboard 3.0: Eyes on the Bus

In continued support of the TransitMatters mission to unite advocates and inform the public about the state of the MBTA system, TransitMatters Labs is pleased to announce that bus data is now available and ready for exploration in Data Dashboard 3.0.

The Data Dashboard carries a storied history. Our work on its first version began in 2019 with the objective of providing an easy-to-use web site to explore travel times, time between trains (headways), and time spent at stations (dwell times) for trips on the subway network. The dashboard’s update in 2021 began computing statistics on those metrics over time, allowing for analysis of longer-term system trends. We’re thrilled that updating the Data Dashboard to version 3.0 with support for MBTA buses means that both transit advocates and the public can scrutinize the bus network nearly as much as the subway. It is also incredibly significant for TransitMatters itself—it enables our campaigns and our partners to study the performance of bus routes to make better informed policy recommendations.

To view the new bus data in the Data Dashboard, head over to https://dashboard.transitmatters.org. There is a new slider to switch from Subway over to Bus in the top-left corner:

Switching the slider to “Bus” changes the Dashboard to a yellow theme—that’s how you know you’re ready to dive in. Select a route, an origin station, a destination station, and a date (or date range) to continue. Bus data is available from August 1, 2018 through November 30, 2021 on the following routes:

• 1 - Harvard Sq to Nubian

• 15 - Fields Corner / Kane Sq to Ruggles

• 22 - Ashmont to Ruggles via Talbot Ave

• 23 - Ashmont to Ruggles via Washington St

• 28 - Mattapan to Ruggles

• 32 - Wolcott/Cleary Sq to Forest Hills

• 39 - Forest Hills to Back Bay

• 57/57A - Watertown Yard / Oak Sq to Kenmore

• 66 - Harvard Sq to Nubian

• 71 - Watertown Sq - Harvard

• 73 - Waverley Sq - Harvard

• 77 - Arlington Heights - Harvard

• 111 - Woodlawn - Haymarket

• 114/116/117 - Wonderland - Maverick

Unfortunately, buses don’t collect the information we need to compute dwell times (time spent at stop), so these are the three metrics available for bus:

• Travel times

• Time between buses (headways)

• Travel times by hour - choice of weekdays or weekend/holidays

After selecting input parameters, the Data Dashboard then presents you charts for those metrics. Here is an example from Route 1:

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You may notice the interquartile range is often larger than you would see for the subway. This is because buses are generally more variable, since they are more susceptible to factors like traffic, which changes throughout the day. To help dive into this phenomenon more closely, we added a new type of chart: 

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This “Travel times by hour” visualization helps clarify the variability shown in travel times above: mid-day trips (especially during rush hour!) are much slower than early morning and late-night. We also added an option to view weekend averages here as well.

This data makes some bus network challenges incredibly clear, such as headway management and bunching. For example, here is evidence of bunching on Route 1 at Putnam Avenue, near its western terminus at Harvard Square. On this day, September 23, 2021, bus frequency fluctuated between 1 minute and almost 30 minutes, particularly in the middle of the day. This may be due to data collection issues (if a bus running on Route 1 had a faulty GPS locator, for example). However, in this case, the average is a bus every 12-15 minutes, giving credence to the bunching scenario over the “missing trips” hypothesis.

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These charts also show how bus lane installation can greatly affect the rider experience. After the City of Boston’s installation of the center-running bus lane on Columbus Avenue, Route 22 travel times during the evening commute dropped from 14 minutes to 10 minutes.

Before bus lane installation (October 2021):

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After bus lane installation (November 2021):

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We’re incredibly thankful for MassDOT’s Office of Performance Management and Innovation (OPMI); they consistently publish bus departure data that we use for this feature in the Data Dashboard. This update would not be possible without the hard work of everyone there and at the MBTA.

TransitMatters is looking forward to seeing what the community finds in Data Dashboard 3.0. Check it out! We also continue to appreciate your questions and feedback, and heads up—we’re always looking for volunteers with skills in web programming, data wrangling, graphic design, and fun :-) The TransitMatters Labs team is reachable at labs@transitmatters.org. You can also follow or tweet at some of the team members who worked on this project on Twitter:

Austin Paul (@ajp5678)
Chris Schmidt (@crschmidt)
Preston Mueller (@mathcolo)
Nathan Weinberg (@Nathan_Weinberg)
Chris Friend (@friendchristoph)

TransitMatters releases new blueprint for fast, reliable Haverhill Line service

TransitMatters releases new blueprint for fast, reliable Haverhill Line service

BOSTON, November 16, 2021 — Upgrading the Haverhill Line could reduce travel times from Haverhill to Boston by 30 minutes, with speeds of up to 100 mph possible on some segments, according to a new TransitMatters report released today. The line would be upgraded to a “Regional Rail” standard, including high level platforms, electrification, electric trains and some double tracking, for a cost of $790 million. Regional Rail would also require the MBTA to make a decision about which route trains use to get to Haverhill. Currently, the Haverhill Line is run alternately along the Wildcat route, sharing tracks with the Lowell Line, or via Reading, but the higher frequencies and tight scheduling of Regional Rail mean that one route should be chosen. The Wildcat route would be faster to North Station, but would require closing North Wilmington and making the Haverhill Line a branch of the Lowell Line. The Reading route would only be two minutes slower, but would need more double-tracking.  

”Our vision for the Haverhill Line maximizes its ability to provide more service and attract higher ridership, which is essential for recovering from the pandemic,” said TransitMatters executive director Jarred Johnson. “It also keeps the MBTA’s options open for the future while adding high level platforms ensures that riders of all abilities will be able to get on and off.” 

Several outer stations, including Haverhill, Lawrence, Wakefield, Andover and Melrose Cedar Park, are within half a mile of more than 3,000 jobs, but no station gets over 850 riders a day (pre-pandemic), suggesting that there is untapped potential along the route. With Regional Rail, there would be a train to Haverhill from North Station every 30 minutes all day instead of just at peak times, which could make the service more attractive to riders. 

In addition to investments in electrification and electric multiple unit trains, all stations will need high level platforms for accessibility and reducing time spent stopped at stations, while the amount of double tracking will depend on what route the MBTA chooses. The Reading route will require either double tracking at Reading station and building two high level platforms, or moving the station to a nearby double tracked segment. 

TransitMatters is dedicated to improving transit in and around Boston by offering new perspectives, uniting transit advocates, and informing the public. We utilize a high level of critical analysis to advocate for plans and policies that promote convenient, effective, and equitable transportation for everyone.

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

Photo Credit: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons