Media Statement: FTA Letter re: Safety Management Inspection

BOSTON, May 11, 2022 —  TransitMatters believes that safety is a top priority for any public transportation system. We have confidence that overall, the MBTA is safe. We also believe that safety is always a priority for every MBTA employee. While we acknowledge the importance of an FTA safety review, we note that the situation locally requires funding, transparency, and leadership.

MBTA safety begins with ensuring that the agency has the resources, both financial and personnel, it needs to do the job. We need the Massachusetts Legislature to step up and provide sustainable funding that responds to the needs of the system and the values of the times. The T cannot continue to be an agency without new, dedicated sources of both capital and operating funding. Operating deficits are often resolved at the last minute, despite volumes of reports illustrating the structural inadequacies of the current approach to funding. We will not accept either service cuts or fare hikes as the answer to operating deficits going forward.

The MBTA has acknowledged that it faces an Operating Budget deficit next year in excess of $200 million. The legislature and governor should act now, through the Transportation Bond bill or Budget, to ensure that the budget deficit is closed, and to provide additional funding targeted toward key safety and service related initiatives. 

MBTA stakeholders need transparency about the agency’s progress on the recommendations from the 2019 Safety Panel. Top line numbers and percentages will not suffice. We need to know which recommendations have yet to be started, which ones require more resources, and what obstacles stand in the way of 100% compliance. 

Toward this end, we need an MBTA board that provides full transparency and actual accountability. It is incredibly disturbing that the existence of this letter was revealed by The Boston Globe and not at the April 28th board meeting. Advocates have expressed frustration at the lax oversight and refusal of the current Board to engage with the work of the FMCB. The FTA letter validates those concerns. 

The stakes are high. A full FTA takeover could result in forced fare hikes and service cuts, and put the federal government in charge of setting priorities. This is unacceptable and would be a significant setback for priorities like Bus Network Redesign, low-income fares, and more. We need new resources and strong leadership because climate change, as well as racial, socioeconomic, and regional equity demand that the T be able to focus on both safety and expanding service and access. 

We call on the governor and legislature to step up and act in the short term. No FTA review will succeed in the absence of a state commitment to reversing funding inequities and providing the funding to erase structural deficits. We need action now. 

The first step must be eliminating the projected Operating Budget deficit by taking decisive legislative action now. The second step is to have the legislature step up and provide the accountability and transparency the MBTA Board has failed to provide. This means holding hearings and demanding follow-up on FMCB efforts. Lastly, the Legislature should commit to having a sustainable revenue source for both the capital and operating budget by the start of the next fiscal year. These decisive actions will show that the Commonwealth is committed to funding and maintaining the fourth busiest public transit system in the country, fully and appropriately, free of federal control.

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

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Crawling Along: Introducing the Slow Zone Tracker

Crawling Along: Introducing the Slow Zone Tracker

Tracking Slow Zones on the MBTA

Do you ever find yourself sitting on a subway car that is just crawling along? Maybe you’re running slightly late already. And maybe you start to wonder… “Surely it hasn’t always been this slow. Is it just my train? Has it been like this the whole week? Is it getting worse?”

The TransitMatters Labs team is happy to announce a new tool that answers these questions. Our new Slow Zone Tracker makes it easy to tell when trains are running consistently slower than usual.

Slow zones on a rail line usually pop up due to infrastructure problems such as poor track condition, signal failure, or power issues. For example, StreetsblogMASS recently reported that the Orange Line has been given a lower speed limit in some sections due to deteriorating track conditions. And in 2019, for instance, the Red Line was severely delayed after the June 11 derailment took the signal system offline.

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Our line graph gives a high-level overview of these sorts of systemic slow downs—how much time is being lost compared to how fast the trains theoretically could run? Is it getting better or worse over time?

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Switching to the segment view allows you to dig in deeper: which pairs of stops are seeing delays, and how bad are they?

Clicking on one of the bars will take you to the data-dashboard page where you can see the data itself. In most cases, it will look something like this:

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Or like this:

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In some cases, severity may vary over time. Our algorithm looks at dwell times in addition to travel times, since waiting longer than usual at a station also counts as a delay. 

Our algorithm isn’t perfect, of course. If you notice any issues or want to send any other feedback, let us know at labs@transitmatters.org.

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FAQ:

What is this?

This is a tool to help find and track slow zones. That is, areas where trains have lower-than-usual speeds due to track conditions, signal issues, or other infrastructure problems.

How do we calculate this?

We look at the daily median travel time + dwell time for each segment along a route. Whenever that trip time is at least 10% slower than the baseline for 3 or more days in a row, it gets flagged as a slow zone. Currently, our baseline is the median value in our data, which goes back to 2016. It’s not a perfect system, but various algorithmic improvements are in the works.

Why did we build this?

There’s power in data, but it’s only useful when you can tell a story. Slow zones are a nice story to tell: they tie our observable results to a cause. With so much data available, it can be difficult to find the interesting bits. So we’ve built this tool to help us locate and track this type of issue (slow zones), and monitor the severity over time.

How can you use this?

Share it. Bring the data to public meetings. Pressure the T to do better, but also give them credit where it’s due.

What about the Green Line?

Due to variable traffic, much of the Green Line doesn’t have consistent enough trip times to measure. As for the main trunk and the D line? Coming “soon”.

Media Statement: MA Senate Climate Bill

BOSTON, April 15, 2022 — TransitMatters is thrilled that the Massachusetts Senate passed a number of amendments to Senate Bill 2819, “An Act Driving Climate Policy Forward”, to make the bill more equitable and comprehensive. In particular, Sen. Brendan Crighton’s (D- Lynn) Amendment 13, which requires the MBTA to begin the process of electrifying the Commuter Rail network, is an essential step towards the Commonwealth’s climate future.

We’re incredibly appreciative of Sen. Crighton’s leadership in guiding this amendment through the Senate. The Senator has long been a champion of Regional Rail for the communities along the Environmental Justice Line and communities across the Commonwealth who would benefit from Commuter Rail electrification. 

TransitMatters would also like to thank the co-sponsors of this crucial piece of legislation: Sen. Paul Feeney, Sen. Rebecca Rausch, Sen. Diana DiZoglio, Sen. Eric Lesser, Sen. Michael Moore, Sen. Pat Jehlen, Sen. Jamie Eldridge, Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, Sen. Lydia Edwards, Sen. Patrick O'Connor, Sen. Nick Collins, Sen. Jo Comerford, Sen John Keenan, Sen. John Cronin, Sen. Marc Pacheco, Sen. Jason Lewis, Sen. Mark Montigny, Sen. Joan Lovely, Sen. John Velis, Sen. Walter Timilty,  Sen. Michael Brady and Sen. Sal DiDomenico. 

Additionally, we’d like to thank all of our supporters and partners who have advocated for these measures and have sent letters of support to their Senators: your efforts made the difference. 

The key highlights of the amendment are as follows:

• Requires the MBTA to plan, over the short-, medium-, and long- terms, for a more integrated, productive, equitable, and decarbonized commuter rail system. In making these plans, the MBTA is also asked to maximize “ridership returns on investment” in a manner consistent with the Commonwealth’s climate goals

• Requires the MBTA to include, in the short-term plan, a pathway to running electric service on the Providence/Stoughton, Fairmount, and environmental justice lines. The MBTA is directed to provide a schedule, needed cash flow, and a planning framework for these lines.

• Specifies that capital plans after 2030 may not include the purchase of diesel locomotives

• Requires, in medium- and long- term plans, a framework to electrify all commuter rail lines; this includes a schedule for deployment of the new electric trains

TransitMatters looks forward to working with legislators as this bill goes to conference committee to ensure that this amendment is included in the final legislation and that the MBTA begins implementation immediately. 

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

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Earlier

BOSTON, April 8, 2022 —  The Massachusetts Senate yesterday released a summary of S. 2819, the “Act Driving Climate Policy Forward.” As presented by the summary, the bill’s transportation components appear to entrench failed policies and focus on half-measures that will not achieve the Commonwealth’s 2050 net zero emissions goals. It is, in short, a missed opportunity.  We are concerned about three significant gaps in the Senate bill.

First, its failure to support or fund electrified Regional Rail. Transitioning to an electrified Regional Rail system (replacing today’s dirty diesel locomotives) would greatly improve access to mass transit, provide faster trips, and reduce the MBTA’s carbon footprint. Yet the bill as summarized provides no requirement or money for the MBTA to invest in commuter rail electrification. The Commonwealth cannot afford to delay rail electrification.  TransitMatters has set out a clear, evidence-based pathway to introducing reliable electric multiple units (EMUs) to replace the current locomotive fleet. We stand by our several White Paper reports on this topic, and urge the Senate to adopt this as a critical part of their plan.

Second, its failure to provide for decarbonization equity. The bill establishes a fund of $100 million to incentivize the purchase of zero emission vehicles, with as much as a $3,500 rebate available for passenger cars. These public subsidies will go primarily to wealthier people who can afford new electric vehicles.  While subsidies may be necessary to encourage EV adoption, Massachusetts must commit to providing decarbonization subsidy equity to those who do not drive, especially those who cannot afford to own a car. One effective solution would be acting to prevent the MBTA's predicted operating budget shortfall next year. 

Third, its failure to support mode shift to sustainable modes like transit, cycling and walking. The bill does nothing to encourage more use of sustainable mobility - transit, rail, cycling and walking.The time value of carbon emissions reductions is highly important, as emissions are cumulative in effect. The most effective short-term carbon reduction strategy is one focused on encouraging more transit and rail use.  Massachusetts needs to encourage mode shift by funding public transit service to improve frequencies and reliability and also to prevent future fare hikes and service cuts.

The Massachusetts Senate must not let itself be beguiled by the efforts of major polluters to greenwash their operations. We can do better. Our state should face the fact that the best approach to addressing transportation sector carbon emissions is one that is balanced among all modes. Our transport future lies in equitable sustainability, and this Senate bill does not get us there.

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

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