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30-minute headways coming to the Fairmount Line, 7 days a week, starting later this spring: https://mass.streetsblog.org/2024/04/25/mbta-regional-rail-schedule-changes-add-more-service-on-worcester-fairmount-lines

We confirmed that the "T" prefix is not going to be used, and we also mapped the route changes being proposed: https://mass.streetsblog.org/2024/04/11/bus-network-redesign-shows-signs-of-life

More details on the grant announcement. Key point: the feds only gave MassDOT 2/3rds of the money they requested. That means a large budget gap still remains – even moreso if (as is likely) project costs have gone up since the last estimate from a year ago...

More details: https://mass.streetsblog.org/2024/02/28/boston-officially-commits-to-building-dedicated-busway-on-blue-hill-ave

Bus lanes definitely came up last night during the Q&A. The project team says they're not included (for now) because neither the Bus Network Redesign nor the Silver Line extension study flagged McGrath as a priority route for high-frequency bus service. Of the six shortlisted SLX alternatives...

Here's our write-up of the public hearing last night: https://mass.streetsblog.org/2024/02/14/somervilles-grounding-mcgrath-plan-has-a-new-look-with-fewer-lanes

A second new Red Line train has entered service, and all the remaining Orange Line cars are on site in the Springfield factory: https://mass.streetsblog.org/2024/01/23/at-long-last-another-new-train-is-rolling-on-the-red-line January 2023: 78 OL cars delivered to Wellington, and 12 RL...

Ah yes, the old "I reject your empirical evidence because I have none of my own, and your attempts to introduce facts into this debate only demonstrates how militant you are" argument

⬆️ This isn't remotely accurate and we've got receipts: https://www.massincpolling.com/the-topline/boston-area-voters-support-changes-to-local-streets-even-if-it-means-less-space-for-cars

For these smaller RTAs, fares make up a tiny component of their operating costs, but the costs of fare collection – maintaining the machines, counting coins, increased dwell time at every stop, etc., are high. So eliminating fares doesn't actually have a big impact on their bottom line; the $15...

At this point, the best levers are probably a) the Governor's office, which is in charge of MassDOT but also in charge of meeting the state's climate goals and b) USDOT, which has already rejected MassDOT's first request for federal funding for this project and looks likely to do so one more...

Update: https://mass.streetsblog.org/2024/01/03/allston-projects-next-challenge-keeping-the-turnpikes-traffic-jams-out-of-a-new-transit-oriented-neighborhood Money quote (from a 2017 meeting): the traffic models that MassDOT uses to design new streets – and frequently, to justify adding more...

The Commonwealth certified zoning laws in Lexington and Salem to be in compliance with the new statewide MBTA communities zoning law. But so far it's not making much of a difference in either of those places...

https://mass.streetsblog.org/2023/12/13/dcr-breaks-ground-on-major-road-diet-in-newton

MassDOT has a separate 2016 plan for the "inland route" from New Haven to Boston via Springfield. In the 2016 Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative, MA, VT, and CT endorsed a plan to run 8 daily Amtrak round-trips on the inland route (plus one more Vermonter trip and a new BOS-Montreal...

MassDOT gets a $500K federal grant to begin service development planning on a new Boston-Albany Amtrak route: https://mass.streetsblog.org/2023/12/11/massdot-wins-more-federal-funds-to-plan-increased-boston-albany-amtrak-service

Hi everyone! Christian MilNeil here, editor of StreetsblogMASS. I've been a longtime lurker on this site (thanks for all the story ideas) and finally have a good reason to post for the first time. As the end of 2023 approaches, we typically run a roundup of the year's biggest stories. This...