General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

Transit Matters releases its regional rail recommendations.

Namely:
A highly functioning Regional Rail system includes five critical components:

Systemwide electrification and the purchase of high performance electric trains.

High platforms, providing universal access and speeding up boarding for everyone.

Strategic Infrastructure investments to relieve bottlenecks.

Frequent service all day: every 30 minutes in the suburbs and every 15 minutes in denser neighborhoods.

Free transfers between regional trains, subways, and buses, and fare equalization with the subway in the subway’s service area.

And one useful component that will complete cross-region mobility:
While not critical to implementing a Regional Rail system, the North-South Rail Link (NSRL) between North and South Stations, allowing service between any two stations with either a direct trip or a single, seamless transfer, would be a highly useful enhancement providing the flexibility and connectivity to which many riders and potential riders would be drawn.
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tysmith95 said:
What's he going to say??

Unless he comes up with a plan (either union reform or increased funding) then just calling it unacceptable does nothing but sound good.
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+1.

Hot air. It's time for this guy to actually LEAD on the transit issue instead of bloviate.

....Baker then went on to say that the Red Line operator was a coward and that, if it were HIM, he would have gone in without a weapon and saved the day.
 
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The problem for Baker is that true leadership on transit means making the argument for more funding. He will never make such an argument, so all he can do is bloviate. Until we have a consensus for significant investment, we will never get past the band-aids and hot air phase of transit reform.
 
Anyone know why the signals seem to be such an issue on the Red Line? I know deferred maintenance has taken its toll on the rolling stock and the tracks, but I thought the signals were all recently replaced? It seems like delays due to "signal problems" are happening even more often than they were just a few months ago.
 
Lrfox said:
Anyone know why the signals seem to be such an issue on the Red Line? I know deferred maintenance has taken its toll on the rolling stock and the tracks, but I thought the signals were all recently replaced? It seems like delays due to "signal problems" are happening even more often than they were just a few months ago.
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I don't think the relatively recent signal work was anything close to a full replacement. More likely serious bandages on severe deferred maintenance.

The signal system on the Red (and Orange) Lines are slated for a complete upgrade and replacement in the same timeframe as when the new rolling stock comes online.
 
What's up with the Orange Line? Walking speed from Community to Assembly today. Does the snow on the tracks affect them that bad?
 
Let's nor forget that they are dealing with ancient old decrepit rail cars - equipment that should've been put out to pasture eons ago.

Eventually, ALL rapid transit lines will get new cars, up tp & including the Ashmont / Mattapan Line. :cool:
 
Jahvon09 said:
Eventually, ALL rapid transit lines will get new cars, up tp & including the Ashmont / Mattapan Line. :cool:
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Quite fine with the PCCs and hopefully PCC-IIs down here actually, thanks for no thanks for the offer :rolleyes:
 
They should look into getting some new trolleys made to look like the old PCC's paired in sets of 5 or 6. :cool:
 
jklo said:
Good luck with that.
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...seems about as likely as...

tobyjug said:
Time to build a wall and make Nashua pay for it.
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(sorry, couldn't resist. and thanks, toby).

Actually, it might work in certain rare circumstances, such as like what Bose is doing by having a location at both Boston Landing and in Framingham with the commuter rail connecting them. But the key difference is that they were already in Framingham. Hmm, maybe it could work for upstart companies who are priced out of leasing space in the city, but want to tap the urban young professional workforce who don't have/prefer cars. It's a long shot. Current trend is definitely consolidation of work in urban center.
 
jklo said:
Good luck with that.
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Yeah, they're putting the cart miles before the horse. The service needs to be better/more convenient than driving. That's the only way they'll boost reverse/leisure ridership. Traffic just isn't bad enough for reverse commuters and people coming into town on nights and weekends for events to justify tying themselves to a commuter rail schedule where trains can be 45+ minutes apart (more on nights/weekends).

Unless you're a tourist in Boston without a car and you want to make a day trip to Salem, Gloucester, Rockport, or any one of the handful of destinations where the train is within walking distance to the attractions, I can't see the commuter rail checking off many of the "cheaper/faster/more convenient" buckets.
 
Is there any legal issue that precludes them from lowering the price for reverse commutes?

Right now, the marginal cost of an additional passenger is $0 and reverse commuters aren't often having a price of downtown parking as a monetary benchmark.

Why not just make those trains 70% off normal fares for the morning reverse. In the evening for nights out in the city and when traffic can be bad both directions, you could probably make inbound trains 40% off.

(this is getting to the off, on, super peak designations in NYC, but I don't think out normal price should push up much more)
 
Lrfox said:
Yeah, they're putting the cart miles before the horse. The service needs to be better/more convenient than driving. That's the only way they'll boost reverse/leisure ridership. Traffic just isn't bad enough for reverse commuters and people coming into town on nights and weekends for events to justify tying themselves to a commuter rail schedule where trains can be 45+ minutes apart (more on nights/weekends).

Unless you're a tourist in Boston without a car and you want to make a day trip to Salem, Gloucester, Rockport, or any one of the handful of destinations where the train is within walking distance to the attractions, I can't see the commuter rail checking off many of the "cheaper/faster/more convenient" buckets.
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The answer starts with R and ends in egional Rail. ;)
 
bigpicture7 said:
Actually, it might work in certain rare circumstances, such as like what Bose is doing by having a location at both Boston Landing and in Framingham with the commuter rail connecting them.
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Bose (or really any of the office parks) is nowhere near the Framingham stop.

I don't know about Worcester though.
 
jklo said:
Bose (or really any of the office parks) is nowhere near the Framingham stop.

I don't know about Worcester though.
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No, but if there were enough commuters they could run shuttles that correspond with train arrival times. AthenaHealth in Watertown actually does this w.r.t. the boston landing stop.

I know it sounds ridiculous, but a shuttle program is a lot more practical when you know exactly when everyone is going to arrive and depart and you don't have to run them in a continuous loops.
 
Yeah but Boston Landing isn't Framingham. Remember you have to pay the Zone fare outbound, so it's $290 a month from 1A to 5.
 
It would be nice if the T could lower fares for reverse commuters, since those trains are empty anyway.
 
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