General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

jklo said:
Totally agree. I'm guessing ridership was terrible before the closures which is why they are being lazy about it.
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Nope. Definitely not terrible. It has always had higher ridership than wealthier towns that would not suffer the fate of having their only Commuter Rail Station close for a decade.

At last count, it was the 46th highest ridership Commuter Rail Station of 140 stations systemwide. Comfortably top-half. Technically top third! It was the fourth highest ridership station on the North Shore (behind only Salem, Beverly, and Swampscott).

There is no good defense of this action. This isn’t Silver Hill.
 
Yeah this is pretty awful for a city that could really be benefiting from the Boston boom. It also makes me reflect on what's happening in Philadelphia after the fire and collapse of the I-95 overpass. That collapse is truly catastrophic for travel in the region, but it does speak to how we prioritize cars vs other modes. Repaired and planned to be reopened within 2 weeks! Delays are a policy choice and one that we all suffer from.

I know Eng has a lot on his plate reworking all of the other issues with the system, but boy could this be a hallmark project for him and his new leadership team. After all, he's a commuter rail guy.
 
JeffDowntown said:
You know that no one would suggest Newton could go without Commuter Rail for 7 years!
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The new station won't be completed until 2030 but the story also says they are building a temporary platform that will take 12-18 months. I took that to mean they will presumably be able to restart service in 2024 or 2025? The way it's written is not clear and I am not familiar with this project.
 
aycaramba said:
The new station won't be completed until 2030 but the story also says they are building a temporary platform that will take 12-18 months. I took that to mean they will presumably be able to restart service in 2024 or 2025? The way it's written is not clear and I am not familiar with this project.
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Last I heard there was no commitment for when the clock starts on the 12-18 months (remember this is an MBTA schedule, for what little that is worth.). The fact that Mayor Nicholson had to "fight" to even get that concession (maybe?) from the MBTA speaks volumes.
 
JeffDowntown said:
Last I heard there was no commitment for when the clock starts on the 12-18 months (remember this is an MBTA schedule, for what little that is worth.). The fact that Mayor Nicholson had to "fight" to even get that concession (maybe?) from the MBTA speaks volumes.
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Also to emphasize how wicked thoughtless the MBTA is toward the community, the temporary platform will not be available for any of the shutdown periods of the Sumner Tunnel over the next two summers, not that that causes any access issues for a North Shore community. Holy great coordination MassDOT and MBTA!
 
The MBTA Board met this morning. This was not discussed. McGee, the Director who used to be the Mayor of Lynn, congratulated the MBTA on the free Blue Line during the Sumner Tunnel closure by opening "I seem to be riding the Blue Line a lot more these days" (gee, I wonder why...) and then pushed ferry service as an "exciting opportunity".

How. About. You. Use. The. Rail. Line. That. Runs. Right. Through. Downtown?
 
Whatever happened to the Rt 1A/Lynnway study that proposed transforming the road with dedicated bus lanes and separated bike lanes? Lynn needs a way to speed up the buses now more than ever. Even just making the outermost lanes into “temporary” bus lanes from Hanson to Market is something that could be done in mere days to weeks if they really wanted.

Annoyingly the study and proposed alternatives make sure to maintain the current number of car lanes (6-7) at all costs. They’re protected bike lanes or dedicated bus lanes, can’t have both.
 
Koopzilla24 said:
Whatever happened to the Rt 1A/Lynnway study that proposed transforming the road with dedicated bus lanes and separated bike lanes? Lynn needs a way to speed up the buses now more than ever. Even just making the outermost lanes into “temporary” bus lanes from Hanson to Market is something that could be done in mere days to weeks if they really wanted.

Annoyingly the study and proposed alternatives make sure to maintain the current number of car lanes (6-7) at all costs. They’re protected bike lanes or dedicated bus lanes, can’t have both.
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I had thought that was moving?
 
Koopzilla24 said:
Whatever happened to the Rt 1A/Lynnway study that proposed transforming the road with dedicated bus lanes and separated bike lanes? Lynn needs a way to speed up the buses now more than ever. Even just making the outermost lanes into “temporary” bus lanes from Hanson to Market is something that could be done in mere days to weeks if they really wanted.

Annoyingly the study and proposed alternatives make sure to maintain the current number of car lanes (6-7) at all costs. They’re protected bike lanes or dedicated bus lanes, can’t have both.
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The bus lane study only helps connect the busses to Lynn Central Square Station. Busses don't really get stuck that badly on the Lynnway (3 travel lanes each way). The problem is getting to Wonderland on North Shore Road through Revere (2 travel lanes each way), which will never get a bus lane.
 
These moments are the type of moments that leaves me trying to fathom what's on their minds. Every person who comments expresses bafflement, but it's always the unnamed people in charge that expresses no urgency or concern (except maybe McGee by his omission of the station situation). Why does it always seem the "stonewallers" seem to be unnamed faces and always seem to be the one seem to be in charge. It should not take 7 years to build a new station. And if it does, I want to someone to demonstrate why it has to take this long.
 
MBTA shuts down Savin Hill Station after inspection of staircases
By Gintautas Dumcius, Managing Editor
June 23, 2023
Savin%20Hill%20fence.jpg


“Savin Hill Station as it looked in December 2022. (Gintautas Dumcius photo)
MBTA officials on Friday abruptly closed Savin Hill Station to riders after inspections to two staircases between the lobby and the train platform. The station is scheduled to reopen to riders on Saturday.

“Structural engineering consultants last evening recommended closing one of the staircases following an inspection,” T spokesman Joe Pesaturo said in an email. “The consultants made the same recommendation following an inspection of the second staircase this morning.”

Crews are expected to work through the night to make repairs, and the public transit agency plans to offer an update once the repairs are complete, Pesaturo added.

Red Line trains are currently running past the station without stopping. For riders who planned to get on Savin Hill, the T is offering shuttle buses that will take them to Fields Corner and JFK/UMass stations, where they can transfer to the Red Line. The shuttle buses are available at Dorchester Avenue and Savin Hill Avenue.”

https://www.dotnews.com/2023/mbta-shuts-down-savin-hill-station-after-inspection-staircases
 
It's wild how the I-95 bridge collapse, which serves 150k cars day, was fixed in 12 days, while the Red Line which carries ~240k per day pre-pandemic is allowed to languish for months at a unusable frequency and travel speed.
 
McGee, Crighton and others in the North Shore are pretty powerful in MA politics and have been for years. As mentioned, McGee is on the MBTA Board now and they have had numerous representatives on the MA Legislature's transportation committees (Crighton is the current Senate chair and McGee was a longtime chair or vice-chair). I have a hard time not blaming a big part of the general failure to improve and maintain transit there on them - For better or (mostly) worse MA politics work through horsetrading, making noise when appropriate and sneaking stuff into budgets and they had ample opportunity to do any or all of that but failed.

Pre-COVID / the station closure, the CR service to Lynn was not really adequate for the city's size since a number of the trains would go express from Salem in.
 
Anyone care to take bets on the T proposing a systemwide rapid transit bustitution, if only as a forcing factor to get the legislature to fix the funding issues?
 
Mother Brook said:
Pre-COVID / the station closure, the CR service to Lynn was not really adequate for the city's size since a number of the trains would go express from Salem in.
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Well that's more the age old question as to whether it's worth inconveniencing the Express riders to stop.

Back in 2019, Lynn had two stops per hour in the peak AM. Not bad but Swampscott did get a third stop in the 8 AM hour that Lynn did not :unsure:
 
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