General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

Will there be shelters? That’s the only rendering I’ve seen for the new stations. Seems stupid not to install them.
 
www.boston.com

‘The intent is to not fall backwards now’: The T is almost free of slow zones. Can the success last?

When MBTA GM Phil Eng vowed to nix 191 slow zones by year's end, his goal was met with skepticism. Now, data shows victory is within reach.
www.boston.com
He cited signals, power systems, and rolling stock, or vehicles, as a few examples of top MBTA priorities to follow the Track Improvement Program.

“I just want everyone to know that the organization that we’re building is not only looking to rebuild for near-term, we’re looking to rebuild long-term, make this organization sustainable and develop that in-house knowledge and skills that can help us manage the system the public expects and deserves,” Eng said. “And we’re on our way to doing that.”
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So apparently the T is now not forecasted to reach pre-COVID bus service staffing levels until late 2025 now?

That's so depressing. 88% of pre-COVID service right now, and that's seemingly not going to recover for at least another year. Pre-COVID was 1750-1800 headcount.

The T cut service from Fall 2021 to Summer 2023/2024 by 12%, and is that going to recover for riders outside of BNRD Phase 1 routes this winter, or do they really need to wait a whole another year for service restorations?

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beck4537 said:
commonwealthbeacon.org

More MBTA shutdowns expected in 2025

MBTA riders who slogged through this year’s shutdowns should brace themselves for more next year, though they’ll be more limited in scope and duration, according to transit officials.
commonwealthbeacon.org commonwealthbeacon.org
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Looks like the work planned for next year will be on signaling, and designed to enable greater frequency to go along with the newly achieved greater speed.
 
RandomWalk said:
The left side could be “This is your transit system on the Pioneer Institute…”
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Even more compelling for certain audiences:

"In 2023, this is your road traffic on Pioneer Institute..." :
www.bostonglobe.com

Traffic in the Boston area got worse in 2023, study shows - The Boston Globe

The average Boston driver spent 88 hours stuck in traffic in 2023, 10 more than the year before, putting the Hub in the top five most congested cities in the United States, according to a study.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com
"The average Boston driver spent 88 hours stuck in traffic in 2023, 10 more than the year before, according to an annual study...as solutions like improving public transit and charging drivers for road usage remain politically unviable in Massachusetts."
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stick n move said:
Just going to add here that since the vape ban the state has lost $150 million in taxes to neighboring states. The data is out and it shows that the ban has had almost 0 effect on causing ppl to quit, has actually caused many ppl to go back to smoking cigarettes, has lost the state hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue, and has now created a black market which takes up policing resources, creates new criminals, more burden on the courts, and more burden on the jails… all for nothing. No matter what way you look at it it has failed in every single way. For whatever reason charlie baker saw all of the incredible failings of the drug war and said I want that! for tobacco. We 100% should reverse the ban which is mostly just loading up new hampshires coffers and I believe this time use 100% of the tax revenue to go toward the mbta. Its as close to getting recurring free money as youre ever going to get.


“Early results from the flavored tobacco & vaping products prohibition enacted in Massachusetts show such bans deprive adults of less harmful alternatives to cigarettes, crush small businesses, depress tax collections as commerce shifts across state lines, and fail to curb smoking.”

“There is no indication that smoking has been mitigated, but there is evidence that Massachusetts has lost millions in tax revenue to neighboring states, as consumers have taken their business to stores in New Hampshire and Rhode Island, where the flavored tobacco products demanded by many law-abiding adults are still available for sale.”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/patric...vape-ban-is-a-cautionary-tale-for-the-nation/


“STOUGHTON, Mass. — Bootleg cigarette smuggling has become an ongoing drain on law enforcement as illicit tobacco seizures have surged and state tax revenue from tobacco sales continues to plummet, according to a new report by the Massachusetts Illicit Tobacco Task Force (ITTF).

[Read more: Massachusetts Court Upholds Brookline's Age-Restricted Tobacco Rule]

"Despite enforcement efforts and the hard work done by the Illegal Tobacco Task Force, smuggling of untaxed tobacco products remains a significant challenge," said Peter Brennan, executive director of the New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association. "Smugglers are developing more sophisticated operations to counter the Task Force's targeted investigations. It's clear that the Commonwealth is struggling with enforcement."”

“According to the report, the state's rush to ban flavored tobacco has failed to curb use of these products while inadvertently creating a market for illicit untaxed products and cross-border smuggling. The report estimated the ban has cost the state nearly $150 million in lost tax revenue from legal sales since it went into effect in 2020.”



https://csnews.com/massachusetts-faces-fallout-flavored-tobacco-ban

“Massachusetts highlight the ban's unintended consequences. The state's experiment in prohibition has led to thriving illicit markets, challenges for law enforcement, and prosecution of sellers.”

“The experience in Massachusetts has vindicated concerns that flavor bans will lead to illicit markets, arrests, and incarceration. Coupled with foregone tax revenue, evidence that the public health benefits may be less than promised, and the risk that banning flavored vaping products will deter smokers from switching to safer sources of nicotine, the unintended consequences of these policies are significant.”

https://reason.com/2023/03/09/massachusetts-tobacco-ban-went-as-badly-as-youd-expect/
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You do realize that they said the same shit and wrote the same stupid, short sighted articles every time taxes were raised on cigarettes, every time a town banned smoking in restaurants, etc etc? Guess what—change takes time. Normally I’m not a Prohibitionist and think all drugs should be decriminalized but vaping is a scourge beyond all scourges. The insanity of how intently addictive it is pales in comparison to literally any other drug. It’s a rampant problem with kids and since the fed isn’t gonna do shit for years, states need to start. Also, any bodega in Boston has the basket of flavored vapes under the counter if you know how to ask the right way. And also, people have been goin to NH for cigarettes for years. None of this is new, and more crackdowns on vapes are absolutely in the public interest and absolutely are worth pursuing.
 
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ritchiew said:
Today, the Red Line has no speed restrictions for the first time in 20 years.
www.bostonglobe.com

Red means ... go? Red Line free of slow zones for first time in more than 20 years, MBTA says. - The Boston Globe

Only two speed restrictions remain on the subway system; both should be rectified next month, officials said.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com

Here's the slow zone map from a year ago today, and then today
View attachment 58222
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Just amazing! Bravo to the MBTA track crews and Phil Eng!
 
ritchiew said:
Today, the Red Line has no speed restrictions for the first time in 20 years.
www.bostonglobe.com

Red means ... go? Red Line free of slow zones for first time in more than 20 years, MBTA says. - The Boston Globe

Only two speed restrictions remain on the subway system; both should be rectified next month, officials said.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com

Here's the slow zone map from a year ago today, and then today
View attachment 58222
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So, this turnaround is incredible. It's really a cause for celebration. My partner and I are already planning some little trips around the city for the long weekend. Neighborhoods we like but have been a pain to get to. Fixing the slow zones is making our lives bigger.

But I'm constitutionally incapable of only being positive, so I'll just add: the shutdowns all year really, really sucked. I know they were necessary under the circumstances, but we should fight like hell to make sure we're never in those circumstances ever again.

I mention this because now Eng is saying we should expect more, shorter shutdowns next year for signaling work. We'll see the details soon, and I think Eng has earned the benefit of the doubt, here. But it would be a disaster if shutdowns are something we just get used to going forward. It's already so much harder for people to trust the T can meet their transportation needs.
 
ritchiew said:
I mention this because now Eng is saying we should expect more, shorter shutdowns next year for signaling work. We'll see the details soon, and I think Eng has earned the benefit of the doubt, here. But it would be a disaster if shutdowns are something we just get used to going forward. It's already so much harder for people to trust the T can meet their transportation needs.
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Keep in mind that the past year's shutdowns were bringing to state of good repair 40 years worth of delayed maintenance. The key to preventing it going forward is to not defer needed work, which can mostly happen overnight or on the occasional weekend closure. If the MBTA continues to be well run, it shouldn't be an issue. If it goes back to its old ways, then we'd likely need to do 2024 style shutdowns again, but probably not for 20 years. Either way, we should get a decent era of quality track for running all our new trains.
 
HenryAlan said:
Keep in mind that the past year's shutdowns were bringing to state of good repair 40 years worth of delayed maintenance. The key to preventing it going forward is to not defer needed work, which can mostly happen overnight or on the occasional weekend closure. If the MBTA continues to be well run, it shouldn't be an issue. If it goes back to its old ways, then we'd likely need to do 2024 style shutdowns again, but probably not for 20 years. Either way, we should get a decent era of quality track for running all our new trains.
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I guess I really want to know if they really have the Red Line back to design speeds (as speced in the Alewife and Braintree expansions, for example), or whether they have sandbagged the speed metrics to get "no slow zones". Not saying I don't trust T self-reported progress, but actually I don't.
 
JeffDowntown said:
I guess I really want to know if they really have the Red Line back to design speeds (as speced in the Alewife and Braintree expansions, for example), or whether they have sandbagged the speed metrics to get "no slow zones". Not saying I don't trust T self-reported progress, but actually I don't.
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There is likely more to achieving that than just track quality. Signaling is different (and not implemented correctly), federal regulations have changed, equipment age, and other factors are in play. The 2020s aren't the same era as the 1970s.
 
Yes, exactly. While the alignment itself is designed for 50 mph speeds, it has not been treated as such for decades. Signals will need to be adjusted to account for longer braking distances, tracks and equipment maintained to a higher degree, traction power equipment adjusted or replaced, regulatory approval secured, etc. My reading of the MBTA materials is that the work performed on the Braintree Branch during these shutdowns has been designed to support that - i.e, any new track laid, switches replaced, etc can handle 50 mph speeds. However, anything not done during these shutdowns (i.e, that is in good enough repair for 40 mph) may need additional work for 50 mph.
 
OK, but if you haven't gotten the line back to design speeds, you have not eliminated all the slow zones.

That is called moving the goal posts.
 
JeffDowntown said:
OK, but if you haven't gotten the line back to design speeds, you have not eliminated all the slow zones.

That is called moving the goal posts.
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It’s actually not called moving the goal posts. You are confusing two unrelated things.

“Moving the goal posts” implies that a promise was made, then the promise was changed. In this instance, the promise that was made was that the slow zones would be removed by repairing and replacing the track infrastructure to get it into a state of good repair. That promise is being delivered on.

It appears that you believed the promise was to return service to what it was decades ago. That promise was never made.

There is a difference between realizing you were mistaken and having the “goal posts moved.”
 
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