General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

RandomWalk said:
Silver Hill has very affluent patrons that keep it from a decaying relic viewed through the windows of a passing train.
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Not very many of them. It got 11 daily boardings in the 2018 counts, probably little more than that since it came back on the schedule sans Hastings. Town of Weston has truly craptacular sidewalk coverage, so I'd be willing to bet that almost all of its patrons are kiss-and-ride.

Honestly, if you just did a pair of timed US 20 and MA 117 buses to the new superstation while the station is getting boosted with :30 frequencies at the new turnback, you'd tap a much greater swath of Weston by actually hitting the population pockets and what passes for sidewalk buildouts instead of being on sleepy, narrow, poorly-lit, hairpin-turn side streets. The 117 trajectory scooping up all of the ridership from the 3 incumbent stops and then some, and the 20 trajectory hitting the actual Weston village center that neither of the current and former rail routes got anywhere close enough to. Of course, Weston is never in a million years going to fund a bus because buses are for "others", but that would be the duh-logical transit orientation plan with real ridership generation capability over continuing to prop up their boutique stops.
 
When I visited the station in May, there was a grand total of 1 car in the dirt parking lot. When I rode two of the three evening trains that stop there, both had one passenger get off.
 
Green Line core to be shut down for 3 consecutive weekends plus a regular week in August. Orange Line core to close in the same adjacent area the following 2 weekends + most of 2 regular weeks.

MBTA Announces August Service Changes | News | MBTA

Official website of the MBTA -- schedules, maps, and fare information for Greater Boston's public transportation system, including subway, commuter rail, bus routes, and boat lines.
www.mbta.com www.mbta.com
 
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On the Orange Line:​

In August, the MBTA will continue essential track and signal upgrades on the Orange Line. Work crews will replace and upgrade the track area at Chinatown while also upgrading signals at Wellington and North Station, which will strengthen Orange Line service reliability for riders.
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Didn't they claim the signal modernization was complete on the OL like 6 months ago?
 
GreenLineEnthusiast said:
Didn't they claim the signal modernization was complete on the OL like 6 months ago?
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Yes, they made that claim on March 6, when they finished the work on the Back Bay to Forest Hills section. "New, modern signals are now fully installed across the Orange Line." I guess "fully" and "across" don't have the standard meaning in MBTA-speak.
 
Here they say that the Red Line is 100% handicapped accessible but it is not. They have a plan to fix that but it is 10 years behind schedule.
 
Well, they did go as far as holding a press conference patting themselves on the back
millerm277 said:
I will point out that scrolling down on the page, the MBTA clearly lists the Mattapan Line as a separate thing.
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They lie
 
www.bostonglobe.com

‘People were blindsided by this rule’: Paratransit riders face a greater challenge after MBTA policy change - The Boston Globe

Older RIDE users and people with disabilities say that new baggage rules enacted last summer have limited their access to grocery stores and food pantries.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com
Implemented last August, the rules have radically upended the routines of some RIDE customers, people with disabilities who have few options to get around otherwise. Where they used to be able to stow all their shopping either in the rear of a van or the trunk of a RIDE sedan, patrons must now fit their folded carts and belongings within their own sitting area, often jammed in by their feet or resting on their stomachs. So widespread is the upset over the rule that in July, more than 50 RIDE patrons showed up at an MBTA board meeting wearing T-shirts and carrying signs that read, “Secure Our Dignity.”
T officials argue the limitations make the RIDE safer and faster for the roughly 4,000 weekly riders who use the shared door-to-door service. Fewer bags, T officials said, leave more space for wheelchairs and walkers, and prevent the possibility of produce and eggs shifting around in traffic.
Yet dozens of riders and transit advocates argue the policy has resulted in inconvenient and painful consequences. Seniors who can only carry so much say they are going without heavier items such as milk or laundry detergent; some disabled riders stack grocery bags on their stomachs and feet, leaving them in an uncomfortable, if not, embarrassing position.
[...]
While RIDE drivers are still allowed to assist riders, they are limited to items up to 15 pounds that can be carried “in one arm and in one trip.” The Massachusetts Senior Action Council met with MBTA officials several times and demonstrated how the policy leaves riders cramped. But advocates say their calls to reverse the most restrictive rulesha d largely gone unheard.
After the demonstration at the July T board meeting, general manager Phillip Eng said the policy will be reviewed in the coming weeks. T Board member Chanda Smart said the potential worst-case scenario for RIDE customers — being left without a ride home — is “unacceptable.”
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www.wcvb.com

New MBTA pilot programs aim to cut costs for riders this fall

Gov. Maura Healey on Tuesday announced a series of new MBTA pilot programs designed to make public transportation more affordable, flexible and easier to use.
www.wcvb.com www.wcvb.com

Half-price CR passes extended another 3 months, could we finally be getting some fare reform on the CR?

Also RIP express buses, it was alright knowing you.
 
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fatnoah said:
Are they cutting the buses, or are you worried about far more riders?
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Sorry I should have been more clear, no routes are being cut, they're just being turned into regular buses with regular fares. It's technically a pilot but it doesn't have a published end date and frankly the whole thing is just a weird holdover from the old interurbans and less old suburban bus companies so it's been a long time coming.
 
TheRatmeister said:
Half-price CR passes extended another 3 months, could we finally be getting some fare reform on the CR?
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Yeah, that's much more equitable if they keep this going. Hopefully they will do something about single purchase fairs next, because pass holders might not be as significant a growth market compared to occasional or one-off riders. Also significant, the expansion of transfer options. Unlimited transfers within a 2 hour window is great, and in some cases can even make a round trip on a single fare become possible.
 
HenryAlan said:
Yeah, that's much more equitable if they keep this going. Hopefully they will do something about single purchase fairs next, because pass holders might not be as significant a growth market compared to occasional or one-off riders.
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It's something but the CR needs much more than just cheaper monthly passes. There are too many zones, some stations (such as Lynn or the Brockton stops) should probably be moved to nearer fare zones for equity, individual fares obviously need to be cut too, and some zones should possibly have their fares cut by more than 1/2 (Such as Zones 1/2) while other zones (~7-10ish) probably don't need the full 1/2 cut. Using single fares for an example, I don't think a fare of $10 to get to Providence is necessarily unfair, for example.
 
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