General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

F-Line to Dudley said:
The pre-1984 Porter CR station, from before the current station's opening. Last surviving residue from that now being scrubbed to strengthen the retaining wall before the Somerville Ave. sidewalk collapses.
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That specific structure was in use 1979-1984 while the modern station was constructed. Prior to that, access was at Mass Ave. As you noted, it's been demolished during the recent wall stabilization work.


 
HenryAlan said:
What I'm noticing is that your google earth view has a purple line on it. Mine only shows the rapid transit lines. How do you get the commuter rail layer?
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IDK it's just whatever Transportation layer that comes with it.
 
stefal said:
MBTA is receiving 290m from the passed COVID bill, per this tweet.
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Wow we are getting screwed if I am reading that correctly... why the fuck does SEA get $310m and SF get close to 500m at the minimum end of their ranges?

Is this a repercussion of Capuano being ousted a few years ago... if so, holy shit.
 
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Likely outcome: they'll "re-assess" and bring back some services but still not to what they were beforehand. Expect a conservative and limited reaction to this new cash.
 
meddlepal said:
Wow we are getting screwed if I am reading that correctly... why the fuck does SEA get $310m and SF get close to 500m at the minimum end of their ranges?

Is this a repercussion of Capuano being ousted a few years ago... if so, holy shit.
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This isn't the last fed attempt. They had to pass the watered-down shit sandwich relief bill because the gov't was going to shut down at 12:00 midnight yesterday if they didn't pass this wad in tandem with the continuing resolution it was rolled up in. It's right back to work after the Holiday recess trying to tackle the stuff that had to be stripped out to keep Sens. Johnson & Toomey from slipping in last-second poison-pill amendments. Plus the Georgia runoffs loom large.

There's a reason why no transit agency is scheduling their cuts to begin 1/1/21. This not only ain't over in Congress, it's barely begun.
 
stefal said:
Likely outcome: they'll "re-assess" and bring back some services but still not to what they were beforehand. Expect a conservative and limited reaction to this new cash.
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Forget which Pol it was, but they said that if they got any money, it would be used to shore up the 2020 losses. It wasn't going to affect any cuts. Remember that ridership in 2021 is going to continue to be bad... the MBTA is for sure going to be short several hundred million just in 2021. If they are going to maintain service even with low ridership, they are going to need something more permanent than scraps from the Fed.
 
jklo said:
Forget which Pol it was, but they said that if they got any money, it would be used to shore up the 2020 losses. It wasn't going to affect any cuts. Remember that ridership in 2021 is going to continue to be bad... the MBTA is for sure going to be short several hundred million just in 2021. If they are going to maintain service even with low ridership, they are going to need something more permanent than scraps from the Fed.
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Do they have a figure they need in mind for maintaining service and headcount?
 
stefal said:
Do they have a figure they need in mind for maintaining service and headcount?
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Not one that's all that specific. Remember the Oversight Board went guns-blazing at them for overestimating their projected deficits. So the lack of specificity on exactly how things like projected headcount are figuring in is very much behind the charge that they're engaging in fuzzy math.

There's probably lots legit and lots suspect here. Which is why we need lots more specificity from them than we've gotten to-date. We don't have enough info to parse it accurately right now.
 
It's also confused by the negotiations that they (apparently) need to have with the trades unions on layoffs/furloughs for any major service cut. I mean, that's where you save the bulk of your money in any service cut -- labor costs.
 
I've been looking through older posts, but, is there an index of the various long-term planning studies for public transit in the region since WWII. I'm thinking like the Urban Ring, NSRL 1, NSRL 2, GLX, RBC 1, RBC2, or the PMTs. I'm trying to think through the whole universe of potential projects over the past 60-70 years for the region. Thinking aloud here, I suppose going back to Focus 40 and comparing to the last version of the PMT, would give you a decent survey of the various potential corridors/extensions that are prime for infrastructure investment.
 
Not to distract from @ra84970's really interesting question about long-term planning studies (definitely gonna check out that link, @The EGE, thanks!), but am curious -- what are the transportation policy implications for the new Massachusetts House Speaker?

(Feel free to move this into its own thread -- I don't think we have a dedicated policy/politics/government thread, but maybe we should?)
 
Riverside said:
Not to distract from @ra84970's really interesting question about long-term planning studies (definitely gonna check out that link, @The EGE, thanks!), but am curious -- what are the transportation policy implications for the new Massachusetts House Speaker?

(Feel free to move this into its own thread -- I don't think we have a dedicated policy/politics/government thread, but maybe we should?)
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Nothing begats nothing, new boss same as the old boss, etc. etc.
 
Bond bill passed in the wee hours:


Includes funds for Red-Blue, CR Electrification (at least $200M to do Fairmount and Stoughton, at least $200M to do the EJ corridor to Beverly), GLX to Route 16 ($100M), relocation of Storrow Drive at Charles Circle under a single arch of the Longfellow Bridge ($108M) and a bunch of other stuff.
 
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Equilibria said:
Bond bill passed in the wee hours:


Includes funds for Red-Blue, CR Electrification (at least $200M to do Fairmount and Stoughton, at least $200M to do the EJ corridor to Beverly), GLX to Route 16 ($100M), relocation of Storrow Drive at Charles Circle under a single arch of the Longfellow Bridge ($108M) and a bunch of other stuff.
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This is astonishingly good news!
 
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