The Mass Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) has long been the subject of rants, convenient excuses and fodder for the “con” section of any good Boston pro-and-con list. With the highest debt burden of any U.S. transit agency ($5.2 billion) and a seemingly annual corruption scandal, the MBTA is proving itself a weak link in this city of ours.
With the proposed cut to E Line weekend service, they’re not improving their stock at Northeastern, or anywhere near Huntington Avenue, for that matter. Previously thought impossible, the idea of no E Line services on weekends serves to make the MBTA more annoying than it already is. Prepare for sardine-packed 39 buses, wind tunnel walks to Hynes Convention Center and for those who commute from Brighton, Allston or Jamaica Plain, sorry. Other measures the MBTA plans to take in an effort “to improve safety, comfort, convenience, and reliability” are fare increases (40 percent for T and buses) and cuts to all weekend commuter rail service.
One could argue these problems are trite for most, but one could also argue that the MBTA should be able to balance its checkbook and provide the services promised. Fare hikes are one thing, and probably inevitable as Boston’s fares are among the cheapest in the nation, having not been raised since 2007, but to cut the service of entire lines for days at a time severely interferes with people’s lives and comes off as a quick fix to a complicated problem.
The problem extends past the MBTA, as the state put $3.3 billion of debt from the Big Dig project onto the MBTA’s shoulders. The MBTA is also reliant on a 20 percent share of statewide sales tax receipts, a revenue source that apparently didn’t live up to the hype. Cutting the weekend commuter rail lines takes away one of the better travel options for day tripping tourists who tend to spend money, money which goes back into funding the T via sales tax.
But this is an arena where simple logic is best left at the door. Annoying cuts will be made, and we need to fight annoyance with annoyance. If E Line users are loud enough that the MBTA fears how annoying we are, they may cut service to a less loud, less annoying part of town.
In comes Students Against T Cuts, an online advocacy group promoting events, educating and hosting a letter-writing campaign. If you want your weekend E-line and commuter rail, write a letter, call a representative, attend the events. Be like the ear-splitting screech at the Boylston stop and maybe the MBTA will let you keep hearing it.
