The planned extension of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line into Somerville and Medford is facing a budget shortfall of between $700 million and $1 billion, and few decisions have been made regarding the cost overruns weeks after officials announced the problem on Aug. 24.
An updated map illustrating the public transportation system on an unprecedented scale has been released by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) as of Feb. 27. The new map covers the New England region and New York, and includes routes by bus, ferry and train.
Although the MBTA board has been taking a lot of heat recently for its performance following blizzard conditions, it must make another tough decision by April 15. With scarce financial resources, the MBTA must decide the future of its late-night service. The four options under consideration are elimination, cost reduction, fare increases and increased sponsorships.
Thanks to efforts by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and Boston city officials, commuting on Commonwealth Avenue could become shorter by one to two minutes per commute, which can be the difference between making an 8 a.m. lecture or early morning conference call.
Northeastern students are easily connected to the city via the Green and Orange Lines and bus routes. We use the MBTA for professional pursuits, for classes and to enjoy the culture of Boston – at a price. A co-op student will spend $450 on monthly passes over six months. Going downtown once a weekend costs $20 monthly. One round-trip alone costs $5.
Soon, there may be a productive outlet to complain when the Green Line train comes 15 minutes late, or when the T breaks down on the way to an essential interview. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) advisory board is creating a website for regular T-riders to rate their rides to understand the average experience.
Hooded eyes, hunchbacks, and frantic fingers become of the passengers like an urban legend of metamorphosis. They warm the seats with the labor of the work they don’t care for. No one can muster the will to make any feasible eye contact except perhaps a quick aversion when elbows have been jostled or bags bumped into. Weariness and apathy sit heavy on shoulders like boulders. The doors shut mechanically, unaware of the limb it almost snapped or the nose of the person they rejected from boarding. This is what a typical ride on a subway or train is like, but what if it didn’t have to be this way?
It’s 2 a.m. on a Saturday, and even though you told yourself you’d catch the last T, you’re still downtown, just heading out of Ned Devine’s. You’ve already dished out a couple of bucks for two beers, but you need to get home somehow. With T service long over for the night, you try feebly to hail a cab, but with such high demand it isn’t until 20 freezing minutes later that you finally get one and hand $15 plus tip to the driver before walking up the stairs to your Mission Hill apartment.
After much anticipation, a start date was finally put on the two-year closure of the Government Center T station. On March 22, 2014, Government Center station, which is the 13th busiest station according to the MBTA , will close while undergoing serious renovations as part of a $90 million remodeling project.
