Transportation

Councilor Wu Wants You to Sign Petition to Oppose MBTA Fare Hikes…And She Wants a Fare-Free T

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At-Large Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu regularly takes public transportation (often with kids in tow). So the MBTA's proposed fare hikes really strike a personal chord with her -- and she has created a petition asking for people to oppose the fare increases. "We oppose the proposal to raise MBTA fares. The proposed 6% fare hike would place an undue burden on residents already struggling to meet transportation-related costs, totaling an unaffordable 41% increase in MBTA fares since 2012. The increased costs would push more commuters to drive, undercutting our most urgent goal of increasing transit ridership to ease congestion, limit air pollution, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions," wrote Wu in the petition.

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Transportation
File photo: An inbound Orange Line train between Green and Stony Brook. April 2014.

UPDATED: MBTA Weekend Work June 30 to July 8, Buses Replacing T From Forest Hills to Jackson Square

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Editor’s note: This article was updated Thursday with revised information from the MBTA. At least it's not on the weekdays. Buses will be replacing MBTA train service from Forest Hills to Jackson Square on the weekends of June 30 and July 7. The disruption in train service is due to track work. Buses will replace Orange Line trains going both ways and will affect the following station: Jackson Square, Stony Brook, Green Street and Forest Hills. The MBTA had originally planned for track work most weekends through early September but, in response to inquiries from Jamaica Plain News Thursday, clarified that the work schedule had been shortened:

Thanks Robert, we crossed ourselves up.

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Transportation

MBTA Route 39 Moves Permanently to Upper Busway on Saturday

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The MBTA Route 39 bus is moving to its permanent location this Saturday, October 14th. The move will occur following the end of bus operations on Friday, October 13, as the 39 will cease operating from the Route 39 loop at the northern end (towards Doyle’s Café and the Monument) of the Forest Hills Station block. Beginning with the start of bus operations on Saturday, October 14, the Route 39 bus will operate from the upper busway at the MBTA Forest Hills Station, according to a press release from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). Passengers looking to access the 39 should exit to the upper busway as normal and turn to their right as they exit the station. The area that was occupied by the Route 39 loop will immediately become part of the Casey Arborway work zone.

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Business

Capuano, Malia Stand with MBTA Mechanics to Stop ‘Privatization Scheme’

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During a Wednesday rally in Jamaica Plain, politicians, MBTA mechanics and union supporters came together to chide for-profit companies that were allegedly snuck into MBTA garages "under the cloak of night" to check out properties they wish to control and replace union employees. Held at the MBTA Arborway Yard (3570 Washington St.), Congressman Michael Capuano (D-Somerville was joined by the INVEST NOW Coalition, MBTA mechanics who are members of IAM Local 264, and state Rep. Liz Malia, D-Jamaica Plain, to support MBTA mechanics, T riders and to stop the privatization of MBTA services. “These for-profit corporations appearing under cloak of night to begin seizing control of the MBTA demonstrates the lack of transparency surrounding this scheme that is being forced upon taxpayers, riders, and worker,” said Mike Vartabedian, business representative of IAM Local 264 via press release. “The public deserves management at the MBTA that is open and transparent. MBTA mechanics rank as the best in the nation, but thus far the negotiations have remained one-sided with the workers offering $29 million in savings and hearing only silence from management.”

The INVEST NOW Coalition have said the promised cost-savings of privatization are overblown and point to "the disastrous Keolis contract as evidence that the bids recently put forth by for-profit companies TransDev, First Tranist, and MV Transit cannot be trusted."

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Opinion

Letter to the Editor: Forest Hills Construction Project ‘Utter Debacle’

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The Massachusetts Department of Transportation's Forest Hills construction project is a complete and utter debacle. A pedestrian approaching the MBTA station from central JP is greeted by foot-tall grass, months-old litter strewn everywhere, hedges that have not been trimmed since at least last year and a complete appearance of property neglect. The pedestrian corridors are poorly delineated, lack signage, and have no protection from impatient cars and buses. The time allowed on the traffic light to cross from South Street to the MBTA station is not nearly enough for a healthy, young adult much less for the elderly, the disabled or someone with children. Crossing to the Forest Hills subway stop from almost all directions is truly dangerous.

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Transportation

Arborway Committee Applauds Go Boston 2030 Plan to Extend Green Line to Hyde Square

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The city's Go Boston 2030 transportation plan supports extending the Green Line's E-branch from Heath Street to Hyde Square, which the Arborway Committee for Public Transit fully supports. “A one-seat ride into the central subway with direct connections to the Red, Orange, and Blue Lines would be a boon for Hyde Square residents and businesses," said Franklyn Salimbene, chair of the Arborway Committee for Public Transit (ACPT), via press release. "It would improve transit service for the underserved Hyde Square neighborhood and the more than 1,000 new residents expected to live in new housing being built along South Huntington Avenue.”

Go Boston 2030 is a city initiative that envisions a transportation future for the next five, 10 and 15 years. The extension would improve access to Hyde Square, Boston’s Latin Quarter, and increase transit capacity along South Huntington Avenue. Along with extending the Green Line, ACPT would like South Huntington Avenue to be a “complete street” with improved pedestrian amenities and grade-separated cycle tracks for cyclists.

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Transportation
Preview of new Orange Line trains, Monday, April 3, 2017

Sneak Peek: New Orange Line Cars

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It's only been 40 years since the T bought new Orange Line cars. New ones are scheduled to debut in December 2018. But if you want an early look at them, stop by City Hall Plaza on Tuesday or Wednesday. A model of the new edition trains is on display Tuesday and Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. It's only 66 percent the size of the actual cars, but it gives a good idea what to expect. The cars will be manufactured in Springfield by a Chinese company.

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File photo: Commuters will soon see signs like this again, pictured on Sept. 6, 2016, as the T shutters one track at Forest Hills from March 25 through June.
Transportation

Starting March 25, Forest Hills Station Back Down to One Track

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Forest Hills Station will be taken back down to one track starting March 25 as part of the Casey Arborway project. The plan is the same as from when the T shut down one track from September through December. This time, instead of installing a jet fan needed for the new station entrance north of New Washington Street, the closure will make it easier to do electric work and build "underground elements" required by the massive project, MassDOT said in an advisory issued Wednesday. During the last stretch of one-track operation, the T said its plan for rush hour would not cause added delays. The September-December closure allowed the following work on the Casey Arborway project to be done:

Jet fans installed to ventilate the station.

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Possible route of Orange Line extension along Commuter Rail line
Transportation

Orange Line Extension to Rozzie Square Envisioned

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A giant report on how to overhaul the city's transportation system includes an item of keen interest for JP residents: An extension of the Orange Line from Forest Hills to Roslindale Square. City Hall published the report Tuesday. The full 224 pages are required reading for transit advocates. But many neighborhood residents might focus on page 157. It describes how Orange Line riders could get a one-seat ride all the way to Rozzie Square by using track next to the commuter rail bed.

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Detail of official Casey Arborway plan showing new entrance to Forest Hills T north of New Washington Street.
Transportation

Explainer: Why is Forest Hills Down to One Track?

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If you've passed through Forest Hills Station since Saturday, you know only one of the two tracks is in use. Why? The short answer is for Casey Arborway construction. The platform will stay down to one track through December. The MBTA has said it has a plan for rush hour so the closure won't cause added delays.

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