patching...
Update: Get Medford's latest headlines in your inbox each morning—sign up for our free newsletter. »
Welcome back, Patch Blogger!

Mbta

Saturday, May 18, 2013

MBTA to Launch New T-Alerts Service in June

The new system will provide more detailed service alert information via text and email.

The MBTA is rolling out an entirely new alerts system next month which includes changes from the details provided in alert messages to a visual website enhancement.     Through the new system, which goes into effect June 4, users can opt to receive email or text alerts for a late bus or train or a service interruption, much like the old system. However, the new alerts “will be clearer and more detailed with additional information regarding specific trip times, service schedule changes, and distinct directional, branch, and station communications,” according to an MBTA press statement Thursday. The system uses standards introduced by Google in 2011, the statement says. Interested users must sign up for the new system as they will no longer …

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Tonight: Green Line Extension Open House

Tour the Green Line Extension Team's new office, get updates about the project and ask questions at an open house in downtown Boston.

The Green Line Extension Team has a new office in downtown Boston, and the public is invited to check it out at an open house Thursday evening. The office, at 100 Summer St., will be home to MBTA staff, members of the HDR/Gilbane program management team, members of the design team, and representatives from the construction management/general contractor team—in short, all the folks who collaborate on the Green Line Extension project. According to an announcement from the Green Line Extension Team, members of the public are invited to tour the new office, meet staff, get updates about the project and ask questions. The open house is from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and there's a project update presentation at 6 p.m., the announcement says.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Orange Line Evening Diversions Starting May 19

Buses will replace trains five nights a week for a month from mid-May through mid-June.

As work continues on the Orange Line's station at Assembly Square in Somerville, service will be impacted five nights a week for a month starting May 19. According to the MBTA website, buses will replace trains between Oak Grove and Sullivan Square stations starting at 9 p.m. each Sunday through Thursday from May 19 to June 21. The diversions will last until the end of service, according to the MBTA. All stops will be serviced by buses between Oak Grove and Sullivan Square, including Medford's Wellington Station. There will be no diversion on Sunday, May 26, due to the Memorial Day holiday.

Julie the Jarhead

11:30 am on Tuesday, May 7, 2013

I've lived in Malden over 18 years, and I can't remember a time when they were NOT working on the Orange Line!   more ›

Monday, April 15, 2013

Several MBTA Services Suspended Following Marathon Explosion

Some T stations in the downtown area have been temporarily suspended.

MBTA T service in downtown Boston is in varying stages of suspension as emergency crews respond to the aftermath of at least two explosions at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon. The MBTA’s Green Line service between Kenmore and Park Street stations has been shut down as of 3:30 p.m. today, although Green Line service will continue to run between Lechmere and North Station, according to MBTA.com. Both the Green Line's B and C services have been temporarily suspended, and the D line is only running from Riverside to Fenway. The Green Line's E service is still running between Northeastern and Brigham Circle. Customers who need service between Brigham Circle and Health Street are being asked to use the Route 39 bus. In addition the …

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Mass. Tax Plans: Too Much, Too Soon? Or Too Little, Too Slow?

Should the state forge ahead with Gov. Deval Patrick's bold plan to invest now? Or should it follow the Legislature leadership's proposal to address the bottom line before embarking on bigger initiatives?

Massachusetts legislators this week answered Gov. Deval Patrick's ambitious plan to raise $1.9 billion for transportation and education with a $500 million plan of their own, which says the governor is asking for too much, too soon as the Bay State shakes off the effects of the Great Recession. Who's right? Should the state forge ahead in a bold plan to invest now? Or should it cautiously address the bottom line before embarking on bigger initiatives? While Patrick's plan includes funding for both the state transportation system and increased education funding from preschool through college, House and Senate lawmakers eschew new revenue for education, focusing solely on closing the transportation budget gap over the next five years. The …

Comment_arrow
Patch_comments_icon

Andrew Sylvia

9:26 pm on Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Bottom left of the page under "About Patch"   more ›

Monday, April 1, 2013

More Than 1,200 Riders Cited for Fare Evasion This Year

The number of MBTA fare evaders caught this year is slightly less than over the same period last year.

If you’ve ever thought about jumping those MBTA gates to catch a bus, it’s likely you’ll get hit with a fine for evading the fare. MBTA police have issued 1,231 evasion citations system wide so far in 2013, as of last Monday, according to MBTA detective Richard Sullivan. Over the same period last year, the MBTA issued 1,267 citations. The fine for a first-time fare evader is $50, according to Sullivan; future offenses could be as high as $500, according to the law. Operation Fare Game, the MBTA’s initiative to enforce fare laws on the T, from time to time leads to arrests. Christian Fitzgerald, 23, of Roxbury was arrested March 22 after he attempted to dodge a fare at Downtown Crossing by entering through the exit-only gate, according to a…

Stephen G

11:53 am on Tuesday, April 2, 2013

How many fare evaders had an EBT card on them?   more ›

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Survey: Riders Want Late-Night MBTA Service

The Boston Globe reports that 85 percent of those who responded to a survey on late-night MBTA service would be willing to wait at least 10 to 19 minutes for a bus or train.

A recent survey confirms what most of Boston was already thinking: residents want late-night MBTA service. The Boston Globe reported Friday that about 26,000 people responded to a survey saying they are in favor of late-night bus or train service in Boston. More than 85 percent of respondents said they would be willing to wait 10 to 19 minutes for a late-night bus or train, and half said they’d pay double the fare, according to the Globe. As MBTA officials scramble to close a $117 budget gap for fiscal year 2014, and legislators mull Gov. Deval Patrick’s 21st Century Transportation Plan, the T has said it is not making late-night service a priority. MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said in a Feb. 21 email that, until the state decides to …

Matt

12:43 pm on Wednesday, April 3, 2013

The MBTA, ignoring a service that people might want? Get OUT! Yes, I know, I know, they already can't run the MBTA successfully as it is, and trying to make a late-night service not lose even more money would be tough. But if people are willing to pay double for less service, isn't it worth at least looking into? The MBTA management team needs a MAJOR reboot.   more ›

State Wants Green Line Extension Suit Dismissed

In a motion, state Attorney General claims Medford couple didn't explain how project would hurt them in their suit.

The Commonwealth is attempting to have a recent lawsuit brought against the proposed Green Line Extension thrown out of court. According to court documents, the state Attorney General filed a motion last Friday in U.S. District Court to dismiss the suit brought by Dr. William Wood and Carolyn Rosen of West Medford back in January on behalf of their group, the Green Line Advisory Group of Medford (GLAM). The state Department of Transportation is listed as the defendant in the case. According to the filing, the state is arguing for dismissal based on a "lack of subject matter jurisdiction and failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted." In addition, the state argues GLAM has failed "to allege facts sufficient to demonstrate …

Kevin C

9:16 am on Saturday, April 27, 2013

Bill Woods imagines that somehow an electric light rail is going to increase diesel fumes. Here's the "logic" by which this will happen: light rail attracts people, but (somehow) those people are going to "demand" buses instead. Hunh? He also forgets that buses and MBTA commuter vehicles are getting cleaner--so much so that more buses in the future likely means less pollution: less than today's …   more ›

Thursday, March 21, 2013

MBTA Could Raise Fares, Defer Maintenance

Without additional funding, MBTA officials are forced to make difficult choices.

MBTA riders could see fares go up in the not-so-distant future if legislators don’t accept Gov. Deval Patrick’s ambitious funding plan. T General Manager Beverley Scott said Tuesday the T will likely hold off on spending $45 million for preventative maintenance and hike fairs to close a projected budget gap of $117 million, factoring in increased ridership and advertising this year, the Boston Globe reported Wednesday. Director of Strategic Initiatives for the MBTA Charles Planck said at a March 5 MBTA finance committee meeting that fare increases could go up 33 percent under the proposal, which means subway fares would move up from $2 to $2.60. Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary and CEO Richard Davey testified before the…

Lamar

7:46 pm on Thursday, March 21, 2013

Another Deval Patrick appointment that is a complete failure.   more ›

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Medford Officials Want MBTA Garage Removed

Donato, McGlynn tell Gov. Patrick the Salem Street area could be redeveloped for mixed-use purposes.

Medford officials told Gov. Deval Patrick Wednesday they would like to see the MBTA bus garage on Salem Street removed for the benefit of the neighborhood. During his visit of Medford's MBTA facilities, Patrick took a look at the facility located next to the plaza where the new Stop & Shop is located. The bus garage is a location Medford Rep. Paul Donato and Mayor Michael McGlynn would like to see moved, potentially to Wellington Station, and re-developed. Donato said the garage is the "most-antiquated" as well as the smallest such facility in the MBTA system. McGlynn called the parcel "prime" for mixed-use residential or commercial purposes. Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Richard Davey said the cost of such a project to move to …

Comment_arrow

Paul O'Donnell

12:33 pm on Thursday, March 28, 2013

When Davey says space, he means land. No actual facility for bus maintenance exists at Wellington. It would be built on land behind the bus boarding area adjacent to the orange line tracks.   more ›

Got a Hot Tip?
 
 

Videos