Following a record-breaking amount of snowfall in the beginning months of 2015, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority announced a number of updates to Boston train service over the past week.
The MBTA announced a number of updates to the Green Line and Commuter Rail, including 86 refurbished Green Line trolleys, in a March 18 press release.
The $104.4-million-dollar project expects half of the refurbished trolleys to return to service by next winter, while the other half will be reintroduced by the end of 2016, the release stated.
“Systems are being replaced or upgraded while others are being overhauled. Some of the improvements include a replacement in the upgraded design HVAC, auxiliary lighting, flooring, seating and insulation,” the release stated. “The overhaul work addresses the structure, roof, exterior skin, door system, brake equipment, trucks and propulsion.”
Despite the repairs, the MBTA’s rapid transit lines have been fully functional throughout the month of March, said MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo. However, repairs continue to be made to the cars.
“MBTA vehicle maintenance crews continue to work around the clock to repair subway cars and trolleys that were damaged during the snowiest winter in Boston history,” Pesaturo said in an email. “Vehicle maintenance crews have replaced or repaired hundreds of traction motors on subway cars. The motors, which are needed to power the trains, were crippled by heavy snow that accumulated in the cars’ undercarriages.”
The updates follow crippling winter storms in January and February, as well as a change in management following the resignation of MBTA General Manager Beverly Scott. Scott formally announced she would be stepping down on Feb. 11 , following several days of completely halted services.
Frank DePaola, former Highway Administrator and MassDOT’s Chief Operating Officer, was named Interim General Manager in a Feb. 25 press release from MassDOT. The appointment officially took effect on March 4.
The MassDOT Board of Directors has started a nationwide search for a permanent general manager, Pesaturo said.
Mark Williams, a Boston University professor of finance and economics who penned an article entitled “A priority list for fixing the MBTA” for The Boston Globe on Feb. 25, said he is concerned, rather than reassured, by the announced improvements.
“I get concerned when they say ‘refurbished.’ On the Green Line, we have trolley cars that are almost 30 years old. On the Orange and Red Line, we have cars that are actually 40 years old,” Williams said. “The refurbish route sounds like the MBTA going on the cheap instead of doing the right thing, and that is buying new cars.”
Despite the crippling nature of the storm, Williams said, it highlighted the flaws behind the region’s primary form of transportation.
“There are 1.2 million people who ride the T to and from work everyday, so this transportation system needs to be dependable. I think it’s disingenuous though, for the head of the T to say, ‘In March, things are running on schedule, so it’s fine,’” Williams said. “It really exposed years and years of mismanagement, underfunding, poor training, bad systems, dilapidated cars, not enough investment and the basics to run something that a first-rate city like Boston deserves.”
Williams also said the core of the T needs investment, rather than additional projects.
“The T is broken right now. What truly needs to be done is that there needs to be an investment in infrastructure,” he said. “Once we stabilize the T, then we can start to think about how to expand capacity and where the T serves and how many bodies it can move in and out of the city of Boston.”
If the T cannot currently handle its ridership, Williams said, its viability in the context of the U.S. bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics is questionable.
“If we can’t even get through a snowstorm, how can we expect a transportation system that can meet the needs of the Olympics in 2024?” he said. “Over the two-week Olympic period, we’re going to have tens of millions of people being shuttled in and out of the city, and if we can’t even handle 1.2 million, then that’s a significant concern. But I think while looking at the Olympics, we’re going to have to invest in core projects, and that one core project is the MBTA.”
Several residents said Boston should have a transportation system appropriate for its size and population, but complaints aren’t all necessarily justified.
Dan Ritchie, 26, of Charlestown, said Boston needs an updated transportation system.
“People talk about how cool it is that we have the first subway, and I really don’t care that we have the oldest subway in the world. I want a subway like D.C. or Chicago that’s brand new and works really well,” he said.
Danica Rili, 26, of Charlestown, said Boston’s transportation system should reflect its status as a major city.
“It’s a lot better now because it’s not shut down because of the snow,” she said. “The T has a long, long way to go. We are nowhere near the quality of public transportation we should be for a city as important as ours. Boston is a major city. We need transportation that fits those needs.”
Roger McLaughlin, 24, of Brighton, said the complaints about the MBTA are uncalled for, and service has been increasing steadily.
“It’s been so much better since the snowfall,” he said. “I wasn’t as upset as other people were about it. It’s a public transit service that doesn’t cost a million dollars to use and gets you from point A to point B in a reasonably fast and expedient amount of time. I’ve seen increased service on the bus. I take the bus and the Green Line, so I’ve seen increased service on that which has been helpful and reliable and I can’t really complain.”
