MBTA Archives

“STATE OF GOOD REPAIR”

With the MBTA still very broken, agency lacks clarity in communications with contractors, commuters “We shouldn’t have to be backtracking and deciphering contract packages to figure out when the T will get work done.” The MBTA is preparing to pay contractors $72 million over the next two years to repair

DAN ATKINSON April 20, 2023

COMMUTER COMMUNICATION

Amid Multiple Crises, MBTA Fields Pitches For New Agency Marketing Campaign “You don’t want to be too rosy but I actually think they can do a better job of highlighting the work they have done.” After paying a politically-connected consulting firm more than $4 million to come up with slogans

DAN ATKINSON March 30, 2023

SO MUCH FOR CONTRACTS

State Report Blasts MBTA Contractor Company hired to run Transit Police dispatch service under-delivered, charged extra, and kept inadequate records, according to inspector general’s report Ed. note: This article has been updated to reflect comments from IXP that were received after publication The private company hired to run the MBTA’s

DAN ATKINSON February 7, 2023

IS ANOTHER SHUTDOWN LOOMING?

Documents: “Complete shut-down of an MBTA rail route” again on the table for MBTA. Transit advocate says planning ahead is “a good thing,” but Red Line could be next and transparency is paramount. The MBTA is planning to double the amount of shuttle bus service in the next five years

DAN ATKINSON November 28, 2022

MBTA REVISES ITS BUS NETWORK DESIGN

Abundant public comments lead to substantial changes in future Somerville routes (Somerville Wire) – After receiving more than 20,000 comments on its plan to reorganize its bus routes, the MBTA announced a revised plan last week. The new version of the map makes changes to more than half the routes

LINDA PINKOW November 2, 2022

UNFARE?

Transit advocates question costly MBTA study to determine new fare structures As the MBTA prepares to launch a massive study of its fare policies—paying private contractors nearly $1 million to recommend potential changes—transit advocates are questioning why the outgoing Baker administration is setting goals for the T and are urging

DAN ATKINSON September 14, 2022

OPINION: TROUBLE WITH A CAPITAL T

People are furious at the state of the MBTA: the fatality, the fire, the explosion, the derailments, the injuries, the delays, the actual and proposed cuts in service, the month-long closure of the Orange and Green Line. In 2009, two reports looked at Gov. Cellucci’s 1999 Forward Funding plan, which was developed

PAT JEHLEN September 6, 2022

Bus or Billboard? Union Square, Somerville, Mass., August 2022. Photo by Jason Pramas. Copyright 2022 Jason Pramas.

SOMERVILLE WIRE: August 23, 2022 WEEKLY ROUNDUP

Getting Around During the MBTA Shutdown … and More! Article PARTS AND CRAFTS MOVES TO BOYNTON YARDS Kids’ makerspace gets cool new digs thanks to community benefits Shorts How Are You Getting Around? In case you haven’t heard, the MBTA has suspended service on the entire Orange Line and

LINDA PINKOW August 23, 2022

HACKS, FACTS & CONTRACTS: FOIA FOLLOW-UP

Photo of Gov. Baker surveying Orange Line track work in 2019 by Joshua Qualls/Governor’s Press Office Internal Emails Show How MBTA Sought To Market “Safe,” “Good” Trains As System Failed Starting today, the MBTA shut down the entire Orange Line for a month for massive maintenance and repair work. Riders

DAN ATKINSON August 19, 2022

HACKS, FACTS & CONTRACTS

As trains broke down, the MBTA’s million-dollar marketing campaign kept running In 2019, a politically-connected state contractor laid out a series of messages and ideas for its Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority clients in what was dubbed their “MBTA Brand Creative Presentation.” Large concepts like “Performance Improvement” and “Fiscal Discipline” were

DAN ATKINSON June 28, 2022