NEWS

State Safety Oversight (SSO) Program Review: An assessment of the Department of Public Utilities (DPU); a comparison of similar SSOs; and considerations to make the MBTA safer.

Moving the Commonwealth Forward:
The Future of the MBTA
Please join us on October 18th for a virtual forum consisting of three panel discussions covering Oversight and Management, Funding, and the Future of the T, featuring experts and opinion leaders.

MBTA Advisory Board Statement of Support for MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak
The MBTA Advisory Board has full confidence in Steve Poftak as MBTA General Manager. His nearly 4-year combined tenure as Acting General Manager and General Manager has brought much needed stability to the MBTA. The structural deficit experienced by the MBTA for the...

A new MBTA bus facility in Quincy will be the first to service an electric fleet
A new MBTA bus maintenance facility in Quincy will be the first in the transit system to house an electric-battery-powered, zero-emissions vehicle fleet. The project at 599 Burgin Parkway is one officials touted on Monday as a product of $2.2 billion in federal...

Let the MBTA plan its own future
LAST JUNE, at its last meeting, a bold vision for the future MBTA was laid out by the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB). The plan entitled “FMCB Productivity Report” leverages infrastructure investments to create a safer, more efficient, more modern,...

Mayor Michelle Wu pushes for free buses is spurring other cities and towns to act
Riders of the 23, 28, and 29 buses, which run through Mattapan, Dorchester, and Roxbury, will not be charged any fares starting in March, a first step, Mayor Michelle Wu hopes, toward making the T free. After a two-month delay to work out the details, Boston and the...

MBTA silver line expansion study passes two months
March 25 marked the two-month milestone of the MBTA’s Silver Line Extension Alternatives Analysis Study. According to a statement from the T on Jan. 25, the study explores expanding the Silver Line to Everett with further extension to Somerville, Sullivan and Kendall...

Transit advocates hope stark report on MBTA finances delivers a wake-up call – The Boston Globe
Read more at Transit advocates hope stark report on MBTA finances delivers a wake-up call - The Boston Globe

E-mails show officials were slow to fix stairs at JFK/UMass Station where professor fell to his death
Two days after a Boston University professor fell to his death on a dilapidated staircase near the JFK/UMass MBTA Station in mid-September, the agency’s top official worried something similar could happen again. In an e-mail to the agency’s chief engineer, MBTA...

Mayor Wu moves to expand Boston’s free bus pilot program
On her first full day as mayor, Wu filed an appropriation order with the Boston City Council to allocate $8 million in federal funding to expand the city's fare-free bus program. That appropriation would fund free fares for two years on three lines: the 23, the 28,...

MBTA uses ads – “Take a break from brake lights”
“At the MBTA, we want people to Take the T. We’re reaching people on the radio before traffic reports, while sitting in highway traffic with billboards at key locations along our rail and bus system and now with gas prices at a seven-year high, we are reaching...

Baker names slate of MBTA board members (WBUR)
More than three months after the MBTA's previous board expired, Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday brought its successor fully into existence by announcing appointees to the transportation authority's board of directors. Read more at wbur.org

Group Demands MBTA Safety Upgrades After Dangerous Incidents (WBZ – CBS Boston)
BOSTON (CBS) — At the State House Thursday morning, public transit advocates came together, calling on lawmakers to provide more funding for upgrades on the MBTA and raising concerns about the safety of riders. “The infrastructure of the MBTA and most of Eastern...

After recent MBTA accidents, some advocates are losing patience with Charlie Baker and state lawmakers (boston.com)
It’s been over three months since the MBTA had a dedicated oversight board meet. In that time, the T has seen a Green Line trolley crash that injured 25 people, a Boston University professor fall to his death through a closed staircase across from the JFK/UMass...
Statement of appointment of new MBTA Board of Directors
The MBTA Advisory Board congratulates the Baker/Polito Administration for its appointment of a new MBTA Board of Directors. “The appointment of 5 new Board of Directors today is a necessary first step towards addressing the MBTA’s numerous problems” said Executive...

5 Investigates: MBTA Green Line driver in July crash had history of speeding
Brian Kane speaks with investigative reporter Kathy Curran from WCVB TV, Channel 5, Boston

Boston Region MPO—Election Process
Boston Region MPO—Election Process | Boston Region MPO (bostonmpo.org) Each fall, four of the 12 elected municipal members of the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) are chosen by the chief elected officials of the municipalities in the region to...

Route 28 Free Fares Flyer
The City of Boston is sponsoring a free fare pilot on Route 28 for three months. From August 29th to November 29th, 2021, Route 28 bus riders will be able to board buses at all doors without paying a fare. Free fares will help riders save money. All-door boarding will...

Quincy’s Mayor Koch to serve on new MBTA Board of Directors
MBTA Advisory Board Chair, Mayor Thomas P. Koch of Quincy to serve as the new Board of Directors to the MBTA. See more from The Boston Globe: Quincy’s Mayor Koch to serve on new MBTA Board of Directors - The Boston Globe

Koch Appointed To New MBTA Board
Mayor Koch of Quincy was chosen as the new seventh member to the Board of Directors that will have oversight over the MBTA, created by legislation by Gov. Baker. Mayor Koch promised to be a strong advocate to give a voice to the cities and towns with a broad range of...

Quincy Mayor Chosen For New MBTA Board Of Directors
MBTA Advisory Board named Mayor Koch to the MBTA governing body. Elected Mayor of Quincy since 2007 and Chairman of the MBTA Advisory Board for the last decade. This is the MBTA's first seat at the governance table and has been without a dedicated governing body since...

Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch tapped for new MBTA board
Quincy Mayor Koch was elected by the MBTA Advisory Board to represent on the new MBTA Governing Board. He will be the first representative of the oversight committee by governor baker. Mayor Koch will be tasked with overseeing the transit agency and plans to visit the...

Transportation advocates urge projects for federal infrastructure bill
It is not clear what projects will be on the federal infrastructure bill, which is one of the largest federal investment in public transit. However, Brian Kane is optimistic that the proposed projects have potential transformative impact to the modes of service that...
MBTA Advisory Board Selects Quincy Mayor Koch as its Representative on Newly Formed MBTA Board of Directors
The MBTA Advisory Board, an independent oversight body comprised of mayors and select board chairs voted today to select Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch as its representative on the newly formed MBTA Board of Directors. The vote taken today was made possible by...

Anti-collision technology called for on MBTA Green Line as early as 2009
Brian Kane, the Advisory Board's Executive Director, was interviewed by WCVB's Mike Beaudet about Green Line Train Protection. Watch here:...

Green Line Trolley Was Speeding at Time of Crash
Executive Director Brian Kane was interviewed on camera on NBC10 discussing the recent Green Line crash. https://www.nbcboston.com/on-air/as-seen-on/green-line-trolley-was-speeding-at-time-of-crash/2455422/ (includes ad)

Advocates Want To Make The T Free. So How Would That Actually Work- Radio Boston, WBUR
Should the T be free? More communities are asking that, and experimenting with the answers. The city of Lawrence recently announced an extension of a city pilot program for free buses. Should Boston, and the rest of the Commonwealth, follow suit? We hear from WBUR...

Pre-tax transit benefit framed as congestion buster
Brian Kane, executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board, said the board voted in March to back the legislation, and considered it an important tool to help the MBTA bring riders back to the system and generate fare revenue that will be necessary to avoid deficits in future years.

MBTA Advisory Board calls for urgent action on creating permanent government panel for transit agency
The MBTA Advisory Board is calling on state leaders to move quickly in creating a permanent governing panel to oversee the transit agency as it grapples with budget issues and decreased ridership since the pandemic began.
COVID -19
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Berkshire County shows challenges of net zero carbon emissions
While Massachusetts will require that only electric cars be sold in the state by 2035 to help reduce carbon emissions, the pace of …
MBTA Advisory Board Announces New Executive Director
The MBTA Advisory Board, an independent agency overseeing MBTA finances and operations on behalf of cities and towns announced the appointment of Brian Kane as its new Executive Director. “I am grateful for the trust placed in me…

As service cuts take effect, MBTA won’t detail the savings
As service cuts take effect, MBTA won’t detail the savings. Critics say it’s rewriting history, pressing ahead with cutbacks justified by a budget …

Governor Charlie Baker has proposed expanding the MBTA board to 7 members
The new board would have seven members, two more than the current panel, including the transportation secretary serving in an ex officio …
Statement on Governor Baker Proposal
The MBTA Advisory Board, an independent oversight body comprised of mayors and select board chairs supports Governor Baker’s proposal to include municipal representation on the next MBTA governing body.

In light of the MBTA Board’s vote to cut T service, is it time for the state legislature to increase funding to the MBTA?
By increasing funding for the MBTA’s capital program, the Legislature can help break the T’s cycle of debt, helping restore its financial…

Protect essential workers by protecting MBTA service
Protect essential workers by protecting MBTA service · Efforts to strengthen — not hinder — their ability to perform their jobs, earn an income, and …

MBTA Control Board Votes To Scale Back Bus, Train And Ferry Service
The T’s Fiscal Management and Control Board voted 3-2 Monday to approve a series of service cuts that will lead to less frequent trains and …

MBTA service will be cut significantly in early 2021
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will curtail service next year after the agency’s oversight board finalized a plan Monday to reduce subway…

MBTA Service Cuts Not Necessary, T Advisory Board Says
Less than two weeks before T officials vote on whether to slash portions of bus, train and ferry service to cope with a pandemic-fueled budget …