TransitMatters is celebrating 10 years of advocacy! To celebrate, we've been highlighting landmark moments in our history so far. Next up: Our advocacy and evidence-based research that pushed the MBTA to endorse TransitMatters’ vision for Regional Rail.
Members of TransitMatters introduce their plan to electrify the Commuter Rail system and add more frequency to lines (WBUR).
In 2018, the MBTA initiated their Rail Vision project to evaluate the future of the Commuter Rail. The Rail Vision team considered several possible alternatives, from optimizing the current system to a full transformation with 15-minute frequency. In February of the same year, we released Regional Rail for Metropolitan Boston during a live press event to stakeholders, policy makers, and the public. The report received rave reviews from policy makers, community leaders, and most importantly, riders, across the region.
In the spring of 2018, several municipalities openly supported a Regional Rail model, including the City of Newton, which advocated for a Regional Rail approach to rebuilding their three Commuter Rail stations. The Massachusetts Senate also included electrifying the Providence/Stoughton and Fairmount Lines in the state budget. Unfortunately, they ended up stripping it from the budget.
Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza at TransitMatters’ Regional Rail Whistle Stop Tour in 2019.
For the rest of the year, TransitMatters continued to influence dialog around modernizing the Commuter Rail as we worked on our follow up report. We visited communities across the region, presenting our Regional Rail vision, hosting happy hours, and speaking to any organization that wanted to know more about Regional Rail.
In September 2019, we released Regional Rail Proof of Concept! This report focused on how modest changes in both operations and track layout at South Station can have significant benefits to train capacity in the short-term. After releasing Proof of Concept, we worked with community, business, and elected leaders to write op-eds. We also organized a campaign to send hundreds of letters to the MBTA’s Rail Vision team in support of the boldest option for Regional Rail.
In November 2019, the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) endorsed Commuter Rail electrification to provide all-day, rapid-transit-style Regional Rail service throughout Greater Boston. Their resolutions largely followed the framework and phased approach that we laid out in our reports.
TransitMatters has not let up on our Regional Rail advocacy following the FMCB's endorsement. In 2020, we began releasing our line-by-line analyses, as well as our Regional Rail Phase I plan, and Turning Vision into Reality.
Due to our advocacy, Regional Rail has widespread name recognition! No one talked about Regional Rail or used the phrase in Massachusetts until we did. $61 million new money for Regional Rail has also been included in the in FY2024-2028 CIP, we are a key partner in advocacy coalitions along Phase I corridors, and our vision has been cited in significant articles.