BOSTON, October 24, 2022 — MBTA Red Line riders put up with a lot - broken escalators, crumbling staircases, and too-frequent derailments. But lately, anyone riding the rails between Alewife and Ashmont or Braintree has almost certainly noticed that their ride is also quite a bit slower than it should be. The TransitMatters Slow Zone Tracker shows that a round trip on the Red Line is almost 15 minutes longer than it should be, with no sign of improvement. In a Boston Herald article on October 19th, MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said that “The T’s Engineering and Maintenance Division is working to schedule an appropriate time to perform rail replacement activities." This brief statement is insufficient to address the concerns and anxieties of riders and municipalities that rely on the Red Line. The MBTA must come forward with a complete and specific description of the deficiencies on the Red Line, and be fully transparent about what it will take to fix them and whether the T has the resources to do the job.
Unfortunately, this opaque statement continues a troubling pattern. Whether it was the announcement on the MBTA website, quickly retracted, of a severe north-side Red Line diversion of indefinite length, or the "late completion of overnight work" causing shuttle buses to run during the morning peak hours just last week, the MBTA continues to be secretive and unclear regarding the condition of the Red Line and the work that needs to be done. TransitMatters strongly believes that the MBTA must do three things as soon as possible, and prior to any further Red Line (or any other rapid transit line) disruptions or diversions, to remedy the lack of clarity and help repair rider trust.
Give advance notice of closures and diversions, and provide high-quality alternatives. The MBTA must provide at least three months of notice to municipalities and community stakeholders of closures and diversions on rapid transit lines, to ensure that plans can be made to accomodate diversion routes and provide high-quality alternate accommodations to riders. Those major stakeholders include Massachusetts General Hospital, UMass Boston, Harvard University, MIT, and every business in Kendall Square and the Seaport and Financial Districts whose customers and employees depend on Red Line access. The MBTA should also reroute feeder buses to active rapid transit stations, and provide additional supplemental service on affected routes, including Commuter Rail. The MBTA should also provide meaningful fare mitigation and reduction during any large service disruption.
Be clear about the work being performed and the condition of the infrastructure, before, during, and after the diversion. Before any diversion on a rapid transit line, the MBTA must give a clear statement of the work to be performed, and the ways in which the repairs will benefit safety and service. During the diversion, the Authority must provide regular updates on the work and be transparent about any delays or incidents. After the diversion, the MBTA must be clear about what work was completed, and when, if ever, service will improve. There must not be a repeat of the Orange Line shutdown, with conflicting statements, ever-shifting schedules, and slower service.
Perform work overnight or on weekends, with early closures rather than full shutdowns. Full shutdowns are harmful to the system’s most vulnerable riders, and they are harmful to the economy. The more work that the MBTA can do at night and on weekends with early closures and late openings, the better it is for riders and for everyone in Greater Boston. The MBTA should do what it can to increase its maintenance workforce, invest in permanent staff, and invest in maintenance equipment to increase Maintenance of Way productivity and effectiveness. The best shutdown is the one that doesn't happen.
TransitMatters believes that it's possible to make necessary safety and capital improvements while also minimizing the negative impact on riders. This is national and international best practice. More importantly, the T must develop the skills and workforce to do important work without shutting down whole lines. The alternative is a system that fails its riders at a time when rider confidence is at an ebb, and fails the region at a time when it needs a high-functioning transit system to support a recovering economy.
For media inquiries, please e-mail media@transitmatters.org.
###