Podcast 08 - Boston 2024 Olympics Bid: Challenges & Opportunities

Boston has been selected by the US Olympic Committee as the country's contender for the 2024 Olympic games. What does this mean for the city and all of us?

We analyze the city's transit infrastructure needs, challenges and opportunities. We have many needs, not just during the olympics but now and long after, so let's think deeper about potential transit investment and plan smart. What projects and services should we prioritize? What might be accomplished in 9 years? More on the Boston 2024 Olympics proposed venues; the latest Boston 2024 submission and more on potential investments.

First, we welcome new Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack, formerly Associate Director of the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy,  and Boston Transportation Commissioner Gina Fiandaca, a long-time planner focused on parking. The car parking issue is timely with all the snow on the ground, as well as some local discussion about residential parking permits and how to manage car parking in the city. Former transportation secretary Rich Davey is now heading Boston 2024. Also, DMU cars for the Fairmount Line and others; commuter rail to New Hampshire; development over the highway next to Hynes station; high quality BRT prepares to launch in Hartford; former transportation secretary Jim Aloisi advocates for the long-delayed Red-Blue Connector and Blue Line extension to Lynn; and an update on the South Boston Waterfront plans.

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The Transit Matters Podcast is your source for transportation news, analysis, interviews and more. We focus on sustainable transportation planning, operations and policies in Boston and beyond. Transit Matters is a joint project of local transit enthusiasts Marc Ebuña, Jeremy Mendelson and Josh Fairchild.

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Guest Podcast - Critical Transit: Train Crashes ARE Preventable

This year has been a big year for train safety issues, in particular for nearby Metro-North Railroad in New York and Connecticut.

How safe are our trains and at what cost can we have better safety?

Last week I had a chat with Jeremy of Critical Transit talking about these critical questions about safety, including some national trends that affect commuters in Boston on a daily basis.

Ultimately, many train crashes are preventable. Computer systems on the Orange Line, Red Line, and many lines on the commuter rail protect passengers daily. The Blue Line still relies on the same physical automatic train stop system used in New York, but the Green Line still desperately needs a $721 million safety upgrade. The South Coast Rail commuter rail expansion will cost well more than twice that. Which do we fund?

While we don't have high speed trains running through our tunnels, similar safety systems that could have prevented this summer's accident in Spain could prevent the next Green Line accident.