MBTA

Transportation

Boston-area Transit Agencies Commit to Safety Spending Following Derailments

Two accidents spur round-the-clock repair effort and bump in capital spending

Johanna Knapschaefer

June 17, 2019

No Comments

MBTA and MDOT budget $18.3 billion for five-year capital improvements, an increase of $1 billion over prior plan.

Bridge Work Marks Milestone on MBTA Green Line Extension

Justin Rice

March 20, 2019

No Comments

Demolition on the first of three Somerville bridges being rebuilt for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s $2.3-billion Green Line Extension was slated to begin March 23.

MBTA Crews Restore Blue Line Service in Boston Following Fire and Flood

March 20, 2019

No Comments

Service resumed on March 18 for the Boston MBTA Blue Line following disruption from a fire that raged for two days at an East Boston casket company, forcing evacuation of 150 homes.

MBTA Approves Signal Systems Upgrades

Johanna Knapschaefer

October 7, 2018

No Comments

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority management board approved a $217.7 million contract to upgrade and modernize the signal systems on two MBTA subway lines.

MassDOT Warns Drivers To Avoid Commonwealth Avenue Bridge Construction

The $110-million fast-tracked project over the Mass Pike is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 11

Johanna Knapschaefer

July 26, 2018

No Comments

Intensive construction to replace the westbound portion of the Boston's Commonwealth Avenue Bridge is scheduled from July 26 through Aug. 11.

Transportation

Chinese Firm Makes Prototype for First Carbon-Fiber Railway Car

Springfield, Mass., factory will produce Orange Line carriers

Saibal Dasgupta

January 8, 2018

2 Comments

World’s first carbon fiber subway car is more durable and requires less energy than traditional metal cars.

Flooding Damage From Massive Winter Storm in Massachusetts Will Take Weeks to Assess

Frigid temperatures will complicate cleanup and damage assessment efforts

Justin Rice

January 5, 2018

No Comments

A massive snowstorm dubbed the “bomb cyclone” broke Boston’s record for its highest tide ever recorded by the National Weather Service, but fully assessing the storm's damage will take weeks in a region that was plunged into frigid temperatures the day after the Jan. 4 storm.

Federal Government Writes MBTA $100-Million Check for Green Line Extension

The project's $1-billion federal grant was originally approved in 2015

Justin Rice

December 21, 2017

No Comments

The U.S. Dept. of Transportation on Dec. 21 granted the MBTA a $100-million installment of a $1-billion grant for the 4.7-mile light-rail line from Cambridge to Medford.

Boston Transit Agency CEO Hire Draws Flak

Debra K. Rubin

September 20, 2017

No Comments

Veteran corporate executive Luis M. Ramirez began a new role on Sept. 12 as general manager and CEO of the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, despite controversy over his lack of public transit management experience and financial scrutiny of Global Power Equipment Group, an engineer and manufacturer of which he was CEO until 2015.

Jacobs Deal Costs CH2M Award Of $57M Boston-Rail CM Role

August 30, 2017

No Comments

Jacobs Engineering Group’s intended purchase of CH2M, announced on Aug. 2, has apparently cost the latter its $57-million construction-management contract for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Green Line extension.