MBTA Update

Route 2/Alewife Working Group – Share Your Thoughts
Recently, several other legislators and I have joined together to create a Route 2/Alewife working group. We intend to find solutions to address concerns about congestion and transit issues on Route 2 (from Acton to Cambridge) and challenges with the Alewife area and the garage. While I have my own thoughts and suggestions on what would improve the area, I would love to hear from you. I have created this form for you to fill out to share your thoughts with me that I can bring to the working group, MassDOT, and the MBTA.

MBTA Update 
Good news! Many of you that commute daily may have noticed the MBTA Red Line service has been fully restored. On June 10th, the Red Line train derailed at UMass/JFK station and riders have dealt with significant delays and interruptions to their morning and evening schedule. As I mentioned in the past, my staff and I take the Red Line and local buses and were affected by the MBTA’s recent woes as well, so I understand how disruptive system failures have been throughout the summer. Since then, I have been involved with weekly conference calls with MBTA officials and state legislators that informed me of updates, current progress, and timelines of when the would be completed. In September, I went a step further and invited MBTA officials to the State House to discuss additional questions I had related the cause of the derailment. Apparently, an axle had been damaged due to electrical arcing that led to the deterioration of a ring inside the axle. Eventually, the arcing continued to worsen, causing the steel axle to become fragile and ultimately causing the derailment that occurred back in June. After months of repairing significant damage to the track, third rail, signals, switches, and bungalows on impacted portions of the Red Line, MBTA service is back to operating normally. Initially, the repairs were scheduled to be completed in October, and I was pleased to see the MBTA Red Line service fully restored a couple of weeks sooner than expected. Nevertheless, the MBTA has made significant progress under such circumstances. I will continue to follow this situation very carefully and consistently give updates. For more information, I recommend visiting MBTA.com/Redline. 

Moving Forward
The MBTA has developed a 5-year capital investment plan intended to improve and modernize Red, Orange and Green Line train features and implement improvements to the commuter rail as well. Ultimately, the goal of this investment plan is to improve reliability, safety, and accessibility for all riders. I wanted to provide you with some insight, so I have included the MBTA Capital Investment Plan here.

Alewife Garage Update
During my meeting with MBTA officials, I took the opportunity to get an update on the current, much-needed renovations on the Alewife Garage. You may be aware of the incident that occurred last year when a falling piece of concrete damaged a parked car. It became evident that significant repairs were a necessary next step. Today, the renovations are about 40% complete and are expected to reach 70% of completion by the end of the year. The work needed includes restoring concrete, drainage, and much more. Getting a crystal clear answer from the MBTA on when the garage will be 100% completed has been a challenge. I am meeting with relevant personel from the T next week and hope to give you an update soon! Many of you have also expressed to me that the cleanliness at Alewife Garage is a concern as well. I have developed and intend to keep a strong line of communication with MBTA officials, and I am working to ensure that, in the long-run, the renovations will be significantly beneficial to individuals who utilize the garage for its convenient parking.

Did you know you may be eligible for reduced MBTA fares with Youth Pass CharlieCards? Learn more and find out if you qualify at https://www.mbta.com/fares/reduced/youth-pass.