The Secret to MBTA Late Night Service: T-Passes for All Students?
One local group is attempting to revive late night public transit in Boston. South End Patch News
Crowd at Vigil for Late Officer Vows to be ‘Collier Strong’
On Saturday night, residents said goodbye to one of their own and police officers from across the state saluted the bravery of a member of the thin blue line who made the ultimate sacrifice. Slain Massachusetts Institute of Technology Police Officer Sean Collier’s body was brought down Church Street past thousands who lined the street surrounding Wilmington Town Common and waved American flags as a part of an emotional goodbye. Collier, a Wilmington native and Somerville resident, was honored during a candlelight vigil following the procession. Members of the Collier family attended the event, and sobbed at times as their loved one was recalled. “(Sean) is such an amazing man. A better man than I will ever be. And he was taken from us too early,” said Sean’s brother, Andrew Collier. “Sean is not in that casket. Sean will continue to live on and his legacy will continue to live on. You all will remember Sean, you will all talk about that time the police officer was tragically killed. And you will remember that and continue to do good. And because of that these terrorists will never win. They will never break down the United States, they will never break down Boston and they will never break down Wilmington.” South End Patch
Wait Continues for ‘Severely Late’ Commuter Rail Cars
In 2008, the MBTA bought 75 new commuter rail cars from Korean-based Hyundai Rotem, in 2013, the MBTA is still waiting for the cars to be delivered. Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary and CEO Richard Davey said at a statehouse oversight committee hearing Tuesday the state is still waiting on 75 double-decker coaches for the commuter rail. The MBTA bought the coaches in 2008 from Korean company Hyundai Rotem. “They are late, severely late,” Davey said. He added, however, that MBTA engineers are satisfied with the quality of the cars. Philadelphia and Los Angeles are in front of Boston in terms of waiting for the cars, but transit engineers in both cities are satisfied with the cars as well, Davey said. “At this point while we’re very concerned about the delay,” he said. “The good news is these are not going to be lemons. If we were unhappy with the quality, we would not have tolerated the type of delay we’ve been watching. These types of cars don’t grow on trees.” SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
MBTA Not Considering Late Night Service
The days of the Night Owl bus service are long gone, and as of now, they may not return. MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said until the state implements Gov. Deval Patrick’s recent 21st Century Plan transportation budget roll out, late night service is out of the question. “Given the enormous strain on the MBTA’s limited resources, the Authority cannot even consider an extension of service hours before action is taken on the 21st Century Transportation Plan,” Pesaturo said in an email. The Night Owl bus service, which ran buses from the end of service at 1 a.m. to 2:30 a.m., existed between 2001 and 2005, but was too costly to maintain. Another major issue working against late night service is the short time it allows for crews to perform critical track maintenance, according to Pesaturo. In the 2012 Massachusetts Department of Transportation film “Boston Under: After Hours,” one segment explains that from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m., crews perform maintenance on tracks while service is shut down. That hasn’t stopped T riders from pushing for late service. Boston Stay Up, a Twitter account (@beantownstayup) and Facebook group started by two Suffolk University students “trying to get the T to stay open later,” sprung up recently. Though there are no plans now, the door remains open to future late-night service. Bostinno.com reported Jan. 22 that at least some MassDOT were considering a plan if new funding could be found. “The MBTA is investigating providing service beyond our current 1 a.m. schedule on a pilot basis where there is ridership demand,” according to a statement from MassDOT officials on Bostinno. “If additional operating funds are identified, major bus routes and the most heavily traveled portions of the subway and light rail systems will be considered for extra service.” SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch