MBTA Community Engagement Newsletter - October 2024

[Anthony D'Isidoro]

 

MBTA Community Engagement Newsletter October 2024 General Manager Phil Eng delivers a speech at the White Cane Awareness Celebration Day, October 2024. Hello! We are excited to share our updates with you and grateful for your continued support.   Learn more below about who we’ve collaborated with recently in October, and what we have shared with our communities.               White Cane Awareness Day Celebration MBTA General Manager Phil Eng, Deputy Director of Customer Experience for System Wide Accessibility Jennifer Ross, Senior Community Liaison Terrie Chan, Customer Engagement Coordinator for System-Wide Accessibility Lisa Weber, and staff members from the MBTA Mobility Center participate in tabling at the White Cane Awareness Celebration Day Event. The MBTA Community Engagement Team, System-Wide Accessibility Team, and the Mobility Center collaborated to attend the annual White Cane Awareness Day Celebration. Hosted by the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB) and Perkins School for the Blind, the event united individuals with vision loss, community partners, advocates, and lawmakers to honor the white cane as a global symbol of equality. In his speech at White Cane Day, highlighting the MBTA’s commitment to accessibility, General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng said, “Since joining the MBTA, my top priority has been restoring service reliability and confidence in our system. We continue to develop a capital program and invest crucial dollars to ensure many of our riders who have certain needs, particularly those who are blind or low vision, can use our system equally as anyone else"             MBTA Emergency and Management Safety Event  Senior Community Liaison Terrie Chan sharing information at the E&M Safety Event with other MBTA workers from various departments in October 2024. Community Liaison Ophenir Bazile joined various MBTA employees at the E&M Safety event, where they tabled and shared information about different departments within the MBTA. The Community Engagement Team joined other MBTA employees at the recent E&M Safety event! Our team set up a table to share valuable insights about the Public Engagement department and our work in connecting with the community. We also had the chance to learn about various other department roles. It was a fantastic opportunity to connect, engage, and promote the essential services that keep our transit system running smoothly. MBTA Successfully Completes Critical Track Work on Orange Line, Removes 20 Speed Restrictions Crews installed rail along the Orange Line. Complimentary photo by the MBTA Customer and Employee Experience Department. “General Manager Phillip Eng, his leadership team, and the MBTA workforce are delivering results for customers, eliminating 20 slow zones during the Orange Line surge and continuing to complete foundational capital projects system-wide,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “Under the General Manager’s leadership and with the support of the Healey-Driscoll Administration, the MBTA is restoring reliable service and creating an equitable system.”  “We are committed to giving the public what they expect and deserve: safe, reliable, and improved service. This Orange Line diversion allowed us to perform long-deferred infrastructure work, eliminating all the speed restrictions to provide a smoother ride with shorter travel time, giving people precious time back in their lives,” said MBTA CEO and General Manager Phillip Eng. “As we rebuild the T, I hope to restore public trust and confidence, making the MBTA the preferred choice of travel. Soon, the Orange Line will be completely free of slow zones. With only 1% of our system remaining with restrictions, we are on our way to fulfilling our promise to the public we serve, eliminating all the speed restrictions systemwide under this Track Improvement Program.  This service change was in place to support critical track and tie replacement work as part of the Track Improvement Program. Workers also maximized the outage by performing signal upgrades, security enhancements, station amenity upgrades, and more.For more information on the Orange Line improvement work, please visit: MBTA News.  Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition Fall Transportation Event MBTA Deputy Director of Community Engagement Ashley Armand, Director of Contracted Bus Operations Planning, Scheduling & Strategy John Savino, Community Liaison Ophenir Bazile, and Travel Training Operations Manager Bianca Mintor participated in tabling at the MFFC Fall Transportation event in October 2024. Left: Community Liaison Ophenir Bazile at the 712 and 713 Bus Stop at Orient Height gathering rider feedback on bus service. Right: MBTA 716 Bus Stop at the Trailside Museum. To raise awareness of the 716 bus, the MBTA Public Engagement Team partnered with the Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition to promote access from Mattapan to the Trailside Museum. While many Mattapan residents are aware that the Blue Hills are accessible by car, fewer know about the 716 bus route. The 716 bus runs from the Mattapan North Busway to Cobbs Corner, with a convenient stop at Canton Ave Trailside Museum, located directly in front of the park entrance. We’d love to hear your thoughts! Please take our short survey to share how you use bus routes 712, 713, 714, and 716. By completing the survey, you’ll be entered for a chance to win a free monthly LinkPass. MBTA Begins Bus Lane Work for NEW Route 104 Bus Service through Everett and Chelsea MBTA Everett Bus Lane Installation, October 2024. Today the MBTA, City of Everett, and the City of Chelsea announced that work has begun to create new dedicated bidirectional bus lanes to prepare for the new Frequent Route 104 bus service as part of Bus Network Redesign Phase 1. This is part of the MBTA’s overall Transit Priority Strategy.   Approximately one mile of bus lanes are being added to 2nd Street in Everett and Chelsea to support the new route of Frequent Bus Route 104 and to help ensure the service remains fast and reliable. The lane will stretch between Spruce Street in Chelsea to Revere Beach Parkway in Everett in the westbound direction, and there will be an eastbound segment in Chelsea from the Everett City line at Market Steet ending just shy of Spruce Street.   Installation of the bus lanes will be performed overnight beginning Sunday, October 20, and is anticipated to last approximately three weeks (weather permitting). Existing lanes will remain for traffic in each direction. No parking spaces will be removed for the bus lanes.  The December 15 launch of new Frequent Route bus service will include changes to six bus routes: 86, 104, 109, 110, 116, and 117, serving the communities of Chelsea, Everett, Revere, Malden, East Boston, Somerville, Cambridge, Allston, and Brighton. Service on these routes will increase by 60% overall compared to today’s service.    “Transportation systems must work if we want our communities to thrive and the new route for Route 104 buses, which will run at least every 15 minutes, is well planned and efficient,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “The MBTA’s Bus Network Redesign initiatives like the new Route 104 route take into account where people want to go in today’s world and in a world decades into the future. The strategic plans for bus service which we are implementing will strengthen the state’s economy, provide access to employment and housing, and improve the quality of life for our residents.”    "The 2nd Street Bus Lane being installed in Everett and Chelsea this week means riders on our new 104 bus route can expect improved travel times that dedicated lanes offer after the 104 starts operating on December 15,” said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng. “As a Frequent Bus Route, the 104 will operate every 15 minutes or better all day long, creating new connections for our Everett Square riders to Chelsea and the Airport. I want to thank the MBTA Transit Priority Group for their diligent work on improving our network as we deploy the first phase of Bus Network Redesign. I also want to thank Everett Mayor DeMaria and Chelsea City Manager Fidel Maltez for being such excellent partners in prioritizing the installation of bus lanes in their community – it’s through collaborations like these with our City partners that we’re able to make these kinds of quick and cost-effective improvements for bus riders.”    “Everett has long been a leader in transit innovation, including the addition of bus lanes to offer residents faster, more frequent, and reliable commutes," said Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria. "We're excited to partner with the MBTA to bring transit priority to 2nd Street, improving accessibility for Everett residents commuting to East Boston and Logan Airport. This initiative will not only ease commutes but also support the redevelopment of Everett's industrial district, reducing traffic as the area transforms into a vibrant residential and commercial hub.”  "The 2nd Street bus lane is another step in prioritizing public transit in Chelsea. The Route 104 bus route will connect Chelsea to East Boston, Everett, and Malden and will be a meaningful addition in providing safe, reliable transportation for our workforce and community members,” said Chelsea City Manager Fidel Maltez.  Route 104 will become a Frequent Bus Route, with service every 15 minutes or better all day, every day during operating hours 5 AM to 1 AM (Sundays may start as late as 6 AM). The revised route will create a new connection from Malden and Everett to Chelsea and East Boston by redirecting the current route south of Everett Square to serve Mystic Mall Plaza, Bellingham Square and Airport Station. This will also double the existing service on Route 104. The new 104 route will help people get to and from key employment and shopping areas, including Chelsea’s Market Basket and Logan Airport. It will offer new connections to the Orange and Blue lines. This important new east-west connection targets long-standing inequities in transportation access, food access, and job access in historically marginalized communities north of the Mystic River. The new Frequent Bus Route 109 will replace service between Everett Square and Sullivan Square, also with service running every 15 minutes or better all day during MBTA service hours.   The MBTA worked closely with City officials and the Chelsea and Everett communities to design and implement bus lanes to protect this new bus service from traffic. Outreach took place with businesses along 2nd and Spruce Streets and included health and human services entities, education, consumer service and retail, restaurants and cafes, and community and nonprofit groups. An Open House was held adjacent to the corridor in partnership with the community nonprofit GreenRoots to gather community feedback. A survey of bus riders conducted at stops in Everett and Chelsea showed that most respondents believe bus-only lanes speed up their typical trips. Additionally, many indicated they would be more likely to use the bus if it were faster and more reliable, which is a holistic goal of the Bus Network Redesign.   For more information on how bus service will change, visit mbta.com/BNRPhase1. An overview of the changes coming in December and detailed information about service changes on Routes 86, 104, 109, 110, 116, and 117 is available. New bus schedules and timetables will be available later this fall, providing more details on service changes. The page will be regularly updated with new information as the projects roll out.   E Branch Accessibility and Capacity Upgrades  Senior Project Manager for the Green Line Transformation, Ben Weinstein and Senior Director of the Green Line Transformation, Julie Lynch engage with the public to share information about the E Branch Accessibility and Capacity Upgrades project. As part of the E Branch Accessibility and Capacity Upgrades Project, the Community Engagement Team and the Intergrated Transit Programs (ITP) team tabled in the Longwood medical area to get rider input on what they would like to see in an upgraded E branch. This project will create accessible stations past Brigham Circle to Heath street, and separate MBTA vehicles from the general travel lanes to improve safety and reliability. The Longwood Collective, a key stakeholder in the area, recently engaged with our ITP team and the community engagement team. Together, we connected with riders to gather valuable insights as the project design progresses. This event is part of our ongoing effort to ensure the project aligns with the needs of all stakeholders and we look forward to continuing to engage with our riders. Senior Project Manager for the Green Line Transformation, Ben Weinstein, Senior Community Liaison, Terrie Chan and  Community Liaison, Ophenir Bazile engaging with the public while handing out information about the E Branch Accessibility and Capacity Upgrades project. MBTA Successfully Completes Critical Track Work on Orange Line to Remove Nine Speed Restrictions, Orange Line Is Restriction-free for First Time in Nearly 15 Years The Orange Line is now completely free of all speed restrictions for the first time since 2010.  Less than 1% of the subway system is affected by speed restrictions.  Crews performed improvement work along the Orange Line. Complimentary photo by the MBTA Customer and Employee Experience Department. The MBTA today announced the successful completion of critical track work on the Orange Line while service was suspended between Oak Grove and Ruggles October 26 – 27 and between Oak Grove and North Station October 28 – November 1. As a result of unencumbered access to track areas, crews accomplished important work to lift nine speed restrictions, resulting in a safer, more reliable trip for riders. Following additional Track Improvement Program work that took place on the line earlier last month, the Orange Line is now completely free of all speed restrictions for the first time since 2010. Currently, slow zones are affecting less than 1% of the entire subway system. The last slow zones are expected to be removed by the end of next month. During these seven days of unencumbered access to this area of the Orange Line, work crews replaced nearly 17,500 feet of rail and 2,600 ties. During the 30-day Orange Line shutdown in 2022, crews replaced only 6,000 feet of rail and about 2,900 ties. The tremendous amount of work accomplished on the Orange Line this past month is due to the close collaboration and coordination of multiple work crews on-site and during the pre-planning phases of these service suspensions.  “I would like to thank the MBTA team members who have been part of the Track Improvement Program for their hard work and express appreciation to our riders for being flexible during construction,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “Mobility access for everyone is critical and the successful completion of Orange Line projects advances our commitment to leave the communities where we live and work in better condition than we found them. Transportation systems have to work if we want our communities to thrive.”  “We made a commitment to the public to deliver safe, reliable trips and upon completion of this most recent work, I’m pleased to confirm another major step forward towards that promise – the Orange Line is now completely free of speed restrictions for the first time in 15 years,” said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng. “Less than 1% of our subway system is now affected by track-related slow zones, down from March 2023 when we had the entire system running at restricted speeds. I’m confident we’re on schedule to eliminate all remaining restrictions by the end of this year. This is truly an all-hands-on-deck, cross-functional effort that exemplifies teamwork and determination. Moving beyond this, we are committed to addressing future needs timely and not allowing such conditions to build up, impacting all that depended on us. All the credit goes to my leadership team and our workforce for delivering essential repairs more efficiently and effectively. I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank our riders for their patience as we bring them the faster, safer, more reliable, and frequent trips that they deserve.”  This service change was in place to support critical track and tie replacement work as part of the Track Improvement Program. Workers also maximized the outage by performing signal upgrades, security enhancements, station amenity upgrades, and more.                                                                                            Learn more here                              Boxborough Senior CharlieCard Fest Travel Training Operations Manager, Bianca Mintor alongside Terrie Chan, Senior Community Liaison at the Boxborough Senior Center giving a presentation on free travel instruction services to help older adults and people with disabilities travel independently on the bus, train, and Commuter Rail. The MBTA Community Engagement Team, MBTA Mobility Center, and the Boxborough Council on Aging were delighted to host a Senior CharlieCard signup and Travel Training session on Monday, October 21, at the Boxborough Community Center. We provided the opportunity for local seniors to learn about travel accessibility and get their CharlieCards with ease. Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make this event a wonderful success! We look forward to providing more information to our seniors. MBTA Basics Training Collaborating with the MassDOT Office of Diversity and Civil Rights, we developed the "MBTA Basics" guide, offering essential information on navigating MBTA services in which the MBTA's public engagement team presents at various community organizations. This comprehensive resource and training covers fares, accessibility, service alerts, and more, ensuring equitable access for all riders. We have provided trainings in Haitian Creole and Spanish, and are happy to facilitate the training in additional languages as well. If you’re interested in having the community engagement team join you at your organization to share more information on this resource, please contact us here or email publicen...@mbta.com. Please also visit this link for more information regarding the "MBTA Basics" resource. MBTA Resources At A Glance The MBTA is dedicated to providing valuable resources and information to our riders and community members. Here are some key resources available: Explore Boston with these helpful MBTA guides: Boston Visitor's Guide to The T: Tips for sightseeing and navigating the transit system. Visitor's Guide Student Guide: Discounts and transit tips for college students. Student Guide Bus, Subway, Commuter Rail, and Ferry Guides: Beginner tips for navigating each transit mode. Bus Guide Subway Guide Commuter Rail Guide Ferry Guide Get Outside Guide: Parks, trails, and beaches accessible by T. Get Outside Extreme Weather & Winter Travel: Safety tips for traveling in severe weather. Extreme Weather Winter Weather Special Event Guides: Navigate the T during Boston Marathon, St. Patrick’s Day, and more. Marathon Guide St. Patrick’s Day Guide Accessibility Guides: Features for riders with disabilities on bus, subway, commuter rail, and ferry. Subway Access Bus Access Commuter Rail Access Ferry Access The RIDE MBTA In The News Stay informed on the latest updates and important announcements from the MBTA by regularly checking our official press releases here. Have Your Voice Heard! Join our surveys and focus groups to shape future initiatives and ensure inclusivity in our projects. Your input is invaluable in guiding our efforts to serve all MBTA riders.  Please complete this form to tell us about yourself and how you use the MBTA, and we'll contact you to get your feedback for future changes to transit information. Thank you for your continued partnership and support. We eagerly anticipate the opportunities and achievements that lie ahead in the year ahead. Get MBTA Public Engagement updates, news and upcoming events delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for our newsletter.   Connect with us. Phone: (857) 327-3282 Email: publicen...@mbta.com   Share your feedback using our monthly rider survey: https://www.mbta.com/customer-opinion-panel Email - publicen...@mbta.com Mail -  MBTA Attn: Community Engagement Team 10 Park Plaza, Suite 3830 Boston, MA 02116 To Invite the Community Engagement team to Community Meetings:  Email publicen...@mbta.com with your request, including: Date, Time, Meeting content and details, and we will coordinate with you accordingly