In the days of skyrocketing gas prices, there are many people who can no longer afford to hold on to the gas guzzling SUVs, minivans, and sedans that so many of us purchased. Many people around the country are ditching their cars in favor of public transportation. So naturally, this would be what many would consider the golden years for transportation networks across the country. Somehow, Boston is being left off that list.
An inbound orangle line train awaits its passengers.
It is true that ridership on the T in Boston is higher than ever before. This is no different than most other major metro public transportation networks. However, unlike those other networks, the MBTA is lagging behind and failing to take advantage of this recent boom in customers. What should be spurring on new services, new trains, and new stations isn’t happening. The T is cash strapped, and, without some serious help, cannot get itself out of this hole.
As of the most recent figures, the MBTA carries more debt than any other transportation agency in the country with $8.1 billion. At least one quarter of the budget goes towards servicing this debt. This colossal debt prevents the T from expanding and truly becoming the model agency when it comes to public transportation. Stations and trains are beginning to fall into disrepair, and the T cannot fix everything fast enough.
So, how did the T get to this point? The state has chosen to fund the agency through tax revenues, a policy that continually falls short. Employees of the MBTA get outrageous benefits. The T is required to pay for extensions that they had no say in – the Greenbush Line, for example – and current fares on the T are nearly sufficient to cover operating costs.
The MBTA is considering raising fares by 2010, a move that would make it one of the most expensive transportation systems in the country. This is not likely to fix the financial woes that the T is experiencing – the T needs someone to step up with a considerable amount of money and bail them out from their ever rising debt. The state can’t do it right now, so we just sit back and wait until they can.
Currently, there are several projects being undertaken or planned, including a Green Line extension to Medford, renovations to stations on the Blue and Green lines, and the possibility of new trains coming on line in 2013. Projects to improve the T and its infrastructure are underway, but many of the projects are over budget (see: Green Line Station Improvements Delayed and Overbudget), only compounding the financing problem. Unfortunately, more problems than solutions are happening right now, and the T can’t keep up.
Without a doubt, the T is in a little bit of trouble to say the least, and, until someone steps up to the plate and bails them out, it’s going to stay that way. The crowded trains and failing infrastructure will still be here, and if riders can reach a point of financing gas again, they won’t take the T anymore.
Source: Boston Globe
Filed under: Boston, Massachusetts, Public Transportation
