Saturday, February 9, 2013
The transit shutdown will continue indefinitely.
[Updated Sunday, 10:48 a.m.] Looking to take the Green Line or the commuter rail in Newton? Well, you may want to keep shoveling out that car (or call a cab). As crews continue to dig out from the blizzard, MBTA service in Newton will remain suspended Sunday. Starting at 2 p.m., limited subway and bus service will run on the Red, Orange and Blue lines between Orient Heights and Government Center, and the Green Line between Kenmore and Lechmere, according to MBTA.com/weather. Limited bus service will also operate on the 1, 23, 28, 39, and Silver Line Washington Street only. Customers are encouraged to stay home and "use service sparingly," if possible, the website said. Commuter rail routes will remain suspended through Sunday. The MBTA …
Monday, October 29, 2012
Plan your trip home accordingly.
If you braved the elements and took the T to work this morning, pack up your stuff now: The MBTA will shut down service at 2 p.m. because of severe weather caused by Hurricane Sandy. According to the T website, the service suspension includes subway, bus and commuter rail service—which means Bus 59 in Needham and the Commuter Rail's Needham Line. Ferry service had already been suspended earlier in the day. The Ride remains open but users are "strongly encouraged" to call the contractor for their area to see if service is available.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Signs posted on the Needham and Newburyport/Rockport commuter rail lines congratulate two area Olympians.
Trains traveling through Needham this week will be carrying a special message for local Olympian Aly Raisman. The Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company on Tuesday unveiled a banner congratulating Raisman on her two gold and one bronze medal earned in the 2012 Olympics. The banner will hang on a special coach in the MBTA's commuter rail fleet and will travel on the Needham line, according to a press release sent out by the MBTA. Another coach, which will travel the Newburyport/Rockport line, congratulates Olympian Kayla Harrison, a Marblehead resident who was the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in judo, according to the press release. Both coaches will display the banners for about one week.
Monday, July 16, 2012
How would you rate the on-time performance of the Needham Commuter Rail line?
The Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail Company said the Needham line had a 96.9 percent contractual on-time performance rate in June. The MBCR said it has a contractually stipulated required goal of 95 percent. The MBCR said in a press release that "accounting for factors within MBCR's control the Needham line has exceeded its contractual OTP (on-time performance) goal of 95 percent in every month in 2012." For the year, the Needham line has been on time 96.8 percent of the time and reached its highest rate of 98.2 percent in February. How would you rate the commuter rail's timeliness of meeting its stated schedule?
Saturday, June 30, 2012
It will cost more to ride the T starting this weekend—and some routes will have decreased service.
On Sunday the MBTA's fare increases start. They're being imposed—along with service cuts—to close the transit agency's $160 million budget gap. Most of those service cuts also begin Sunday. In Needham, the local Commuter Rail line will be cut on Saturdays beginning July 7—delayed one week because of the July 4 events planned in Boston. The Needham Line already does not run on Sundays. There are other changes, like an increase in the surcharge for getting your Commuter Rail ticket on the train (if the station where you board has ticket machines). THE RIDE will add a more expensive $5 zone starting Oct. 1. For a complete list of changes taking place on the MBTA system beginning Sunday, visit this T link or check out the PDFs attached to this…
Monday, June 25, 2012
The local Commuter Rail trains will continue operating through the weekend to accommodate visitors during the Tall Ship and Fourth events.
The Commuter Rail's Needham Line will continue to operate through the upcoming holiday weekend, as plans to eliminate weekend service have been postponed until July 7. The Saturday service cut was part of the final plan approved by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in April in an effort to close a projected $161 million deficit in the 2013 fiscal year. The plan called for other cuts on various Commuter Rail and bus lines and an across-the-board fare increase. The changes were set to take place on July 1 with the start of the new fiscal year. While the fare increases are set to begin as scheduled, weekend service on Needham and other lines will not be eliminated until one week later. "A normal Sunday service will operate on …
42.28024
-71.23786
Needham Center Train Station
Great Plain Ave & Eaton Sq, Needham, MA
/articles/needham-line-service-cut-postponed-to-july-7
1270919
/locations/7315433
42.293177
-71.235823
Needham Heights Train Station
95 West St, Needham, MA
/articles/needham-line-service-cut-postponed-to-july-7
1270918
/locations/7315434
42.273344
-71.235261
Needham Junction Train Station
51 Junction St, Needham, MA
/articles/needham-line-service-cut-postponed-to-july-7
1270920
/locations/7315435
42.27582
-71.21486
Hersey Train Station
Great Plain Ave & Broad Meadow Rd, Needham, MA
/articles/needham-line-service-cut-postponed-to-july-7
1270921
/locations/7315436
Friday, May 25, 2012
The MBTA is looking far and wide for a company to run its Commuter Rail service.
Before the MBTA shells out billions on a new long-term, Commuter Rail service contract, it is first spending nearly $3 million on an international search to attract the best applicants, according to the Boston Herald. The T is looking for a company to run its Commuter Rail service operations over the next five to possibly 30 years, as its current, roughly $250 million-per-year contract with the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co. (MBCR) expires June 2013. MBCR plans to bid aggressively for the new deal, according to the Huffington Post. The company, which has been in place since 2003, has received some criticism during its tenure, primarily for weather-related delays. However, MBCR officials defended their record in January. Half of …
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
The MBTA faces a budget deficit heading into the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
After all of the talk, public hearings, and protests over the past three months, the MBTA Board voted Wednesday afternoon to boost fares 23 percent and cut back service in an attempt to close a projected $161 million deficit in the next fiscal year. Board members approved a plan in a 4-1 vote that would raise most subway fares by 30 cents, bus fares by 25 cents, and commuter rail fares by at least $1.25. Meanwhile, some cuts in service—mainly involving bus routes, The Ride and the Commuter Rail—were also approved. Locally, weekend Commuter Rail service on the Needham Line will be cut, but Bus 59 will continue to operate on its usual schedule. Many people showed up at Wednesday's hearing on Beacon Hill and were given a chance to talk …
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Updated proposal would preserve the town's Bus 59 route and include a 23 percent fare increase across the board.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced an updated budget plan today that would eliminate weekend Commuter Rail service in Needham but preserve the local bus route, Bus 59, that many people working and living in town rely on daily. The new plan, announced in a news release posted at 11:30 a.m. on mbta.com, serves to close a $185 million gap in the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s budget for fiscal year 2013. Along with limiting the service cuts originally proposed, the new plan includes an average fare increase of 23 percent, as opposed to the 35-43 percent increase outlined in the original proposal. The final proposal will be submitted for MBTA board approval by April 4 and is the result of more than two …
42.293177
-71.235823
Needham Heights Train Station
95 West St, Needham, MA
/articles/new-mbta-plan-would-eliminate-weekend-commuter-rail-service-in-needham
1270918
/locations/6679404
42.28024
-71.23786
Needham Center Train Station
Great Plain Ave & Eaton Sq, Needham, MA
/articles/new-mbta-plan-would-eliminate-weekend-commuter-rail-service-in-needham
1270919
/locations/6679405
42.27582
-71.21486
Hersey Train Station
Great Plain Ave & Broad Meadow Rd, Needham, MA
/articles/new-mbta-plan-would-eliminate-weekend-commuter-rail-service-in-needham
1270921
/locations/6679406
42.273344
-71.235261
Needham Junction Train Station
51 Junction St, Needham, MA
/articles/new-mbta-plan-would-eliminate-weekend-commuter-rail-service-in-needham
1270920
/locations/6679407
Thursday, March 15, 2012
The board voted on March 13 to send a letter to state officials supporting arguments raised at a Transportation Committee hearing in February
Needham selectmen have joined a host of voices speaking out against the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s proposed service cuts and rate hikes. The board unanimously voted Tuesday, March 13 to send a letter to state Sen. Richard Ross and Sen. Michael Rush and state Rep. Denise Garlick that shares their “collective concern” over the plan, which seeks to close a $161 million budget gap in fiscal year 2013. To address that budget gap, the MBTA and Massachusetts Department of Transportation have put forward two possible scenarios that have received considerable criticism over the past month or so. In the first scenario, overall public transit fares would increase by about 43 percent; in the second, fares would increase by about 35 …
42.28049
-71.23606
Needham Town Hall
1471 Highland Ave, Needham, MA
/articles/needham-selectmen-encourage-legislators-to-find-new-solutions-for-mbta
2004019
/locations/6591514
42.27582
-71.21486
Hersey Train Station
Great Plain Ave & Broad Meadow Rd, Needham, MA
/articles/needham-selectmen-encourage-legislators-to-find-new-solutions-for-mbta
1270921
/locations/6591515
42.273344
-71.235261
Needham Junction Train Station
51 Junction St, Needham, MA
/articles/needham-selectmen-encourage-legislators-to-find-new-solutions-for-mbta
1270920
/locations/6591516
42.293177
-71.235823
Needham Heights Train Station
95 West St, Needham, MA
/articles/needham-selectmen-encourage-legislators-to-find-new-solutions-for-mbta
1270918
/locations/6591517
42.28024
-71.23786
Needham Center Train Station
Great Plain Ave & Eaton Sq, Needham, MA
/articles/needham-selectmen-encourage-legislators-to-find-new-solutions-for-mbta
1270919
/locations/6591518
Jason
3:53 pm on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
My train is later than the stated scheduled time in each direction every day. I travel the full length of the line from Needham Heights to South Station as part of my daily commute. I have been riding the entire length of the line since November 2011 and I cannot recall ONE day when either the 7:30am inbound or the 5:20 outbound arrived at the scheduled time or earlier. If "on-time" means within … more ›