AWD 3302: Project Files

Improving the MBTA

• Daniel Doherty
• August 9, 2016
• Attention to: The City of Boston

Table of Contents

• 1.0 Introduction
• 2.0 Background
• 3.0 Purpose
• 3.1 Scope
• 3.2 Objectives
• 4.0 Approach
• 5.0 Feasibility
• 6.0 Conclusion
• 7.0 References

abstract

The MBTA was created in 1964 to replace the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). The MBTA is the fourth largest public transportation system in the country, averaging 1.3 million riders on a weekday, and is responsible for operating the commuter rail, subway and bus systems in Boston. The Green Line is the single busiest subway system in the country and averages over 250,000 riders a day. The MBTA is the single largest consumer of electricity in the state and is used by 33% of workers in the city proper as their primary method of commuting. Given Boston's high dependence on the public transportation system, it is essential for the subway to operate efficiently for commuters to reach their place of work and for the economic success of the city of Boston. However, in recent years the MBTA has suffered a variety of incidents that highlight the major problems with the system and show that improvements must be made. The MBTA is $8 billion dollars in debt and has put off much needed maintenance due to budget concerns. As a result, the MBTA has become a poorly run organization has numerous issues with all aspects of their operation^[i.n.]. However, the most frequent complaints about the MBTA are centered around the subway system and rightly so. The subway system is outdated, overcrowded and often delayed due to technical issues. If Boston is going to continue to be a modern city that seeks to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels by supporting public transportation, the subway system must be updated^[i.n.].

Background

The Boston subway system can only be described as old. The four main lines in the city, the Red Line, Green Line, Orange Line and Blue Line all use cars that were constructed prior to 1990. While all the lines use older subway cars, the Red Line is the worst as, "Out of the MBTA's 218 Red Line cars, 132 are over 25 years old." (Annear). The Orange Line cars were all implemented between 1979-1981 and have not undergone any major upgrades since, and a majority the of Green Line fleet has been in operation since the 1980's. These cars were never meant to accommodate the heavy commuter traffic they support daily and depend on outdated forms of technology that often fail and create delays, interrupting the city's economy. The problems of the MBTA subway system were especially apparent during the winter of 2014-2015, when Boston received record snowfall levels that paralyzed the city. The frequent storms resulted in massive subway delays and the complete closure of the sections of the Red, Orange and Green lines that were above ground. These delays were mainly caused by engine failure, as the older cars utilize Direct Current (DC) systems that struggle in the snow and freezing temperatures. Cities such as New York have resolved this problem by implementing cars using Alternating Current systems, which are more capable of handling inclement weather. Furthermore, the state of the subway system was a major reason that the citizens of Boston rejected consideration to host the 2024 Summer Olympics as it was widely believed the MBTA was incapable of handling the surge of riders in its current state and incapable of securing the funding for the necessary improvements if the Olympic bid progressed (Manning).^[i.n.] The state of the subway system in Boston negatively impacts the economy, environment and the society in which we live and must be provided with significant investment to allow Boston to continue to develop into a truly modern and green city.

Purpose

Massachusetts must provide the MBTA with significant funding to completely overhaul the subway system to implement much needed improvements that will allow the subway to operate efficiently. The Massachusetts legislature has consistently left the MBTA underfunded since 2000 when it imposed a cap on their budget due to serious concerns about financial mismanagement at the MBTA. As a result, the MBTA has been forced to delay major improvements until such time when they receive the necessary funding, causing the subway's infrastructure to fall into disrepair.^[i.n.] The MBTA has maintained the subway system with small projects meant to improve one or two stations at a time and make temporary fixes to the outdated rail cars. However, this cannot continue indefinitely and the State Legislature must allocate the appropriate funding to modernize the subway system as soon as possible. The main objectives of this project are to replace all cars constructed prior to 1990 with modern cars, repair the subway tracks and stations, and extend the subway lines to accommodate additional riders once the system is capable of handling the increase in traffic. By improving the efficiency and service of the MBTA subway system, more commuters will choose to use public transportation as their primary means of transportation. The subsequent reduction of the amount of cars driving into the city each days will make Boston a greener, more environmentally friendly city as it will reduce the amount of fossil fuels required for the city to function. Increased use of an efficient subway system that gets workers to their places of business on time will improve the standard of living in the city and reduce the anger caused daily by traffic delays.

Approach

To modernize the subway system, the MBTA must first be granted the necessary funds to purchase modern cars that are better suited for Boston's harsh winter conditions and can accommodate more passengers. Boston has purchased 284 replacement cars for the Red and Orange lines from a Chinese company but this deal now faces scrutiny and an investigation following accusations of unfair business practices as CRRC, a Chinese State-subsidized company, was able to undercut their American competitors (Metzger). Even if this deal is allowed to proceed, there is still a large portion of the subway system that has not yet received funding for renovations. The State Legislature must be petitioned to allocate $3.2 billion in funding to the MBTA to implement the necessary repairs and improvements to the subway system (Vaccaro). Approval of this funding may require a public marketing campaign to persuade the residents of the greater Boston area that the benefits from improving of the subway system outweigh the costs.^[i.n.] Once funding has been secured, new cars using modern AC technology will be purchased from a reliable company with a proven record and implemented as soon as they are constructed. While the cars are being built, the subway stations and lines should undergo renovations and extensions to be finished prior to the delivery of the new subway cars. When the cars are completed, Boston will have a fully functional, modern and reliable subway system, capable of handling a greater capacity of riders and inclement weather.

Feasibility

In the 2016 Capital Investment Report, the MBTA had programmed $1.05 billion towards their Capital Investment Program (MBTA 2016 CIP). However, over 63% of this funding or $666 million is allocated to State of Good Repair costs, or the cost to maintain the current state of the MBTA. Only 10% has been designated for the modernization and expansion of the MBTA system, most of which is meant for the subway system. With such a low percentage of the funding allocated towards modernization, the MBTA will consistently lag behind modern technology. Additional funding must be granted to the MBTA through the increased allocation of taxpayer money and revenue collection. This will meet significant resistance due to the MBTA's past financial mismanagement and fundamental ethics issues involving huge pension payments, absenteeism and corruption. However, these fears can be mitigated by Gov. Charlie Baker's recent overhaul of the MBTA's Governing Board that involves increased oversight from Beacon Hill. The MBTA has also raised fares and is enforcing the collection of them more consistently on the commuter rails, increasing their revenues. The economic benefits of an upgraded subway system are numerous. Most importantly, an efficient transportation system that does not suffer from frequent delays will not interrupt the business of the city. During the winter of 2015, it was estimated the a statewide travel ban would result in a loss of $265 million a day, and the complete shutdown of the MBTA several times that winter resulted in the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in profits for businesses in Boston. The estimated total loss in business revenues of over $1 billion during the winter of 2014 justifies the allocation of $3.2 billion over the next seven years for the modernization and expansion of the subway system. An overhaul of the T system would result in fewer economic interruptions and make Boston a more attractive location for economic development, which would provide more jobs and opportunity for the citizens of Boston.^[i.n.]

Conclusion

Funding the suggested repairs in this proposal will greatly benefit the citizens, businesses and culture of the City of Boston in the years to come. By improving the efficiency of the subway by funding modern technology, the T's capacity and reliability will be increased, resulting in more commuters utilizing its services. This will reduce the amount of cars traveling into the city each day and lower the amount of carbon pollutants released by cars. This will make Boston an environmentally friendly city capable of accommodating larger crowds such as those seen during the Olympics, which would provide further economic opportunity to the city.

References

Andy Metzger Published July 19, 2016. US urged to probe Chinese company building MBTA subway cars [Online] Available: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/07/19/urged-probe-chinese-company-building-mbta-subway-cars/wRTd80HIyx3oDxT1o2KheK/story.html [July 28, 2016]

Allison Manning Published June 30, 2015. Boston 2024 has no budget to fix MBTA [Online] Available: https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2015/06/30/boston2024-has-no-budget-to-fix-mbta [August 6, 2016]

Adam Vaccaro Published August 31, 2015 Fixing the MBTA will now cost more than $7 Billion [Online] Available: https://www.boston.com/news/business/2015/08/31/fixing-the-mbta-will-now-cost-more-than-7-billion Accessed: [August 8, 2016]

MBTA Capital Investment Program 2016 FY2016 http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/Financials/FY16CIP.pdf

Steve Annear The MBTA Will Replace Orange and Red Line Trains, Offering More Space for Riders http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2013/10/22/mbta-ornage-line-trains-upgrades-red-line-governor-patrick/