T Spending $3 Million on Rail-Contract Search

The MBTA is looking far and wide for a company to run its commuter rail service.

Before the T shells out billions on a new long-term, commuter-rail-service contract, it’s 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 the …

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MBTA Approves Plan To Boost Fares, Cut Service [VIDEO]

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.  Commuter rails near Easton include Stoughton, Sharon, Mansfield, Canton and Brockton. Meanwhile, some cuts in service -- mainly involving bus routes, The Ride, and the commuter rail -- were also approved. Many people showed up at today's hearing and were given a chance to talk during a one-hour "public speaking" session before the vote. …

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MBTA Fares to Rise 23 Percent

Commuter rail fare increases are not yet clear.

The state transportation department has decided to raise MBTA fares 23-percent and cut $15 million in service to close a huge budget gap for the upcoming fiscal year, CBS Boston reports. According to the plan to be announced at a news conference Wednesday, four bus routes will be eliminated entirely.  14 other routes will be modified.  Specifics have not been made public yet. There’s no word yet on how commuter rail fares will be affected. There are two commuter rail stops in Brockton, a stop in Sharon and one in Mansfield. To read the full story, click here. For a full look at service cuts, click here.

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Question of the Day

Question of the Day: Commuter Rail and Severe Weather

Should the MBTA run fewer commuter rail trains during severe weather?

We'll be asking Easton Patch readers a different question every weekday. Questions could range from local decisions made by officials, to state issues, to national politics and entertainment. Whatever it is, we want to know what EASTON thinks! Taking the train during severe storms has become less of an option. The MBTA will cut 23 percent of its commuter rail schedule during severe weather, the Boston Globe reports today. "What we learned from last year is trying to maintain a full schedule will be difficult for us in a severe storm, both on subway and commuter rail," MBTA Acting General Manager Jonathan R. Davis told the Globe. The storm schedule is posted here. Should the MBTA run fewer commuter rail trains during severe weather? Answer …

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PatchCast: Commuter Rail, Prom and PMC

Your region roundup of news for Friday, May 20.

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Track Project To Shift Commuter Rail Schedule

New schedule coming May 30; work running June 11 to mid-September.

Commuters taking the train into Boston's South Station face fewer options and a revised schedule due to an upcoming three-month track project. Amtrak moves its Northeast Corridor Rail Tie Replacement Project onto lines shared with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter rail beginning on June 11 and ending in mid-September, the MBTA and Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company said Tuesday. The railroad company operates the commuter rail. The project will mean temporary schedules for the Providence/Stoughton, Franklin, Fairmount and Needham lines, the agencies said in a press release. The new schedules will be available by May 30 at South Station, Back Bay Station, and the MBTA and MBCR websites. "Some trains will be …

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