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Massachusetts House of Representatives: Upgrading Greater MBTA Rail System St. John’s Preparatory School - Danvers, - December 2020

Letter from the Chairs

Dear Delegates,

My name is Brett Butler. I am a Senior at St. John’s Prep, and I will serve as your chair for the Massachusetts House of Representatives on Railway Service. I have been involved in

Model UN at the Prep for 5 years. Outside of Model UN, I am on the SJP Tennis Team, an

Eagles’ Wings Leader, a member of Spire Society, a member of the National Honor Society, and a member of the Chinese National Honor Society. The topic of Railway Service has really fascinated me, since my father is an executive in the FTA (Federal Transit Administration), which is part of the DOT (Department of Transportation), and he has been my inspiration for my research into this topic. Also, I am a frequent passenger on the “T” and (as well as commuter rail and subway services in many different cities such as Washington D.C.,

Los Angeles, and Montreal). Thus, I recommend that you read through this paper as well as to do your own research on the frequency, extension, and public trust in the

Railway Service. Please do not hesitate to email me with any questions or concerns! I will be happy to assist you, and I look forward to meeting you in December!

Thank you,

Brett Butler ‘21 ([email protected])

Chair, Massachusetts House of Representatives on Railway Service, SJPMUN XV

Dear Delegates,

My name is Brendan O’Friel. I am a Senior at St. John’s Prep, and I will serve as your chair for the Massachusetts House of Representatives on improving the Boston-area rail system. I have been involved in Model UN at the Prep for nearly 5 years. Outside of Model

UN, I play tennis, and I’m involved with the Spanish club and Spire Society (which helps with admissions events). I’m also a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish

National Honor Society. The topic of the rail system in the Boston-area has really fascinated me in my research as a frequent rider of the T and commuter rail myself. Thus, I recommend that you read through this paper as well as do your own research on how we can improve the current rail system in the greater Boston area. Please do not hesitate to email me with any questions or concerns! I will be happy to assist you, and I look forward to meeting you in

December!

Thank you,

Brendan O’Friel ‘21 ([email protected])

Chair, MA House of Reps., SJPMUN XV

Description of the Committee

The Massachusetts House of Representatives contains 160 members, who represent about 40,000 people each. The Speaker of the House leads this legislative body, and he/she is elected by the members of the House. The MA House, also known as the General Court, has been around since 1630 (malegislature.gov). This committee will be tasked with solving issues with the Greater Boston railway system (Commuter Rail and “T” subway). We plan to focus on the themes of: frequency of stops, extension of different lines for access to more ​ communities, and public trust (safety, quality, and reliability). Out of the 160 representatives there are 127 Democrats, 31 Republicans, 1 unenrolled, and 1 vacant seat. Only Republican and Democrat representatives will be represented in this committee, with roughly the same ratio kept but used on a smaller scale. These will be the parameters for the Massachusetts

House of Representatives on Railway Service.

Statement of the Problem

As a committee, we will focus on frequency, expansion, and public trust in our Greater Boston

Railway System (MBTA Commuter Rail and T trolley/subway system). The railway service is in desperate need of expansion to reach more communities surrounding Boston. Many low-income workers rely on public rail service to reach their work, daily, and many of them have to drive long distances to just reach their nearest . This somewhat defeats the purpose of public transportation, by elongating commuting times. The service also needs greater frequency and reliability. Too often, trains break-down, de-rail, etc., causing major delays in service, making people either late to work or late to get home and see their families. Lastly, public trust should be an area of high-focus to this committee. Our public transportation system relies on a high amount of riders, so in order to gain and maintain high ridership rates, the trains need to become safer, more affordable, and of a higher quality, than they currently are. These are the main issues of discussion for our committee, and we will discuss legislation for funding, state budget, and allocating funds for:

1. Safety

2. Affordability

3. Higher Quality Trains

Below, we have included notes that go into greater detail on these three main problems.

Notes:

We are trying to improve the Greater Boston area rail system (MBTA Commuter Rail and T trolley/subway system) so that it is more reliable and more accessible to commuters. Key Themes: ● Frequency of stops. ● Extension of different lines for access to more communities.

● Public trust ○ Safety, quality, and reliability. ● Safety ○ Reducing or eliminating derailments from the . ○ At night having more transit police/officers. ■ Freedom from theft and assault. ■ Freedom from being profiled by law enforcement. ● Equity in the transit police in subway stations so they are retrained in better security for all people. ● Affordability ○ Consider free or nearly free transportation costs for essential workers and economically disadvantaged. ○ Looking at how much money comes from taxes, fares, and state vs. federal funding. ○ Contract with . ○ Consider pros and cons of fare prices and taxes to pay for the system upgrades. ■ Taxes: Airports, hotels, rental systems at major travel hubs, tourism, property, income, gambling, sales. ■ Legislature has limited options based on travel to and from Boston. - Quality: Modernizing the infrastructure system ○ Signaling (electrical and computer systems) ○ Rail car updates or replacement with new ■ Seating ■ Noise level with metal grinding ■ Cleanliness ■ Public Announcements on loudspeakers to hear conductor ■ Visibility and signage for passengers ■ Handicapped accessibility

History of the Problem

The Boston subway was built during the second phase of the in

Massachusetts. Electric motors, preferred by Americans over coal-power as a cleaner energy source, were first used in Boston trolleys in 1888, before being used for subways starting in

1897. The reason Boston needed a subway system was that it had a problem with congestion in its streets. This was due to overcrowding, blizzards, storms, and the numerous trolleys traversing its narrow streets. City officials believed the best way to alleviate traffic would be to create an underground rail system. The city planned to connect underground tracks with the already existing above ground tracks in South, West, and North Boston. In 1894, the legislature passed an act which allowed for the creation of the Boston (also called Boston Transit Commission), a private company responsible for building new elevated railway lines and was the first public transportation company in America. Initial construction of the Boston subway included three stations: Park Street, Public Garden, and Boylston; these stops were connected to trolley tracks on the city streets and later to elevated tracks above the city streets (now the ). In 1901, segments of the Orange line opened and construction began on the Tunnel (now the Blue Line), which ran under Boston Harbor, and it eventually opened on December 30, 1904. Initial construction of the tunnel cost taxpayers 5 million dollars. faced financial struggles in 1918 (led the MA

General Court to pass the Public Control Act). This act gave a public Board of Trustees the power to impose fares in order to pay for the upkeep of public transit, allowed the board to increase taxes in the 14 towns served by BERy, and provided earnings for BERy shareholders

(Brooks).

In 1947, the state legislature formed the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) to take over BER. In 1957, the MTA created an expansion of along the Newton

Highlands Branch of the Boston and Albany Railroad (now known as the D Branch of the

Green Line, which provides service between Newton and Boston). The MBTA was eventually voted into law on August 3, 1964, and became the first combined regional transit system in the

U.S. In 1965, the Federal Transit Administration helped fund the MBTA’s first modernization projects Copley, Maverick, Prudential, Columbia (now JFK/UMass), Orient Heights, Fields

Corner, Government Center, Kenmore, Haymarket, and Arlington stations (since which the

FTA has provided the MBTA $3.5 billion to help fund future projects). Currently, the MBTA is one of the largest public transit systems in the country, providing service to roughly 200 cities and towns and hosts over 1 million riders per day on its subways, buses, , and

Commuter Rails (“The History of the T”).

Here is a Timeline of all Boston-area Transit Projects: 1897: The original subway opens for Green Line trolleys from to Park St. 1898: Park St to is opened with a trolley incline at North Station for all trolleys to the north of the city. 1901: Orange Line opens in four segments: Sullivan Sq to North Station (elevated), North Station to Dover St (Atlantic Ave elevated), Dover St to Dudley Sq (elevated), and a routing through the Green Line subway from North Station to Pleasant Ave. 1904: Blue Line opens as a trolley tunnel from Maverick Sq to Court Sq at Scollay Sq. 1906: Atlantic Ave station opens on the Blue Line. 1908: Washington St subway opens on the Orange Line, Green Line restored to trolley service. 1909: Orange Line extended from Dudley Sq to Forest Hills. 1912: Red Line from Harvard Sq to Park St opens; Green Line extended to Lechmere; Green St station on the Orange Line added. 1914: Green Line extended to Kenmore Sq. 1915: Red Line extended to Washington St. 1916: Red Line extended to ; Blue Line extended to Bowdoin Sq. 1917: Red Line extended to Broadway. 1918: Red Line extended to Andrew. 1919: Orange Line extended to Everett; Beach St station closes. 1921: Arlington station added to Green Line.

1922: Lechmere becomes terminal for Green Line trolleys. 1924: Blue Line converted from trolley to heavy rail. 1927: Red Line extended to . 1928: Red Line extended to Ashmont.; Atlantic Ave el service cut back, service only from Dudley to North Station (Dashed Line). 1929: High Speed Line opens. 1932: Green Line extended past Kenmore with portals for Watertown, Boston College, and trolleys; Charles St station added to Red Line. 1938: Atlantic Ave elevated service ended. 1941: Huntington Ave subway opened on Green Line from Copley to Arborway. 1952: Blue Line extended to Suffolk Down. 1954: Blue Line extended to Wonderland. 1955: Science Park added to Green Line. 1959: Riverside Line added to Green Line from Kenmore Sq to Riverside. 1961: Pleasant St portal closed on Green Line. 1963: Adams Sq station closed; Scollay Sq changed to Government Center; Mechanics station changed to Prudential (All Green Line). 1965: Massachusetts station renamed Auditorium (Green Line). 1967: Orange Line stations renamed: Friend-Union > Haymarket, Milk-State/Devonshire > State, Washington/Summer-Winter > Washington, Boylston-Essex > Essex. 1969: Green Line Watertown “A” banch closed. 1971: Red Line extended from Andrew to . 1975: Orange Line Haymarket North extension opens from North Station to Malden Center; Charlestown elevated closed. 1977: Orange Line extended to Oak Grove. 1980: Red Line extended to Braintree. 1983: added to Red Line. 1984: Red Line extended from Harvard Sq to Davis Sq. 1985: Red Line extended to Alewife. 1987: Orange Line Southwest Corridor opened from Chinatown (renamed from Essex) to new Forest Hills; Washington St elevated closed; Green Line truncated to Heath St from Arborway. 1988: Columbia changed to JFK/UMass; added to Red Line Braintree branch. 1990: Auditorium renamed Hynes/ICA (Green Line) 2002: Silver Line Phase I: Washington St opens. 2004: Silver Line Phase II: to Logan Airport/City Point opened. 2009: Silver Line to City Point discontinued; Silver Line Dudley Sq to South Station opened (Lynch).

Recent Issues

After a serious derailment in June of 2019, the MBTA released a report in which they stated, “Safety is not the priority at the T, but it must be” (“Do You Feel Safe Riding the

T?”). However, transit experts from other U.S. cities, such as , came to different conclusions, claiming the MBTA “has prioritized budget issues and capital improvements over the safety of its 1.3 million daily passengers” (“Do You Feel Safe Riding the T?”). Here are 6 recommendations from the T’s Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB):

1. The T must set “safety objectives, safety performance targets, and safety performance

indicators” based on best practices—and spend the money needed to implement them,

including “sufficient human capital.”

2. “Identify all areas where deferred maintenance is occurring.”

3. The T must devote resources to collecting data, particularly in departments dealing

with maintenance-of-way, training, and medical issues.

4. The T should consider adopting, system-wide, safety standards now governing its

commuter rail operations and set by the Federal Railroad Administration.

5. The MBTA’s leadership needs “more seasoned transit professionals with operations

and safety expertise and experience.”

6. The Massachusetts legislature should be asked to reduce the current mandate that the

FMCB meet 36 times annually. Alternatively, staff prep for those meetings should be

made less burdensome, as the time required subtracts attention from safety issues (“Do

You Feel Safe Riding the T?”).

In the months of May and June of 2020, overall, according to the MBTA, the subway has been 92% reliable. Specifically, however, the Green Line was least reliable of all the lines, being only 81% reliable. Some parts of the Green Line were only 78% reliable due to delays.

Busses were only reliable 75% of the time. The Commuter Rail was at 94% reliable. For the month of February in 2020, the average review of the MBTA from riders was about 2.75 stars out of 5. 1 in 4 riders said they were either “very,” or “extremely dissatisfied” with their most recent trip. Over 1 in 3 riders were dissatisfied with the MBTA’s communication (T

Dashboard).

Who Oversees the MBTA and Who Runs the Commuter Rail?

2 governing bodies oversee the MBTA: The Massachusetts Department of

Transportation (MassDOT) Board and the Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB). In

2015, Governor established the Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) to limit costs and make sure that the MBTA operates effectively and efficiently. The board is made up of 5 members appointed by the Governor and will work to drive organizational change for 3 – 5 years at the T. Among its many goals, the FMCB aims to improve:

Governance, Finances, Agency structure, and Operations (mbta.com/leadership).

Since the 1960s, the MBTA commuter rail has been run by a variety of different private companies. even ran the commuter rail between 1987 and 2003.

Currently, Keolis is the private company that has been hired by the MBTA to run and operate the commuter rail. MBTA was looking at options for other companies this year (2020), but they are looking to extend their contract as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic with limited options.

Why is There a Lack of Trust in The System?

According to in June of 2019, MBTA trains had derailed 43 times in ​ ​ the last five years, the second most of any rail system in the country; only New Orleans streetcars had more derailments with 72. On June 8, 2019, a Green Line derailment injured 11 people, and just 3 days after, a 50 year-old red line car derailed at the JFK/UMASS station.

“That’s not normal,” said railway safety expert Keith Millhouse, “It shouldn’t be happening with that frequency” (Coleman and Rocheleau). According to him, the repeated derailments are a sign of a “real lax safety culture at the MBTA — and that culture emanates from the top”

(Coleman and Rocheleau). Derailments can be caused by a number of issues, including conductor errors as well as poor and outdated rails and equipment. “Millhouse and other specialists attribute the rise in derailments across the country to the government’s failure to improve and maintain train system infrastructure” (Coleman and Rocheleau).

Source: Federal

Transit AdministrationIRFAN URAIZEE/GLOBE STAFF

Crime and Safety

In 2019, there were 779 total violent crimes reported on the MBTA including homicides, rapes, aggravated assaults, larcenies and other so-called part one violent crimes, compared to 770 in 2018. A police patrol plan took effect in 2016 on the Boston-area T.

According to Transit Police Superintendent Richard Sullivan: “The four-year average for 2016 through 2019, however, stands at 782, compared to 998 for the previous five years”

(Associated Press). In a recent survey of students at BU (of 162 respondents), they revealed that they feel less safe riding at night. Although crime has been on the decline lately, this committee should seek to continue that trend, so that all people, including students at BU, can feel safe on the Boston-area rail any time of day. Common crimes on the T and commuter rail include: theft, assault, or other minor crimes like hopping turnstiles.

Commuter Times for Boston

Boston has the third longest commute of all U.S. cities, “With only 13 percent of commuters able to reach their destinations by vehicle or mass transit within 30 minutes.” More than 1/5th of full-time workers living within route 128 have considered moving away from the

Boston area due to the long commutes. Boston is tied with NYC in commute times via car with an average of 40 minutes each way. In the Boston area, those who use public transit, on average, spend 49 minutes commuting each way, making Boston 4th worst for mass transit.

Just 8 percent of people in the Boston area commuters can reach their destinations within 30 minutes using mass transit (Acitelli).

Future Payment Options

The MBTA has created a plan to add more Charlie Card vending machines to more stations, in order to help low-income and low-frequency riders. The MBTA will take full control of these machines starting in 2024, instead of having a private company control the vending machines, which will aid those who only have a Charlie card, to be able to access all the types of public transportation in the Area. “MBTA rather than the contractor will now be responsible for the placement of vending machines. To address the needs of low-income and infrequent riders, it will focus on sites which widen access rather than those which have the highest demand. The overall programme aims to provide vending machines that dispense CharlieCard smart cards, offer all-door boarding on buses and surface stops along the Green Line, and integrate the entire commuter rail network into the

CharlieCard system” (“Boston revises fare collection modernisation plan”). ​ ​ Past Legislation on Preventing Fare Increases for MBTA Funding

Funding to protect consumers from an increase in fairs: in 2013, Massachusetts Gov.

Patrick threatened to veto a transportation spending bill that passed in both the House and

Senate on Wednesday. This plan entailed raising taxes for Massachusetts residents by nearly

$805 million in 2018, but officials in Patrick’s office worried about the loss in revenue from

the expected eradication of tolls from a large portion of the Mass Pike at the end of 2017.

“While I appreciate the efforts the conferees have made, the conference report would not provide the reported $805 million in new revenue for transportation,” Patrick said in a statement Wednesday night. “I expect to return this bill with an amendment and look forward to working with the legislature to enact it” (“Massachusetts Governor Balks at Transportation ​ Bill”). In the morning, the House and Senate passed the bill by 105-47 and 34-6 votes, each. ​ The bill came as a $118 million gap and budget deadline loom over the Massachusetts Bay

Transportation Authority (MBTA). The funding would keep the MBTA from having to increase its fees. The "T" transit system hit riders with a 23% increase in late 2012. The Pike, on New Years Eve 2017, took out tolls from the original 123-mile patch eastward from the

New York State line to the / in Newton. As part of the plan, tolling would continue along the remaining 15-mile extension into Boston

(“Massachusetts Governor Balks at Transportation Bill”). ​ ​

Questions to Consider

1. What is the best way to pay for the proposed improvements to modernize the

system, enhancing the amount of public trust?

2. Should we look into other private companies to replace Keolis or have the

public Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Secretary Stephanie

Pollack, have more of a role in running and operating the MBTA?

3. How can we incentivize people to ride the T more often so we can reduce

pollution from cars? Also, how can we accommodate an influx of riders?

4. Should we have more transit police patrolling stations and cars at night and

during the day? Looking at equity so transit police just for subway stations,

should we retrain police for better security for all so people are free from theft

and assault, and free from being profiled or harassed by law enforcement? Is it

worth having a security system, similar to TSA, at major stations for passengers

before boarding the commuter rail?

5. Should we create an app for mobile devices with which people can pay for the

subway by scanning their phone (a mobile Charlie card), similar to the

Commuter rail?

6. Should public transit use be free to essential workers or people who make less

than a certain income or for all (as done already in Kansas City and Pittsburgh)?

7. What cities and towns in the Boston-area should we extend rail to?

Bloc Positions

Towns/Cities/Districts That Have Railway Stops: more likely to be in favor of increasing taxes ​ for railway upgrades; likely less inclined to support imposing taxes that would fund railway extensions to other areas.

Towns/Cities/Districts That Do Not Have Railway Stops: less likely to be in favor of tax ​ increases for railway upgrades; likely more inclined to support imposing taxes that would fund railway extensions to their cities/towns

Democrats: pro-expansion, pro-tax increases (majority) (abt. 36 people) ​ Republicans: anti-expansion, anti-tax increases (minority) (abt. 9 people) ​ List of Representatives:

1. Smitty Pignatelli (D) 4th Berkshire district

2. (R) 1st Hampden district

3. Robert DeLeo (D) 19th Suffolk district

4. (D) 1st Franklin district

5. (D) 2nd Berkshire district

6. Daniel Carey (D) 2nd Hampshire district

7. Ann-Margaret Ferrante (D) 5th Essex district

8. (D) 5th Bristol district

9. (R) 1st Middlesex district

10. David LeBouf (D) 17th Worcetser district

11. (R) 22nd Middlesex district

12. Elizabeth Malia (D) 11th Suffolk district

13. Joan Meschino (D) 3rd Plymouth district

14. (R) 2nd Essex district

15. Mathew Muratone (R) 1st Plymouth district

16. James Murphy (D) 4th Norfolk district

17. Nguyen (D) 18th Essex district

18. (D) 4th Barnstable district

19. Bradley Jones (R) 20th Middlesex district

20. (R) 7th Plymouth district

21. (D) 33rd Middlesex district

22. (R) 9th Essex district

23. (D) 9th Bristol district

24. (D) 8th Suffolk district

25. John Lawn (D) 10th Middlesex district

26. Kathleen LaNatra (D) 12th Plymouth district

27. (D) 6th Suffolk district

28. James Hawkins (D) 2nd Bristol district

29. Danielle Gregiore (D) 4th Middlesex district

30. (D) Barnstable, Dukes, and districts

31. Lori Ehlrich (D) 8th Essex district

32. Michelle DuBois (D) 10th Plymouth district

33. (D) 2nd Norfolk district

34. Edward Coppinger (D) 10th Suffolk district

35. Mike Connolly (D) 27th Middlesex district

36. Linda Campbell (D) 15th Essex district

37. (D) 2nd Middlesex district

38. (D) 9th Plymouth district

39. (D) 3rd Norfolk district

40. (D) 12th Middlesex district

41. (D) 7th Norfolk district

42. (D) 6th Bristol district

43. (D) 36th Middlesex district

44. (D) 1st Suffolk district

45. (D) 9th Suffolk district

Helpful Resources

Popularity of Each of the Commuter Rail Lines: https://www.boston.com/uncategorized/noprimarytagmatch/2013/12/20/a-guide-to-the-mbta-c ommuter-rail.

A new project, set to be completed in December of 2021, will create 7 new stations, a storage and maintenance facility for vehicles, and two different branches (of the green line). This will all cost 2 billion dollars. However, this includes extra costs associated with Covid-19: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A515066257/GPS?u=mlin_n_stjohns&sid=GPS&xid=bf2ca78e

.

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/all.%20MBTA%20Performance%20Dashboard