The partial restoration of Green Line service all the way to Heath Street is good news and a great effort on the part of the cash-strapped MBTA. Development on S. Huntington Avenue is booming and transit service is needed more than ever there.
But the MBTA can’t always fix itself. A year ago this month, Boston residents were out in force to express their outrage over MBTA rate hike and service cuts—including the reduced Green Line service—due to the T’s endless debt and budget problems.
A year later, we’re poised to have the same charge-more-for-less plan again when the new fiscal year hits in July. The state legislature appears to have done little and the MBTA, with a new general manager, is not staging public meetings to drum up political support this time around.
The T is crucial to Boston’s economic opportunity, especially for the working poor, the elderly and students, all of whom are significant parts of the local population. The T can’t run on good wishes or political posturing. As we called for a year ago, it needs a thorough state investigation followed by a pragmatic, long-term legislative solution.