Mass Transit Demands Have US Cities Scrambling

Driving to work this morning, I heard on the WXLO traffic report that there was an accident at the Rt. 140 - Rt. 30 intersection in North Grafton. I hope none of the Train Riders who use the Grafton station were involved in the accident. I also hope no one was delayed as a result of the accident.

Yesterday CNN.com published an article titled "U.S. cities scrambling to meet rising mass transit demands." Even areas of our country that are very car-centric have been reporting a surge in the use of mass transit. The MBTA was mentioned:

For example, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which is currently operating at capacity during peak periods, ordered more subway cars, buses and coaches for its commuter rail.

The article didn't really share anything new, but it is interesting to see transportation become a major issue. The article did reference iReport, which is interested in having commuters across the US share their commuting stories.

It is really a shame that mass transit has taken a back seat in public policy over the past 50-55 years. Our nation was so focused on using the automobile to get to and from places, that we ignored public transit. At least Boston is lucky - they didn't remove all of our train lines (though Worcester and Greenbush are new versions of older lines).

Along the lines of Boston's retirement of some train lines back in the 1950s, The Weekly Dig has a current article about how some South Coast cities and towns have been trainless since 1959. It gives the history of trying to resurrect train service to New Bedford, Fall River and other South Coast localities.

While we're on the subject of the South Coast Rail Project, SouthCoastToday.com reports on the ongoing evaluation of station sites for the line.

Today's Boston Metro had an interesting article regarding the state's bailout of the Mass Pike. The question: "If the Pike gets bailed out, what about the T?"

Finally, if you're looking for a fee-less ATM when you get off the train, then the Select-A-Branch ATM Network is your answer. Ten S-A-B ATMS have been installed in MBTA commuter rail stations around the Boston area. Read about it in this press release from Tuesday.