Readers Say

Readers say slow zones are the MBTA’s biggest issue. Here’s why.

"Fix the public transportation system to make it something people want to use."

Passengers disembark the Trolley at Mattapan station. Riders on certain MBTA lines have been advised to add 20 minutes to their commute Monday morning, because of operation slowdowns. Pat Greenhouse/Boston Globe

By Zipporah Osei

April 21, 2023

5 minutes to read

The list of concerns Boston.com readers have about the MBTA is long and grows longer with every delayed commute, safety failure, and miscommunication from the transit authority.

The agency’s new general manager, Phillip Eng, stepped into his new role in early April and said his job would be to address those concerns head-on. Given the issues that have been plaguing MBTA in the last year — slow zones, track failures, understaffing, and more — we wanted to know which of those issues was most important to commuters.

“What I have to do is juggle all of those different priorities,” Eng told reporters after taking a T ride to Park Street. “Safety. Reliability. Communication.”

We asked our readers to tell us what fixes they want the MBTA to prioritize and most of the 120 people who responded to our survey told us that the biggest concern was slow zones, which still cover 24% of the system’s tracks, according to the MBTA.

Drake N. from Wenham said he was encouraged by the new director’s early comments, but knows that “many improvements are needed to bring this decrepit relic of a public transportation system into the 21st century. Albeit, already 23 years late!”

Like many of our readers, he offered suggestions of where the MBTA could focus its immediate efforts, including regular safety tests, increased commuter rail frequency, and improved communication with riders about train arrival and travel times.

Below you’ll find a sampling of responses from more readers sharing their suggestions as well as their experiences with the MBTA.

What MBTA issue do you think is most pressing?

Safety

13%

Slow zones

53%

Increased staffing

10%

Other

24%

Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What MBTA issue do you think is most pressing?

Slow zones

“The commuter rail reverse commute has been neglected for a long time. We often have trains crawl at a standstill on the Haverhill line waiting for other trains on single-tracked portions of the line. There is space for a second rail in most of the affected locations and almost looks as if the second rail was purposefully removed. More than anything though, before the pandemic, my commute was 10 minutes faster: 35 minutes door-to-door from Melrose to Andover.

“The shuttle bus replacement service during track work is also very bad, it shows up late when going inbound by the same amount of time. I was told they wait for a train before leaving Haverhill. If we know what time that train is supposed to come, then why not just change the schedule to accurately reflect the time it is supposed to arrive? I can’t risk missing it so I show up a few minutes before the bus is scheduled, only to wait almost half an hour for it to show up in its ‘real-time.’ furthermore, we once showed up 1 minute or so late to Reading, and the train left without the people from the shuttle when we were assured it would actually wait for us.” — Gwen L., Melrose

“It should not take 15 minutes to wait for a train and even worse when delays inevitably happen. A half-hour commute takes about an hour with slow zones right now. The T also desperately needs improvements to the tracks, beyond just bringing them into a state of good repair they also need to be straightened to allow for faster operation of the train over time. This is most important for the commuter rail trains which would massively benefit from electrification. It’s important to also continue to expand service throughout the community with a silver line to Everett, a blue line extension to MGH, and consider more ambitious projects like a ring line/new rapid transit along the grand junction railroad.” — Liron B., Belmont

“[Eng] needs to end speed restrictions now and increase Orange Line and other transit lines service. Even consider running service past 12:30 a.m., if not consider running bus service past midnight.” — Kenneth K., Charlestown

“I think high levels of service and, specifically, frequency are really necessary to make the T a comprehensive transport system. This should include buses too since they are the backbone of the system, although rail gets most of the focus.” — William F., Roxbury

“There are so many issues that plague the T. Safety is a huge concern but also being able to get places on time is also crucial. It now takes almost an hour just to go downtown when it used to average 20 min. That is unacceptable. The fact that there are so many buses that get stuck in traffic or don’t use a schedule properly is ridiculous. Why don’t certain buses run on the weekends or at night when we actually need them? Especially considering how long the trains take, it’s better to take buses. There isn’t an easy way to connect getting places in a circular way around the city, you always have to go in to go back out. Super annoying.” — Kristine, Boston

Safety

“Getting the infrastructure and safety measures up to the current standards. Any improvements made now will be compromised or short-lived if the T does not build a solid foundation of maintenance and oversight.” — Allison, Malden

“Make sure equipment is tested and if it needs replacing, replace it with good quality equipment.” — Diane, Boston

“Safety. Trains should not be packed to the brim because there aren’t enough trains running. Also, should not be worried about a T breaking down or catching on fire. That’s a big one.” — Melissa, Medford

“Creating and enforcing a safety culture among MBTA employees, creating an anonymous penalty-free system for reporting safety violations and tracking them until they’re addressed or resolved, providing the public with the means to report system safety issues (which are separate and distinct from personal safety and security concerns (i.e., criminal behavior).” — Anonymous, Dedham

Increased staffing and other concerns

“Initiate a recruitment program with local colleges and vocational schools, so there are more young people working for MBTA. Apologies to long-serving staff who have done their jobs tirelessly, but the transit system desperately needs a youthful and energetic facelift.” — Drake N., Wrenham

“Reliability, reliability, reliability. The T and the commuter rails should be running more often and be a reliable top choice for commuters. We have the worst traffic because commuters refuse to take public transit and drive into the city and I don’t blame them. I’m surprised the T can’t hire workers. Maybe they should establish partnerships with the community colleges and get people good opportunities to work for the T.” — Steve G., Beacon Hill

“Focus on getting enough resources, such as staff, to support MBTA operations and construction.” — Anonymous

“Accessibility and affordability for riders as well as easier ways to pay for fares (mobile app, more Charlie card vendors, and reload places). These things are also crucial to the T.” — Jonas R., Watertown

“Focus on rebuilding the MBTA. Forget electric charging stations for vehicles in Greater Boston. Fix the public transportation system to make it something people want to use. Use world-class cities that have good public transportation as a model for Boston.” — Adam, Charlestown

Boston.com occasionally interacts with readers by conducting informal polls and surveys. These results should be read as an unscientific gauge of readers’ opinion.