MBTA Free After 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve

The subway lines will run a modified schedule on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

The MBTA has announced its New Year's Eve schedule. Some highlights include:

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Do You Feel Safe Riding The T?

A national organization of state transportation officials awarded the Massachusetts DOT with a high safety honor for highways, but does MBTA need to make the T safer?

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is now nationally recognized for higway safety leadership after receiving an award Tuesday. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has given MassDOT its 2012 Safety Leadership Award for “taking significant action” in reducing highway fatalities an injuries, according to a MassDOT statement. While the organization was recognized for highway safety, its public transportation sector experienced two negative incidents recently. A Green Line trolley collided with another trolley at Boylston Street Station recently sending passengers flying, and police are still searching for a man who struck a trolley operator at Fenway Station. Do you feel MassDOT is doing enough to…

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Some 60 People Attend ‘Conversation’ on Public Transportation's Future

Some offer complaints, kudos and ideas.

Remember the hue and cry early this year when the T proposed to cut road and rail service or raise rates for riders? Fares went up. So did ridership, across public transportation modes, according to Jonathan Davis, acting general manager and rail and transit administrator of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which is part of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). What do residents of the Commonwealth want in their public transportation system statewide? MassDOT, which oversees public transportation on roads, rails and tarmacs here, held a meeting at the McGlynn Middle School in Medford on Nov. 29 as part of a series of “conversations” statewide, to hear ideas about the transportation system people want and …

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TELL US: How Should We Pay for Our Roads, Highways & the MBTA?

Gov. Deval Patrick plans to ask lawmakers to raises taxes to make up for the shortfall in Massachusetts' transportation system. What options should they consider — and what is off the table?

Would you be willing to pay more at the pump, have a tracking system on your car that taxes you by the mile, or see tolls on state highways? Those are just some of the possibilities looming as Massachusetts looks to erase the state's transportation system's deficit. The Boston Globe reported that Gov. Deval Patrick will ask lawmakers to raise taxes in order to pay for a transportation system—from the MBTA to roads and bridges—that continues to operate in the red. The administration will present a specific proposal by Jan. 7. One option is raising the gas tax, a route Patrick sought in 2009 only to be rebuffed by the legislature. Patrick sought a 19-cent hike, while business groups endorsed a 25-cent increase. Ultimately, the state Senate …

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MBTA Mobile Ticket App Launches

Starting Nov. 12, you can buy Commuter Rail tickets on your smartphone.

The MBTA has launched its mobile ticketting app for Commuter Rail trains including the South Acton/Fitchburg line that runs thorugh Waltham, according to Boston.com. Smartphone users can download the app, called MBTA mTicket, and purchase commuter rail tickets prior to boarding the train. One-way, round-trip and 10-ride tickets will be available through the app, which is compatible with iPhone, Android and soon Blackberry. Monthly pass purchases will be available this winter.  Currently, riders can only buy tickets for lines that run through North Station, and South Station lines will be available after Thanskgiving.

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VIDEO: Waltham Man Attacks MBTA Officer

See what this Waltham man tried to do to an MBTA cop.

Man Hit By MBTA Bus on Moody Street

Waltham firefighters are responding to the incident.

Waltham firefighters are responding to a report of man hit by an MBTA bus at 625 Moody St., according to scanner and Twitter reports. The man is reportedly not breathing and unconcious, according to scanner reports.  Stay tuned to Waltham Patch for updates to this story. 

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MBTA to Shut Down Service 2 p.m. Monday Due to Sandy

Plan your trip home accordingly

If you braved the elements and took the T to work this morning, pack your stuff now: The MBTA will shut down service at 2 p.m. due to severe weather caused by Hurricane Sandy. According to the T website, the service suspension includes subway, bus and commuter rail service. Ferry service had already been suspended earlier in the day. The Ride remains open but users are "strongly encouraged" to call the contractor for their area to see if service is available.

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POLL: Do you Think the MBTA Should Sell Station Naming Rights?

MBTA officials presented a plan earlier this week that proposed selling naming rights for 11 stations.

While the talk of the Watch City right now may be other subjects, Greater Boston is abuzz with the possibility of corporations purchasing names for local MBTA stations.  According to a report in the Boston Globe, MBTA officials unveiled a plan on June 26 that proposed selling the naming rights for 11 T stations, a measure that could bring in a potential $147 million for the cash-strapped transit system. Officials are still exploring selling naming rights to Commuter Rail stations, which would include Waltham's stop on Moody Street Check out the full Globe report here. Although the focus for now is just on downtown stops (including South Station, Park Street, Downtown Crossing and Boylston), the MBTA is looking to spread the naming rights …

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Waltham Authorities Train For Rail Disaster

Waltham Police and Fire responded to a simulated car and train collision on June 10 by 110 Beaver Street.

Imagine your car has stalled on the train tracks. Just behind you, a tractor trailer is driving full steam in your direction. To your right, a commuter rail train blows its horn as it approaches you.  The result of this simulated catastrophe was precisely what Waltham Police and Fire responded to on the morning of June 10 by 110 Beaver Street. With the help of an army of volunteers, first responders were able to train and prepare for the worst.  Specifically, the drill had a train crash into a hitting a car which hit a tanker truck, according to Boston.com. The tanker truck started leaking and firefighters applied foam to clean it up. Authorities also responded to around 100 train passengers with a range of injuries including one seriously…

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