This is ALL on Governor Charlie Baker and former Governor Deval Patrick.
EIGHT years ago Patrick decided buying new trains from China for the Orange Line was the way to go.....and Baker then added the Red Line to the order.
BUT that same Chinese company is providing new subway cars for Chicago and Los Angeles with no major issues so something the T is doing when they get the new cars looks like the problem.
Baker then gave the paratransit dispatch contract to Uber and the T after 18 months went back to the old system and had to pay millions to Uber to break the contract.
Under Baker they entered into a contract with Cubic for upgraded fare collection equipment that has already cost more than what Chicago and New York City paid Cubic COMBINED and now might be ready in 2024.
98 years ago Boston converted what is now the Blue Line from streetcar to heavy rail which required a third-rail and raised platforms to be installed and it required a suspension of service to do the conversion in the Boston Harbor tunnel connecting Bowdoin to Maverick Square.
IT WAS DONE in 50 1/2 HOURS. How long would that take if done in 2022?
https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/East...July 12, 1924 ·,Was Built at Maverick Square.
The T has been hampered that the 3 heavy rail lines have different specifications.
RED LINE: Cars are 69 feet long and 10 feet 3 inches wide; station height is 4 feet 1 inch from rails to the platform.
BLUE LINE: Cars are 48 feet long and 9 feet 3 inches wide; station height is 3 feet 5 ½ inches from rails to the platform.
ORANGE LINE: Cars are 65 feet long and 9 feet 3 inches wide; station height is3 feet 9 inches from rails to the platform.
GREEN LINE uses trolleys, not heavy rail subway cars.
The core issue is the MBTA was born in 1964 to save commuter rail but the focus was on the Boston & Maine lines into North Sation - no attempt was made to resuscitate the Old Colony Lines that the New Haven closed down in 1959 and was finally restored in 1997/2007 at a huge cost which in turn meant less money for the subway lines.
I have serious doubts the culture of the T can be changed.