Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/tag/mbta/page/6/)
An MBTA bus in Watertown. Several bus routes serving Watertown will see service decreased by the MBTA beginning on March 14. Among the routes affected by the service reduction are the 71 and 73 buses. The 70 and 57 buses will see increases at some times of day and decreases at other times. The Red, Green and Orange subway lines will also see significant reduction in frequency.
An MBTA bus in Watertown. With ridership significantly down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the MBTA has proposed a series of changes to the system, including altering and consolidating bus routes, and reducing hours of service on subways and the Commuter Rail. The plan has been dubbed Forging Ahead by the MBTA. The T will host a series of online meetings where the changes will be discussed from mid-November to early December. The MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board will vote on the changes on Dec.
The 71 bus will have increased service beginning Aug. 30. It is one of several MTBA routes serving Watertown that will see changes. Several bus routes serving Watertown will see changes in service beginning August 30, including increased service on the 70 and 71 buses. Other routes begin operating on a limited schedule, or route, one will have increased weekend service and one will continue to be suspended.
Buses like this one on the 71 bus will get priority heading toward Harvard Square on Mt. Auburn Street in the new Cambridge-Watertown Bus Priority Pilot program. The MBTA provided the following information:
The MBTA will host virtual meetings on Sunday, August 12, and Monday, August 13, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. to present details on fall bus schedule details and changes. The virtual meeting on August 12 will be in Spanish and the virtual meeting on August 13 will be in English. These virtual meetings will be held on GoToWebinar, a video conferencing platform.
State Sen. Will Brownsberger
State Sen. Will Brownsberger’s latest survey seeks to find out how the COVID-19 outbreak has impacted how people work and if they are using public transportation. Brownsberger, who represents Watertown Belmont and parts of Boston, posted the survey on his website on Tuesday evening. Questions include what people’s work situations are (working from home, going into work, unemployed), what people did before the outbreak and their plans for when the state reopens. Also, how much people are using the MBTA now, previously, and plans in the future. There are also questions about Massachusetts’ response to the Coronavirus and how financially secure people are feeling.
The following announcement was provided by MassDOT:
Today the MBTA reminded customers that Green Line service between Lechmere and North Stations is replaced with shuttle buses every day beginning at the start of service on Sunday, May 24, for approximately one year to accomplish work as part of the Green Line Extension project (GLX) and the Green Line Transformation Program (GLT): the closure, relocation, and complete replacement of Lechmere Station and work to demolish, relocate, and reconstruct sections of the Lechmere Viaduct. During the Green Line diversion, GLX crews will remove the existing Lechmere Station, reconstructing a brand new Lechmere in a new location in Cambridge. The GLX team has also closely collaborated with the GLT team to close and replace the existing Lechmere Viaduct, which carries Green Line trains from Lechmere across the Charles River and into Downtown Boston. When complete, upgrades made to the Lechmere Viaduct will allow more trains to pass over the bridge, serving the new Lechmere Station and six new Green Line stations in Somerville and Medford constructed as part of GLX. Starting May 24, shuttle bus service will replace Green Line trains between Lechmere and North Stations every day, including weekdays and weekends.
Riders of MTBA buses, subways and other public transportation must wear face coverings as part of the Governor’s order to stop the spread of COVID-19. The following announcement was provided by MassDOT:
Effective Wednesday, May 6, MBTA customers must wear face coverings when using the MBTA. This requirement is pursuant to the Executive Order issued on May 1, which takes effect tomorrow. The Executive Order applies to any person over the age of two who is in a place open to the public, and expressly requires masks or face coverings when using public transportation or when in an enclosed or semi-enclosed transit stop or waiting area. The Department of Public Health notes that mask use by children two years of age and up to the age of five is encouraged but also at the discretion of the child’s parent or guardian with full information available via the Department of Public Health.
The following announcement was provided by the MBTA (Note the Cabot bus facility is located in South Boston):
Following three confirmed employee cases of COVID-19, the MBTA took immediate steps to protect its workforce and riders by enacting its facility maintenance protocols to clean and disinfect all exposed work areas, vehicles, and equipment at the T’s Cabot bus facility. The three confirmed cases are MBTA Bus Operators and were reported yesterday. “We ask the public to keep our employees in their thoughts, and I continue to express my deep gratitude to the women and men of the MBTA workforce who are serving a vital purpose in combatting COVID-19,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak. “To ensure we can protect the health and safety of our workforce, we strongly urge essential travel only, and we will continue our enhanced protocols for cleaning and disinfecting all vehicles, equipment, and surfaces.”
Consistent with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), the MBTA has enacted its COVID-19 outbreak plan. We are disinfecting the employees’ workspace, vehicles, and equipment that they may have come into contact with.
Through the public health tracing process, public health officials alert close contacts of the individuals who tested positive and will provide them with instructions for self-quarantine. Under health information privacy laws, the MBTA is prohibited from providing identifying information about a particular employee’s medical status.