Woburn Delegation Writes To MBTA Opposing Service Cuts

Press release from the Woburn state legislative delegation. The delegation sent the following letter to the MBTA's general manager.

General Manager Steve Poftak

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

10 Park Plaza

Boston, MA 02116

November 25, 2020

Dear General Manager Poftak,

We write to express our strong opposition to the proposed MBTA service reductions, specifically those affecting the City of Woburn.

While we recognize the budgetary challenges the MBTA faces, we believe that it is extremely misguided to cut bus service and Commuter Rail service in Greater Boston, when doing so will simply drive traffic from those reverse commuting onto our already overly congested highways.

The reduction of commuter rail service will significantly challenge the City of Woburn’s long-term economic development and housing production efforts. The area around Anderson Regional Transportation Center is transforming with the opening or construction of a total of 900 units of housing in walking distance to this transportation hub, with several hundred more housing units currently going through the permitting process. These soon-to-be new residents of Woburn will rely upon public transit; therefore, we vehemently request that you cancel any plan to cut commuter rail service on the weekends and after 9:00 p.m. during the week.

The commuters of this region deserve an affordable, reliable, and convenient means of public transit in and around Boston. These individuals travel to Boston and the surrounding areas to work and provide for their families while tens of thousands of Massachusetts residents reverse commute to Woburn each day for work. Those who currently take the bus will be forced to travel by car, which will further strain our roadway infrastructure while increasing pollution.

The City of Woburn plays a critical role in the economic engine of Greater Boston. We are at the intersection of two major interstate highways where Commuter Rail is necessary to ensure access to the overall transit system. The bus and commuter systems ensure access to major employment centers and shopping malls, the Alewife MBTA station, and vital services like the Middlesex County Superior Court, the Middlesex County Family and Probate Court, and the Woburn District Court. To propose these drastic actions now in the middle of a pandemic is extremely shortsighted.

It does not serve our public and our communities who are working hard to rebuild after being ravaged by COVID-19. You are as aware as we are that reducing service levels, closing stations, and shelving critical construction projects will have lasting negative impacts on public transit ridership, long-term economic growth, and housing development, as well as our efforts to fight climate change and improve air quality and thereby public health.

We implore the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and elected officials to come together to find a sensible alternative to the current proposal. We look forward to working with you to find solutions that will protect the interests of the public, the MBTA, and our region’s long-term economic stability.

Best regards,

Richard M. Haggerty

State Representative

30th Middlesex

Cindy F. Friedman

State Senator

4th Middlesex

Michelle L. Ciccolo

State Representative

15th Middlesex

Cc:

MassDOT Secretary Stephanie Pollack

MBTA Director of Special Projects Angel Donahue-Rodriguez

Woburn Mayor Scott Galvin

Woburn City Council President Lindsay Higgins

Cummings Properties Chairman and CEO Dennis A. Clarke

This letter was produced by the state legislative delegation. The views expressed are the authors' own.