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Originally Posted by MadPadraic  I believe that the MBTA operates at a substantial loss... |
According to an article in the Boston Phoenix 1-2 weeks ago, the loss is only due to debt service that many regard as unfair. The T cost a ton to create (and I assume that's how the principal amount was determined), but it also provides benefits (environmental, economic, etc) that the MBTA cannot collect on. So there are lots of ways to slice it, and it's not clear what portion of that debt is deserved, and what portion the city should pick up.
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Originally Posted by MadPadraic ...I also reject the notion that trains would be slower. Amtrak (regular service, not Acela) is faster from Boston to Providence than a bus, and faster from Providence to Penn station than a bus from Kennedy Plaza to Port Authority. This holds for virtually all hours of the day and night... |
This is only possible where there are multiple tracks and lots of pull-offs. Virtually every other route is much slower than a car/bus because you have to wait for the freight trains.
I'm actually a big fan of trains, though--wish we could get permission to build more/better tracks so they could thrive.