Published in the July 17, 2019 edition.
By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — Got an idea for improving MBTA bus or commuter rail service to Wakefield? Now may be your chance to relay your thoughts through the town to the MBTA.
The town has received a letter from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation outlining a process for submitting ideas for new service to the MBTA.
“The MBTA has established a process by which sponsors, including cities and towns, can propose new service pilots and then work with the MBTA to evaluate the proposal on a set of common metrics,” the June 25 letter states. “Proposals that meet minimum projections for costs and benefits will be presented to our Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) for consideration to operate in our next fiscal year.”
Under this process, the MBTA defines “new service pilots” as “additional frequency, hours of operation or new route(s) that require little to no capital investment for the MBTA.”
The Town Council indicated at its meeting this week that this would be a good opportunity for the town to gather feedback from local users of MBTA buses and the commuter rail. The Town Administrator’s Office would then put together a proposal to submit to the MBTA.
Especially in light of the recent MBTA rate increases, Town Councilors felt that it would be worth finding out if local users feel that they are getting good service.
Maio offered one example of the type of input the town will be seeking.
“Many seem to feel that the bus service from Oak Grove to Wakefield is lacking in the evening commute,” he said. “I am told that some take the bus to Oak Grove in the morning and then take the commuter rail home. Added bus frequency would help.”
Maio stressed that the state charges Wakefield an MBTA assessment on the Cherry Sheet. The proposed assessment for FY 2020 is $608,086.
The MBTA letter states that sponsors (including cities and towns) “need to demonstrate demand for service, community support and high-level feasibility without major capital investment.”
Initial drafts of proposals are due by Sept. 15. The MBTA will then work with sponsors to determine the viability of the proposal and conduct additional analysis. The second drafts of proposals will be due on Nov. 15. After additional MBTA analysis, proposals meeting minimum requirements will be presented to the FMCB for possible funding. Pilot service could start in FY 2021.
“We are going to reach out to the citizens to get their concerns and comments about increases in service,” Maio said. Based on feedback received, the Town Administrator’s Office will put together a proposal to submit to the MBTA.
