Over 300,000 people use the MBTA on an average weekday, many of them on the Green Line’s C branch. They come in a multitude of shapes, sizes and mobility ranges. But for some, boarding and unboarding the train proves difficult.
The MBTA has secured around 30 million dollars to renovate the C branch in Brookline, which runs from St. Mary’s Street to Cleveland Circle. The platforms will be longer to account for longer trains holding more people, and transit signal prioritization will improve to increase reliability. According to Brookline.News, out of the 13 stops in Brookline, three are set to be removed, one is set to be added and six will be upgraded.
Tommy Vitolo has been Brookline’s state representative for six years and has worked with the MBTA many times in the past. He said that he thinks the MBTA is doing a great job incorporating many aspects of renovation through the same pot of money.
“Accessibility, that’s super important. We need to have a society that works for everyone of a broad range of abilities. Length, we’re creating more space for the T so that when it’s full, there’s still room for people so people don’t have to miss the train and get on the next one. And then the transit signal prioritization improves the speed in the reliability of that service as well so all three are happening,” Vitolo said.
At stoplights, the MBTA has already implemented transit signal prioritization, meaning that when the train approaches a stoplight, the light will stay green for longer. This is intended to improve efficiency of the train. However, many stoplights are located after platforms, and stoplights cannot predict how long it takes for people to get on and off the train. So, it is currently impossible for many lights to know exactly how long to stay green for. The upgrade with the renovation, according to Vitolo, is that some of the platforms will be moved after the stoplight, so that the car gets prioritized with the light and after that, it loads and unloads the passengers.
At the beginning of the project, the MBTA made a presentation to the Brookline Select Board to detail their plans for the renovation. Select Board member Michael Sandman said he thinks handicap accessibility is the most important thing to come out of the project, and that a personal experience with a foot injury made him more cognizant of the need for accessibility improvements for the T.
“I live closer to Kent Street, but I had to roll myself to Coolidge Corner in order to get on the train, because the platform is a little bit elevated there, and it was much easier to get on [at the Coolidge Corner stop],” Sandman said. “That’s something that anybody who has a permanent disability has to struggle with every single time they want to use the T.”
Executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board Brian Kane said that another aspect of the project will add a new type 10 train that is longer and has a ramp for better wheelchair and stroller access.
“Those trains will be longer and so the team needs to make some changes to the physical infrastructure to be able to make sure that those new trains have enough room and space to stop without blocking intersections,” Kane said. “And between now and the time those train cars get here, we’ll make some changes and some decisions and hopefully it works for most people.”
Vitolo said the project is expected to be completed by 2026, but this could change if the team runs into an issue or if the federal funding gets blocked by the current presidential administration.
Vitolo said he believes that this project will be beneficial to all riders, and that it is a result of the efforts of many people, including disability advocacy organizations who have been working to make the T more accessible for decades.
“I think C line riders will really have better service,” Vitolo said. “It’s a testament to Phil Eng, the general manager of the MBTA who’s done a wonderful job, along with Governor Healey and the state legislature, in figuring out ways to fund improvements and implement those improvements with T.”
