Photo: WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Zero is the magic number for MBTA riders this holiday season.
The MBTA Track Improvement Program came to a close Saturday, the culmination of more than a year's work to eliminate speed restrictions on the T's subway system.
With the project's completion, the Green, Red, Blue, and Orange lines are all free of slow zones for the first time in 22 years.
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According to MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng, the mission to improve Boston's mass transit system is not over yet.
"Less wait times between trains, more trains running every day, shorter trips," Eng told reporters Saturday. "You don’t have to really plan your trip, you know it’s there."
One of the agency's goals for the future, Eng noted, was addressing the T's drainage system.
"We cannot have our system sitting in standing water," Eng said. "The existing drain system right now—clogged, broken—that’s why the water is standing. That is why our infrastructure is failing sooner, we’re not getting the longevity out of it. So what we want to do is put our crews in a position to succeed."
Despite the work that lies ahead, Eng expressed optimism for the MBTA's future.
"We know every day has challenges, we know every day brings new, different things that we need to face, but we want to deliver a safe, reliable, robust service for everybody, day in and day out. Not just on the subways, but across all our modes," Eng said.
WBZ's Mike Macklin reports.
