As T commutes lengthen, riders find workarounds
Bree K. relied on public transit all her life while growing up in New York City and after moving to Boston 10 years ago. But recently, amid relentless MBTA shutdowns and slow zones, she got something she never thought she’d need: a driver’s license.
Bree, in her 30s, moved in September to a Union Square apartment along the MBTA Green Line Extension, and was initially excited about living so close to the T. She took the Green Line to Park Street every day, switching trains to an outbound Red Line that would take her to work, near JFK in Dorchester. The trip lasts about an hour and 15 minutes, but lately, she’s been cutting her commute time in half by driving her partner’s car a few days a week.
“I’ve relied on public transportation for 20 years of my life, but it’s very freeing right now to be able to drive instead of having to take the train,” said Bree, who did not want her last name published. “I drive around a lot now.
It’s been great.”
The Globe heard from several riders who, after recent T closures, opted for other modes of transportation: cars, bikes, and for one Brighton resident, the first Uber of her life. Their experiences reflected the increasingly apparent ways in which the T has been unable to serve the needs of many riders.
The MBTA announced last month it would incrementally shut down segments of the Red, Blue, Green, and Orange Lines for maintenance and repairs. The periodic closures, the MBTA said, target the T’s slow zones, aiming to eliminate them for good by 2025. The first of the closures spanned a significant portion of all branches of the Green Line, including the entire E branch, from Nov. 27 to Dec. 5.
Lisa Battiston, a spokesperson for the MBTA, told the Globe that maintenance performed during shutdowns that began in November has helped eliminate 24 speed restriction zones between the Green, Red, and Orange lines.
“The MBTA recognizes these shutdowns are frustrating for riders, but the improvements to infrastructure following these shutdowns have allowed the T to lift slow zones and provide more reliable service with less unplanned service delays,” Battiston said in a statement to the Globe.
So far, T closures have garnered mixed reactions from riders, some of whom expressed optimism for a once-and-for-all solution, while others remained wary of the maintenance. Among the pessimists is Rob Adams, who recently discovered he can walk faster than the T.
“I just can’t see it getting better,” he said, describing the Green Line as inefficient and decrepit.
Adams has commuted since 1996 from Wood Island on the Blue Line to Hynes Convention Center on the Green Line, typically in 35 minutes. His commute has varied in recent years, peaking at two hours before leveling out to an inconsistent 45 minutes or an hour, Adams said.
Fed up with the inconsistency of the Green Line, Adams decided to start walking that leg of his journey, exiting the Blue Line at Bowdoin near the North End and walking southwest through the Boston Public Garden and into Back Bay, where he works, for a total commute of about 45 minutes.
The walk often gets him to work faster than the Green Line, and with the right podcast or playlist, it’s a breeze — plus, added movement, sunlight, and an escape from the germ-infested subway during cold and flu season.
“I look at it as more of a plus than a negative,” Adams said. “I get out, I get exercise, I’m not stuck on the Green Line wondering whether I should get out and walk.”
Among more hopeful riders is Matt Wunderlich, who lives near the Washington Square stop of the Green Line’s C Branch.
“I have more faith than ever that these shutdowns might be the shutdowns that put us in the right direction,” he said.
Most weekdays, Wunderlich takes a 35-minute bike ride to his Seaport office — a commute that would eat up an hour and 15 minutes via T. He said the T’s slowness creates an illusion of distance in the city, leaving riders feeling even more desperate during closures and shutdowns.
“It makes you think you’re going much further than you actually are, and then you walk or bike somewhere and you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s actually pretty close,’” Wunderlich said.
He said biking is not only faster, but more consistent — especially when car traffic increases. While those driving, taking ride-share services, or riding MBTA shuttles to work battle with packed roads, Wunderlich hasn’t experienced any crowding within bike lanes, he said.
Molly Liddell, who lives in Braintree and commutes via the Red and Orange Lines to Ruggles, switched to the commuter rail after the monthlong Orange Line shutdown in 2022. The new route cut Liddell’s commute time in half — and it’s more relaxing, she said.
“On the Red and Orange [lines] I would try to read, but it was so crowded and I felt like I always had to be vigilant,” she said. “On the commuter rail I can read or listen to a podcast.”
The downside: cost. While Liddell’s commute costs $4.80 via T, the commuter rail racks up quickly — she pays $9 to park in a lot near the train station, $7 for the first leg of her journey, and $2.40 for the second. Once she gets to work and back, Liddell tallies up to $27.80 per day.
While she hopes the closures and maintenance will result in a fully-functioning T, Liddell said the timing for such repairs is never good — and more often than not, it’s everyday riders who have to pay.
“Commuters are collateral damage in all of this,” Liddell said. “Our time and our money are being taken advantage of just because fixes need to happen.”