The MBTA has been plagued with issues over the last few months. From derailments to other
incidents, it has not been a good time for the Transit Authority. However, several good things have
happened, including the reopening of the Wollaston Station and the first new Orange Line cars
entering service.

Ronald Temple, the Commuter Council President transferred to ENC his sophomore year, and
commutes from Brockton every day. He says that “with traffic, it’s like 40 to 45 minutes in the
morning.”

Temple does not currently use the MBTA to get to campus, but he has used it at other times in
the past. When he did take it, Temple said “I found that I had to actually leave about an hour
before I need to get to the place where I am going. I don’t think they are as reliable as they can
be and I think that is something that can be improved.”

In April 2017, the MBTA announced that Wollaston station would close for 18 months for
a major renovation that would make the station Americans With Disabilities Act compliant. The
station closed in January 2018, and shuttles ran to North Quincy and Quincy Center. Wollaston
station finally reopened on August 16, 2019.

“I think that’s going to make things a lot easier for the commuters to get on campus, and they
will be able to make it to class faster and things will be less stressful,” Temple said.
In the fall of 2014, the MBTA announced a contract to produce new trains for the Red and
Orange lines. These would replace the entire fleet, which includes cars from the 1960s and 70s.
After several delays, the first new Orange Line train entered service on August 14, 2019.

New features include wider doors to make boarding faster, folding seats, and improved
accessibility features including automated stop announcements and beeps to signal that the
doors are opening and closing.  Temple states, “I am sure that the commuters are very excited about that, it should make things a lot easier.”

Although the MBTA has had a difficult time lately, improvements are coming down the tracks.