Residents of Chelsea are calling for greater frequency on the Silver Line, improved dependability, and expanded bus service from the MBTA. The city faces three significant construction initiatives over the coming two years that threaten to disrupt bus traffic further, prompting concern among municipal officials and the public that service quality will decline even more.
“There have been big shifts in population and
ridership, and the bus routes have stayed largely the same,” Steve Poftak, the MBTA’s newly appointed General Manager, acknowledged. “The T is playing catch-up.”
On January 24, Poftak convened with residents and City Council members at City Hall for the inaugural meeting of the Chelsea Transportation Task Force. The committee plans to gather monthly for half a year of collaborative dialogue between the community, Poftak, and other stakeholders to identify potential remedies.
A resident from Bellingham Square observed, “For a lot of us who live on both of the
hills, buses are the only means of transportation,” “Every year or two, they threaten to cut off both of the
hills. That would leave us totally stranded, and I’m not having it.”
Many residents remain frustrated by the congestion created when the Chelsea Street bridge rises and lowers—each cycle taking 20 minutes—which impedes bus movement. According to the MBTA, efforts to coordinate with the Coast Guard on establishing restricted opening times during peak commute periods have stalled due to the federal government shutdown.
“We have limited control over the bridge.
Maybe we could have some predictability with windows when we know the bridge
will be active and when we know it won’t,” Poftak stated.
The Better Bus Project is evaluating the existing bus network and developing cost-neutral recommendations to increase service frequency. Researchers have been gathering input from riders about trip origins and destinations, local economic conditions, and employment centers.
Council President Damali Vidot remarked, “We are advocating for fair mitigation,” “We’ve needed quality service for years and are
working at a sub-par level. Chelsea was an afterthought in the Better Bus
Project. We want to make sure we’re getting the service we deserve.”
The Better Bus Project has developed 47 proposals affecting 63 of the MBTA’s 180 routes across 35 of 50 served communities. These proposals contemplate discontinuing low-ridership routes and reallocating those resources.
The Transportation Task Force is advocating for additional inspectors, reduced service cancellations, and improved transfer options between Chelsea and Lynn on the Commuter Rail.
City Manager Tom Ambrosino stated, “We are re-imagining the infrastructure on
Broadway,” “We will be presenting the City
Council with alternatives that do away with two fast lanes to make travel
safer. One idea is incorporating a dedicated bus lane.”
Rising rents driven by gentrification have displaced many Chelsea residents to Lynn. One Chelsea worker employed in Lynn described a commute of up to two hours using public transit. She noted that the 112 bus is the only direct connection between Chelsea and Everett, but many avoid it because of bridge operations, and suggested the 426 bus serving Lynn could be extended to Chelsea since it already crosses the Tobin Bridge.
“In the overall bus network redesign, people
on the north side of the city are particularly interested in going to Lynn and
Malden,” Poftak concluded.
Better Bus Project proposals will be accessible at www.MBTA.com with accompanying maps and data. The MBTA is also offering a comfortable space at Haymarket Station for riders to review proposals, where Chelsea residents have shown the strongest engagement.