MBTA Fails to Show for Council Presentation

The Everett City Council held a meeting of the Committee of the Whole on Thursday, November 21.

On the agenda was a presentation by the MBTA Fiscal Management Control Board regarding its Commuter Rail Vision.

Five members of Council were present: Councilor Fred Capone, Councilor John Hanlon, Councilor Michael McLaughlin, Councilor Michael Marchese and Councilor Peter Napolitano. While this was enough members to hold a meeting, the presenter did not arrive.

“We have a quorum, which is exciting,” said Councilor Capone, “but we have nobody here to present.”

Council waited several minutes for the scheduled guest to show, and ultimately ended up postponing the meeting to an unspecified date. They hope it will be rescheduled before the end of the year.

On November 4, the MBTA Fiscal Control Board voted in principle to electrify and extend its Commuter Rail, serving the communities of Everett, Chelsea, Revere and Lynn. The train would provide trips every 15 minutes. The expansion would ideally reduce the amount of vehicles on the road, easing the burden of congestion from regional traffic patterns and local car-dependent development.

The City is fully supportive of the expansion as it seeks to increase transportation options for residents while at the same time cutting down on vehicle use.

Phase 1 of the transformation will include implementing multiple-unit electric trains along the Providence/Stoughton line, the Fairmont Line, and the line that connects Boston, Everett, Chelsea, Revere and Lynn, also known as the Environmental Justice Line.

One exciting piece of that program is a potential new station in Everett. While there are no concrete plans for that, City officials have said they could envision any such station being located near, or underneath, Sweetser Circle.

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