The point is for everyone involved except the T, there are better places than Yard 8 for a Maintenance facility. (Put it in the tow lot, hee hee). Asking the T to make a minor concession doesn’t seem like too much.

Really, look at Google Earth, or a map – if you add on to the north side of Big Blue, you’ve got the possibility to tie Brickbottom into new development in the Inner Belt area.

For that matter, when Cambridge got their UDAG money and built the Galleria and MultiCultural Arts Center, they (and the MBTA) also committed to move the Lechmere Station to the other side of McGrath. Why nobody digs out that commitment (through a Freedom of Information Act inquiry) and gets it enforced is simply the Mayor’s fault. It’s worth about $40 million, give or take a few quid, but, what’s their money to him when he can get ours!?

I was told from neighbors that the Green Line would be in at least Union Square by 2011. I was told this in 2005 when we purchased our home. I see no movement yet. If they need someone to help dig some tracks, I am willing to help.

There has been justifiable opposition to the location of the maintenance facility in Yard 8, including by residents of Brickbottom, but they are nevertheless very much in support of the Green Line extension. I think Brickbottom would be upset at your suggesting that they are “fighting it.” I know of no organized opposition to the extension in Somerville — it’s one of the few issues in which the city seems to be in universal agreement.

Privatize the MBTA? Cause it’s worked so well for health insurance, right? Janine, the MBTA is already semi-privatized. The commuter rail is operated by a private company, and the service is, if anything, worse than the subway. Privatization will only create a corporate monopoly that tries to gouge its ridership at every turn.

NYC transit system is not in any way a model of financial health. It was recently bailed out to the tune of $2.26 billion by the state, and the fare is being increased from $2 to $2.25.

Why the T cannot run 24/7 is a good question. One of the features that makes that difficult is that maintenance is routinely performed on the tracks overnight when it is not running. The NYC MTA has the luxury of multiple tracks running between many locations, so when one track is being repaired, the trains only run on the other track. The MBTA experimented briefly with the Night Owl bus service that ran along different subway lines, but it was largely a flop. That said, if the T wasn’t under such heavy financial strain right now, I would like to see the question of 24/7 service revisited. I think there are much bigger priorities, though, like extending the Green Line.

The handling, or lackthereof, of money comes from the management that obviously needs to be shaken up. If I was governor, I would either semi-privatize or completely privatize the MBTA. The subway in NYC runs 24/7 and the fee is reasonable. Why can’t the T run 24/7?