Support WBUR
Boston's Morning Newsletter
The MBTA said 50 mph Red Line trains were coming soon. What happened?
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
Happy Pi Day Friday. Fran Kolenik, the owner of Drive-By Pies in Brookline, says the math-themed holiday is the second-biggest business driver for pie shops like hers, behind only Thanksgiving. (If you want to celebrate the day with your own homemade pies, Petsi Pies founder Renee McLeod has some tips.) But first, the news:
Getting up to speed: In late January, the MBTA said 50 mph Red Line trains on the Braintree branch were right around the corner. It would be the first time in decades that any MBTA trains surpassed the subway system’s 40 mph speed limit. One official said it could happen “within days.” They did not, however, say how many days. Since the announcement, average speeds between Braintree and JFK/UMass have yet to see any big change. So, WBUR’s Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez went to General Manager Phil Eng for answers.
- What gives? The long story short: Blame the snow. Eng says there were some “ last bits” of track work the T needed to finish before ramping up speeds. However, the crew assigned to that work got temporarily reassigned to help respond to various weather events.
- Now, Eng says the tracks are going through its last safety checks, and he expects 50 mph speeds will happen “very shortly.” How shortly remains unclear; T officials didn’t respond to a follow-up question yesterday about the timeline. (Eng said plans for 55 mph Orange Line trains north of Assembly remain “ a little further out.”)
- Meanwhile on the Red Line’s other southern prong: The T announced this week shuttle buses will replace the entire Ashmont branch and Mattapan trolley line for the first nine days of April due to track work. And there’ll be “shuttle train” service — which means longer waits — along the stretch from April 10-30.
In the crosshairs: A Trump administration task force focused on antisemitism wants to meet “soon” with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and three other mayors over how their cities handled college protests over the war in Gaza. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that “too many elected officials chose not to stand up to a rising tide of antisemitism in our cities and campuses following the horrific events of October 7, 2023.” Critics argue the Trump administration seems less concerned about instances of antisemitism in its own ranks.
- Wu’s response: “Boston has one of the most vibrant Jewish communities in America, a source of pride and strength for our City and our region, and we stand firmly against antisemitism,” a spokesperson for the mayor’s office told WBUR, adding the city found out about the inquiry from media reports. They plan to talk to Jewish community leaders about the best way to respond.
- Go deeper: Click here for the full story from WBUR’s Simón Rios on the uncharted federal political attacks Boston is currently facing.
The latest: UMass Chan Medical School is not only freezing hiring but also rescinding PhD program offers due to uncertainty about federal funding. WBUR’s Deborah Becker reports the school told several dozen incoming biomedical sciences doctoral students that their offers this fall had been taken back. “This difficult decision was made to ensure that our current students’ progress is not disrupted by the funding cuts,” the school said, adding they don’t want to risk accepting students who may not have “robust” research opportunities.
Double duty: Massachusetts Education Secretary Pat Tutwiler is taking on a second job: interim commissioner of the Department of Early and Secondary Education, the state agency that specifically oversees pre-K-12 schools. Tutwiler was appointed this week to assume the role when DESE’s current interim commissioner leaves at the end of the month for a superintendent job in Pennsylvania. (The state is aiming to hire a new, permanent DESE leader by July.)
- Some of the state’s education board members objected to Tutwiler taking a second full-time position due to both legal and “good governance” concerns. But the board ultimately voted 7-2 to approve the appointment. (Tutwiler isn’t getting any extra pay.)
Closing time: REI is planning to close its Cambridge Crossing co-op next month. Cambridge Day reports its last day will be April 3. The company says it’s closing the store — which has the smallest footprint of any REI location in the country — due to underperforming sales.
P.S.— What change has been made to South Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day parade to limit “tomfoolery”? Take our Boston News Quiz and test your knowledge of this week’s stories.
