Goin' Underground

The MBTA is about to raise fares and cut some service for subway, bus and commuter rail passengers in the Greater Boston area, which is a shame. The move will result in some commuters leaving the "the T" in favor of driving to work or elsewhere, which will hurt the environment and add to Boston's infamous traffic woes.

It didn't have to be like this.

Up until 2000, the state legislature covered the difference between the T's income and expenses each year. Beginning that year, the state enacted what's called "forward funding," in which the T was allotted one cent for every five cents collected from state sales tax, but also saddled with $3.8 billion in debt the state had borrowed to complete public transportation work required by the feds in light of the massive Big Dig highway project.

Long story short: the sales tax hasn't dumped as much into the T's coffers as legislators had projected, the debt load is crushing the agency, making it difficult to keep up with regular maintenance on tracks, trains and buses, and the state doesn't appear to be willing to shift that debt burden. For the whole story, read this Boston Globe article.

I ride the T a lot with my son, Owen. He used to love riding the whole subway system, mapping out the trip ahead of time and making sure we followed it, well, to a T. More recently, he prefers the Green line. He likes to check out the different lines and types of subway cars, and I love to watch people, take pictures and wonder about all the abandoned tunnels of the system.

While I love the trips, I get bummed seeing the terrible shape of so many tunnels, trains and stations. The system needs money for upkeep, never mind for buying new equipment and expanding the Green line into Medford.

Because Owen and I don't ride that often any more, I'm not concerned about paying more on future trips. But for so many people, taking the T is the most affordable way to get to work, do shopping or visit friends and family. Paying more is going to hurt plenty of people, it's clear.

It's sad that the state and federal government spent $15 billion to bury Boston's Central Artery highway and improve the face of the city by removing raised highway structures, but the two entities can't commit themselves morally and financially to a cleaner mode of transportation.

The MBTA currently has a $160 million budget shortfall for the current fiscal year. So raising fees and cutting service now does nothing to address the agency's long-term fiscal woes. The federal and state governments need to commit to building and maintaining public transportation across the country. Increase gas taxes, tolls, whatever you need to do.

Whatever you do, don't blame the good folks who work at the T. Below, you'll find a 45-minute documentary, "Boston Under: After Hours," which shows how drivers, track maintenance workers and supervisors work behind the scenes to make things run as smoothly as possible.