With garage construction behind schedule and over budget, it appears doubtful that the MBTA will be able to convert its fleet to electric buses by its self-imposed deadlines.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) announced it will likely not meet its self-imposed deadlines for switching its bus fleet to all-electric vehicles, reports Yvonne Abraham in The Boston Globe.
“If the T is going to meet its self-imposed goal, as part of its bus electrification plan published last year, its first three rebuilt garages will have to operate at full capacity by 2028, storing around 355 new battery electric buses. But all three of those projects are already behind schedule,” Abraham explains. Beyond that, the agency must build or retrofit six additional garages by 2040, when a state law dictates that all buses must be zero-emission.
Meanwhile, the MBTA “has struggled to maintain even its most basic service” as it faces steep budget shortfalls, equipment issues, and staffing shortages. Advocates of electrification point out that the new garages are also part of the system’s planned bus network redesign, which is expected to increase service by 25 percent.
Executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board says the agency should create a ‘bus facility czar’ to lead the effort. See the source article for more details on the proposed timelines and delays on building the MBTA garages and purchasing electric buses.
FULL STORY: More bus garage delays and blown budgets put T fleet electrification goal in doubt
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