MBTA officials said this week they’ll continue to seek a solution to the screeching wheels on the Mattapan Line trolley as the transportation agency’s chief promised residents a “station master” they can complain to about matters at the still-under-construction Ashmont Station. After a Tuesday night meeting at All Saints Church, elected officials and abutters to the station, after years of frustration over the squealing of the wheels as the 70-year-old trolleys round the turn atop a viaduct, said they were optimistic that a solution could be found.  Read more

Red Line commuters who have waited through years of Ashmont Station construction for a back entrance to the subway to reopen will have to trek around the station for another year and a half – at least.

The Radford Lane entrance to the station, tucked on the one-way side street off Carruth Street, won’t open until the middle of 2011, according to MBTA officials. The news has left some in the neighborhood upset about continued longer walks and concerned about the ultimate fate of the entrance.  Read more

The Executive Office of Transportation held another meeting last Thursday concerning the controversial 28X line, this time with a newly organized advisory group of concerned community leaders and activists from neighborhoods along the 28 bus route. The meeting, at the recently opened Grove Hall Branch library, was the first of a series of focused advisory group meetings planned for this month.  Read more

A day after lawmakers and commuters blasted planned public transit fare increases as unfair and unaffordable, Gov. Deval Patrick suspended scheduled public hearings on the proposal – including ones in Grove Hall and at Roxbury Community College.  Read more

Clarissa Hatchel and her son Jaheim think the plan "just might work"

“I pressed the ‘stop,’ don’t cha know, driver!” called a woman from the back of the bus.

Everyone along the MBTA’s Route 28 bus route seems to have a story about the almost hour-long ordeal that is a ride between the line’s terminal stations, Mattapan Square and Ruggles -- from overcrowding to unreliable schedules to missed stops to a strong sense of insecurity.

The Mass. Executive Office of Transit has set out to rectify the long-standing criticisms of the 28 line with its proposed 28X enhancement project, designed to streamline the crowded, often chaotic route. At four community meetings last month, community members voiced concerns about the construction, noise, safety, parking, and the effect of the undertaking on local businesses. The overall sentiment reflected a lack of trust between the community and the T.  Read more

The state’s Executive Office of Transportation (EOT) held a meeting at the Mildred Ave. Community Center in Mattapan on Tuesday regarding the MBTA service developments in Mattapan, Roxbury and Dorchester, most notably the proposed 28X express bus line.  Read more

The MBTA and the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) held a community meeting at the Mildred Ave. community center on Tuesday regarding the T’s plans to revive a stalled transit-oriented development (TOD) project at Mattapan Station. The initiative is aimed at bringing new mixed-use commercial and residential buildings into Mattapan Square. The transit agency hopes that the development will be built on and adjacent to the current site of the Mattapan Station parking lot, the approximately 2.5 acre asphalt area to the north east of the station.  Read more

The MBTA held an open community meeting Tuesday to preview a new plan set to improve the route 23 bus line. Part of the transit authority’s Key Bus Routes Improvement Project, the draft plan will utilize federal funds granted by the American Recovery and Redevelopment Act to invest in transit infrastructure along the Ashmont Station to Ruggles Station route.  Read more

The MBTA will convene a public meeting tonight— Tuesday, June 23— to discuss future plans for developing land adjacent to the Mattapan Square station. For several years, the MBTA has sought to partner with a private developer to create so-called Transit Oriented Development on 2.25 acres of land next to the T station. One development team had presented a plan to create a mixed-use building on the site, but that project fell through. According to a release from the T, “MBTA staff will discuss development of the station parking lot” at the meeting, which is set for 6-8 p.m.  Read more

The MBTA will hold a public preview of its plans to improve the route 23 bus on June 23 at 6:30 p.m at Codman Tech, 450 Washington St., Dorchester. A flyer advertising the improvements says that among the changes planned to come to route 23 are improved reliability, faster service, bus shelters, “enhanced bus stops” and improved traffic flow in the area. Route 23 runs from the Ashmont T station to the Ruggles T station in Roxbury. For more information, contact MBTA project manager Erik Scheier at (617) 222-3214 or at escheier@mbta.com