5 Things We Love About MBTA Bus Network Redesign Phase 1

On Monday, the MBTA will launch Bus Network Redesign Phase 1, kicking off perhaps the most significant bus network evolution in the agency’s history. Over the next few years, the MBTA will dramatically expand its frequent service network, provide better connections to secondary job centers (especially the Longwood Medical Area), and simplify complex routes and schedules.

Journey staff have worked alongside the MBTA, MassDOT, and municipal planners on related studies and projects over the past decade – and we are extremely excited to see the agency’s hard work hit the street.

Here are five things we love about Phase 1:

A simple, clearly communicated, all-day frequent transit network.

Phase 1 introduces 15–minute, all-day frequent transit service throughout most of Everett and Chelsea. These communities are among the region’s strongest transit markets, with many residents using transit as their primary means of mobility. With Phase 1, Everett and Chelsea residents can now walk out their front door knowing their bus is only a few minutes away.

The MBTA is creating this network through both streamlining existing routes and increasing service overall. The agency established frequent network service standards (at least every 15 minutes, 5 am to 1 am) and is introducing a new icon for frequent routes on all maps, schedules, and bus stop signage.

A frequent, one-seat ride to every subway line.

Everett is currently the closest community to Boston without a one-seat rail or bus rapid transit ride to major job centers like Downtown, Back Bay, Kendall Square, and the Longwood Medical Area. Most Everett transit trips therefore require a bus to rail transfer. Today’s bus network funnels almost all Everett riders to the Orange Line. Trips beyond the Orange Line may even require another transfer – significantly reducing job and activity access for Everett residents.

Phase 1 provides frequent access between Everett and all five of the MBTA’s rapid transit lines for the first time. This is achieved through extending Route 109 past the Orange Line at Sullivan Square to Harvard Square in Cambridge and by transitioning Route 104 to a crosstown service. These changes introduce a myriad of new one-transfer rides for Everett residents, with new direct service to the Red Line, Green Line, Blue Line, Silver Line, and several major bus hubs. Additionally, the new network will operate more frequently early in the morning and late at night, when Everett residents are much more likely to be traveling than is typical in the region.

A frequent, direct connection between Everett and Chelsea.

One standout element of the Phase 1 frequent network is that each route is designed to do a few things really well, without trying to do too much all at once. For example, Route 109 provides an easy-to-understand transit spine within Everett, as well as direct access to three rail lines. Route 110 provides fast access to the Orange Line for Everett residents, as well as crosstown service between Everett, Revere, and the Blue Line.

This structure is most apparent with the reimagined Route 104. Today’s Route 104 duplicates Route 109 on Broadway between Sullivan Square and Glendale Square in Everett, before diverting to provide quick Orange Line access along Ferry Street. Route 104 does a great job at getting riders to the Orange Line, but it’s duplication with Route 109 makes Broadway bus service harder to schedule and operate reliably.

The new Route 104 leaves Broadway at Everett Square to become a frequent crosstown service between Malden, Everett, Chelsea Station, Downtown Chelsea, and Airport Station on the Blue Line. This change introduces fast and frequent service between Everett and Chelsea for the first time. Residents no longer must rely on the slow and extremely circuitous Route 112 for this important crosstown link.

The new route also greatly enhances access to the Silver Line, Blue Line, and Commuter Rail, and most importantly in the eyes of many residents, provides a one-seat ride to Market Basket. Plus, Ferry Street residents still can use the new Route 104 for quick access to the Orange Line and frequent network transfers at Everett Square.

Better access to Logan Airport for workers and travelers, at an affordable cost.

Much of the public places a high value on a rail connection to the airport – envisioning a quick way to avoid traffic and expensive parking. But airports are tricky places for transit. Travelers begin their trips throughout the region, so many will have to transfer or drive and park to reach airport-bound service. They often have heavy luggage, which is difficult to carry on trains or buses. And airports are often far from other major destinations, meaning that transit lines to the airport might not serve any other trip purposes. As a result, in the United States, airport links are often underutilized, except for one key market – airport employees.

As part of Phase 1, the MBTA leveraged the uniquely central location of Boston’s Logan Airport to create a new transit link that specifically benefits airport employees. The new Route 104 introduces a frequent, direct connection between Everett and Airport Station – where Logan-bound employees and travelers can access the airport’s extensive shuttle network. The MBTA created this access with a simple change, ending Route 104 at Airport rather than at the current Route 112 terminus at Wood Island. Unlike many airport transit routes, Route 104 is not designed specifically for airport access – instead serving many travel markets. This means that the MBTA can provide higher quality airport access for minimal additional cost.

While this approach is not directly applicable to all airport markets in the United States, there are lots of lessons to be learned here. The MBTA could have brought Route 104 directly into the Logan terminal loop, but that would sacrifice reliability and increase cost – making the route less useful for its other purposes. The MBTA could have created a dedicated one-seat ride between the airport terminals and Everett, but that would be expensive and likely operate much less frequently. Route 104 is a good balance for addressing a challenging problem, and its example should be considered by all agencies weighing whether to stretch out a route to facilitate better connections.

A strong foundation for even better transit.

Over the past few years, Everett, Chelsea, and Revere have all made significant investments to support the MBTA. Most notably, the communities have each created bus only lanes on major corridors – facilitating faster and more reliable bus service. Phase 1 both leverages this existing infrastructure and creates a foundation for even more investment. For example, the MBTA was recently awarded a $22 million RAISE grant to build a separated busway on Lower Broadway in Everett. This project is envisioned as a steppingstone towards a Silver Line BRT extension between Chelsea and Sullivan Square via Everett. But it also will greatly enhance the reliability of Phase 1’s extended Route 109 service.

The MBTA is working to replicate this model for future Bus Network Redesign phases planned for the coming years. The agency has an ambitious transit priority strategy, including the development of bus only lanes on congested streets throughout the planned frequent network. The MBTA and the City of Boston have both established dedicated teams to implement this vision, initially in partnership with the Barr Foundation. And the agency recently published a transit priority toolkit for municipalities (warning: large PDF), providing clear guidance for making transit better as part of local roadway projects.

In combination, these strategies create a bright outlook for bus service in the Boston region – and provide a critical example for how to improve transit incrementally, rather than exclusively through major capital projects.