😬🚇 Did the MBTA shutdowns ... work?

It’s Tuesday, Boston.

📀 Calling all Gen Z-ers! Do you collect DVDs, Blu-rays, or 4K films? Globe reporter Aidan Ryan wants to hear from you for an upcoming piece. If you’re interested, fill out this survey, and reach out to [email protected] with any Q’s.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• It’s raining liquor licenses 

• The Gulf of Weymouth

• Rejected vanity plates

Up first…

TRANSPORTATION

New analysis of the MBTA’s shutdowns

Was the MBTA’s year of shutdowns worth it? A new analysis from transit advocacy group TransitMatters has some insights as to whether the millions of dollars and torturous shuttle bus shleps paid off.

Here’s what they found:

🚃 Green Liners arguably took the biggest L. Thanks to its mostly above-ground operation and more frequent stops, the Green Line is naturally slow. But despite 13 diversions in 2024, the line’s B, C, D, and E branches saw “minimal” speed improvements. Plus, the line missed the mark on promised service increases, with the T running just 65% of scheduled trips. On the bright side, times did improve on the trunk. Rides between Kenmore and Government Center are around a minute faster now than in Nov. 2023. 

🤩 But the Orange Line is “doing amazing,” sweetie. That’s according to Seth Kaplan, labs co-lead at TransitMatters. After years of being crippled by various issues, 15 diversions later, the line is killing it. Since Jan. 2024, trip time between Forest Hills and Oak Grove has improved by a whopping seven minutes and 40 seconds (18%) southbound and nine minutes and 10 seconds (20%) northbound. Another positive sign: Service is more frequent, with the line running 91% of scheduled trips last month.

🚇 The Red Line is faster, but problems persist. Red Liners were arguably the No. 1 victims of the MBTA’s shutdown era, seeing 16 diversions, including one that lasted 24 days. Thankfully, it paid off in terms of speed and frequency. Every single section of the line is faster than it was in Jan. 2024 (trips from Alewife to Braintree are nearly 20 minutes faster), leading to a 40% bump in scheduled service. That said, the line often still sees worse delays and less frequent service than others.

🚆 And the Blue Line … never really had issues to begin with. Well, compared with the rest of the T. Blue Liners saw just three diversions which shaved trip times by around one minute inbound and four minutes outbound. 90% of scheduled trips went out, and weekday service frequency got better. Our unproblematic queen. 

😬 The million dollar question: Was it all worth it? According to TransitMatters, mostly, yes. While the shutdowns sucked and didn’t always make things much faster *cough* Green Line, the MBTA delivered on most of its promises, and we’re on a much better track (lol) now than we were pre-shutdowns.

📊 Want to see the numbers for yourself? Check out the analysis here.

QUICK QUESTION!

🚇 Do you think the T’s year of shutdowns was worth it?

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🍸 Raise a glass to Boston’s 37(!) new liquor licenses. Boston’s licensing board has doled out its first batch of 37 FREE liquor licenses of the 225 total that the city has to give. The new licenses are thanks to landmark legislation passed last fall, and are mostly restricted to 13 underserved zip codes that couldn’t otherwise afford the $500k-plus price tag. Recipients include Dorchester’s justBook-ish, Eastie’s The Smoke Shop BBQ, JP’s Jadu, Brighton’s From Scratch, and even the Franklin Park Zoo. But before the drinks start flowing, the spots need final approval.

🏘️ Boston’s City Council passed a (kind of) rent control measure. A.k.a. the “good landlord” tax break, which would offer property tax breaks to landlords who keep rent affordable for lower-income tenants. There’s just one little snag: The idea is the centerpiece of mayoral candidate Josh Kraft’s housing platform … which Mayor Michelle Wu called “fake rent control.” Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata, who sponsored the legislation, said the timing has nothing to do with Kraft (though Kraft’s campaign begs to differ). Once the bill is refined by Wu’s office, it’ll get a final vote.

🌊 Hingham Bay? That’s the Gulf of Weymouth to you. At least, according to Weymouth Mayor Bob Hedlund, who satirically proposed the name change in a Facebook post, taking a page out President Trump’s playbook. The post, which included a very-DIY version of the “new” map, argues that three harbor islands are territorially part of Weymouth, which was also settled 11 years earlier than Hingham. Unsurprisingly, chaos ensued on FB. See: An official from Hingham responded by planting a flag on the beach, and Hedlund made a strange video montage. At least they’re having fun.

🦪 Babka, bagels, and a raw bar, oh my! Three new bites are coming to Greater Boston. Bakey, a local babka and coffee spot, officially opened its fourth location in Kendall Square. You can check out the new digs here. Meanwhile, The Pearl opened its second seafood locale at Boston Landing, with a raw bar, brunch, and more. Plus: PopUp Bagels isn’t wasting any time expanding in Mass., announcing its second location at Somerville’s Assembly Row sometime this year, weeks after debuting in the Seaport. 

THINGS TO DO

Weekday plans

🪡 Get the craft juices flowing. We’re obsessed with punch needle art, but not-so-much with the prices. The solution? Learn to DIY at Bow Market’s punch needle workshop tonight.

🍕 Trade DiGiorno for a real pizza pie. It’s not delivery, it’s this pizza-making class with Lala’s at Time Out Market on Feb. 19. Expect a hands-on class where you’ll knead, spread, and sprinkle all your ingredients, and enjoy a complimentary pie. 

🎭 Theater kids, ASSEMBLE! If your favorite Broadway musical and a tasty dinner had a baby, it might be this Broadway supper club performance on Feb. 20. Think: 54 Below vibes, just in Somerville.

🍝 Enjoy a pasta-making class under $100? In this economy!? Learn to make carbonara from soups to nuts (and enjoy the fruits of your labor) in this pasta-making class on Feb. 20. 

🎨 Paint and sip your problems away. Keep the Valentine’s vibes going at this cupid’s canvas paint and sip event on Feb. 21. Enjoy a live DJ, a guided painting sesh, and complimentary sweet treats.

🎿 Apres ski … at a Mexican restaurant? We’re trading mountain tops for roof tops at this apres ski-themed party at Felipe's rooftop on Feb. 21. Shout out to Harvard Business School’s Canadian club for hosting!

🤠 Swing your partner ‘round and ‘round. Get ready to kick up your cowboy boots and chow down on some BBQ at Sweet Cheeks Q’s boot scootin’ line-dancing bash on Feb. 21.

👠 Practice your best “smize” for Tyra. If you grew up on “America’s Next Top Model,” you’re gonna to love this “Next Top Model”-inspired drag show on Feb. 21 at Jacque’s Cabaret. Yes, there will be Cover Girl commercials. IYKYK.

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ONE LAST THING

Vanity plate rejects

Picture this: You’re driving on I-93 when the car in front of you slams on its breaks. You’re mad, but not nearly as mad as when you notice that their license plate says “SHART5.” 

Thankfully, the good people at the Mass. RMV won’t let that happen. In fact, there are hundreds of vanity plate applications that get denied for one reason or another. To name a few: “STAWHP,” “HOTBOX,” “STRIP,” and “PISOFF.” But trust us, there are a lot worse than that in this video by NBC10.

Wanna see more vanity plate rejects? Check out this Globe article.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🚗 Thanks for reading! Be honest, should Emily and Gia get B-Side vanity plates? 

🤑 The results are in: 47% of B-Siders are 1,000% against the proposed $15 increase on rideshares to and from Logan. Judging by the write-ins, it’s mostly because we can’t really trust the T to get there. One reader said: “I’m all for decreasing car usage, but Massport seems to constantly forget that you can’t use the T to catch a 6 AM flight…”

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