🚇 The Red Line hits rock bottom

It’s Thursday, Boston.

🧇 It’s also National Waffle Day! Gong Cha, known for its delish bubble tea, is celebrating with $4 bubble waffles at participating locations all day long. Go ahead, embrace your inner Leslie Knope.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Free community college

• Oktoberfest deal

• My dog ate my passport

Up first...

TRANSPORTATION

The Red Line is seeing red

We probably don’t need to tell you this, but … the Red Line has seen better days. Especially as of late. Globe correspondent Daniel Kool recently did a deep dive on the line we love to hate, bringing us up to speed on just how bad things are.

Here’s where we’re at:

🐌 To no one’s surprise, the Red Line is slow as molasses. The recent average speed has been hovering around 13 miles per hour, according to data from TransitMatters, a local transit advocacy group. That’s all thanks to the 30% of Red Line track that’s under some kind of speed restriction (which have only increased since the start of 2023). And those slow zones have now added over 1 hour and 10 minutes to a normal roundtrip commute.

⏰ A recent trip from Alewife to Park Street during rush hour took 32 minutes. Which should take less than 24 minutes at peak speeds — they’re less than six miles a part. Google Maps estimates the drive from Alewife to Park Street is around 30 minutes during the morning rush, and biking is 34. And depending on how fast you bike, it could be less.

📉 Which probably explains why the Red Line’s ridership is in decline. Data shows reduced ridership has coincided with decreased speeds. Prior to slowdowns starting in July 2022, Red Line weekday ridership topped 100,000 trips on average. This month, it fell to about 83,000. And for some riders, they’re close to throwing in the towel. One told the Globe that if he had a cheaper parking option, he’d ditch the line entirely.

🚧 And if you’re a Braintree branch rider, it’s been the summer of shuttle buses. The branch has seen a litany of weeknight disruptions this season. But, it’s technically not for nothing. As of Aug. 15, over 800 track ties have been replaced during those diversions, according to the T. And it looks like the Ashmont Branch is next, with details still TBD.

🚇 The good news? It looks like more new Red Line cars will be delivered in the fall. And a T spokesperson said the agency is “confident the work taking place will begin to show a meaningful impact soon.” It’s also worth noting that the diversion work has been working on other lines (just not yet on the Red).

But since the T has made us all a little jaded, we’ll need to see it to believe it.

QUICK QUESTION!

👎 Which MBTA line do YOU think is the worst?

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CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🎓 Free community college for folks over 25 kicks in today. As part of her “look at all the fun things I passed in the state budget” tour, Gov. Healey is announcing the rollout of MassReconnect today, a program covering the full cost of tuition and fees at all 15 Mass. community colleges. To qualify, you just have to be 25 or older on the first day of classes, have lived in Mass. for a year, and not have a college degree (some credits are fine!). Here’s how to enroll.

🤔 To make rent control a ballot question? Or not? That is the question advocates are asking themselves. With Beacon Hill giving rent control the cold shoulder, supporters are split on whether to push to put the initiative back on the ballot in 2024. Reminder: Voters banned rent control on a 1994 ballot q. And while the request to put it on the ballot has already been filed, the issue’s most vocal supporters have been pretty quiet. Some think it’s safer to keep pushing the Legislature to take it up, instead of letting voters possibly shoot it down again.

💳 Wegmans shoppers might want to check their bank account. Whether their cannoli dip or frozen pizzas were in your shopping cart, if you bought anything at Weggie’s on Aug. 16, you might have been double charged due to a system-wide glitch. The issue mainly impacted credit card transactions; EBT and debit cards purchases were only double charged if you chose to process them as credit transactions instead of entering your PIN. Luckily, if you haven’t already, you should see a refund on your card in the next couple days.

🍻 Harpoon Oktoberfest tickets are officially on sale. Dirndls and lederhosen will descend on Harpoon’s 33rd annual beer extravaganza on Sept. 29 and 30. Aside from an infinite flow of beer, this year’s festivities will be complete with stein-hoisting competitions, pretzel-eating contests, chicken dancing, and more. Plus, the festival footprint this year will be much bigger, with extra entrances and a tented area with limited seating. Pro tip: You’ll save $10 on your ticket if you buy it by August 29.

TOGETHER WITH BOSTON LIGHTS

Giveaway alert!

We’re giving away two tickets to Boston Lights at the Franklin Park Zoo. To be eligible, refer a friend below and have them accept your invite between August 23 and 25. If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and they’ve accepted), you're eligible! Full details below*

ONE LAST THING

My dog ate my passport

Tired: My dog ate my homework. Wired: My dog ate my passport.

That’s exactly what happened to Donato Frattaroli, just days before he was set to fly to Italy to get married.

After returning from picking up their marriage license at Boston City Hall last week, Frattaroli and his fiancée noticed the first few pages of his passport were chewed to oblivion in their dog’s bed.

The couple was, understandably, beside themselves. But luckily, their story ended up making national headlines, helping Fratteroli secure a passport appointment earlier this week so he can catch his flight on Friday.

And while their story ended on a high note, it’s probably safe to assume their pooch, Chickie, is still in the dog house.

🐶 Thanks for reading! OK, but how can you be mad at that face …

😭 The results are in: More than a third of B-Side readers have over $50K in student loans, with several readers sharing they have between $200K and $300K after grad school. To which I say: Make sure you sign up for the SAVE plan for at least a little relief.

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