Op-Ed: Save Boston's Mattapan Trolley

Its iconic rolling stock gives Boston's Ashmont-Mattapan line an ambiance right out of the golden age of American streetcars. But those classic trolleys may be the line's undoing. Recently, "the [MBTA] control board, charged with whipping the T's finances into shape, put the 2.5-mile Ashmont-to-Mattapan line on the chopping block because maintaining its fleet of ancient trolleys likely costs more than replacement buses would." 

This editorial makes the case for updating, not stripping out, this distinctive transit resource. "Board members should give some thought to why New York, Salt Lake City, Washington, Portland, Tucson, and other US cities have committed to streetcar lines, despite what sometimes seem like unfavorable economics. What those cities have concluded is that streetcars make communities more attractive and liveable in ways that buses don't." 

A refurbished Mattapan line could make its surroundings more valuable in a way buses never could. "It's hard to see how taking away the neighborhood's signature transit amenity would make the T's 2.5-acre parcel more valuable. If anything, by ending the trolley, the T could be shooting itself in the foot."