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Attendees pose on a BSRA fantrip in front of an ex-Eastern Mass. Street Railway GMC bus, June 15, 1975.
Bradley H. Clarke Photo

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"The Past"
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HOME   /   WHO WE ARE   /   OUR FIRST 50 YEARS

Past, Present & Future

by Michael R. Prescott, 50th Anniversary Committee Chairman
(Originally published in Rollsign, March/April 2009 Issue)
 

For this young transit enthusiast, taking a ride above the streets of Charlestown, or hopping aboard a streetcar at Lechmere bound for Clarendon Hill are things experienced only through video, photograph, and word of mouth. But in celebrating these memories of "transit past," we recognize the significance of "transit present," and preserve our memories of the experiences we have while riding the MBTA. In turn, we pass them on to a new generation, riding the system as they know it decades from now.

While we grimace and gripe about the woes of commuting, or the trials and tribulations of the MBTA, we should also remember that we are experiencing what may be a major changing point in local transit history. Just as the Boston Elevated Railway became the Metropolitan Transit Authority, and the MTA in turn became the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the MBTA as we know it today may soon become another name in the long line of local transit entities. With that will inevitably come changes in service—both good and bad—and new types of thought and visions for the future of transit operations in Boston.

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