Saturday, July 26, 2025

Red Line cars on hold plus four more stories


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Welcome back to the Saturday Send, a weekly digest of stories from CommonWealth Beacon that you may have missed. 

This week, Bruce Mohl investigates the detention of 8 Red Line cars by US Customs and potential delays to the MBTA's long-running effort to replace its aging subway fleet.

Plus: Gateway Cities brace for sweeping changes to MassHealth under the Trump administration’s tax bill, the Healey administration eyes Canadian offshore wind, Beacon Hill hears testimony on cannabis advertising, and Jennifer Smith examines whether "Opportunity Zones" have delivered on their promise.

Check out those stories below, and, as always, thanks for reading.

— The CommonWealth Beacon team


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MBTA officials said US Customs is trying to verify CRRC, the Chinese rail car manufacturer, is complying with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.

excerpts: 

For years, CRRC has been shipping Orange and Red Line subway vehicle shells from its main plant in China to its Massachusetts facility in Springfield, where final assembly takes place. Officials said there have been few holdups on deliveries from China in the past.

The MBTA has been relying on a long-running contract with CRRC to update its old subway fleet. CRRC has delivered 146 of the 152 new Orange Line cars the T ordered, but the transit authority desperately needs new Red Line cars. Forty-eight of the 252 new Red Line cars have been delivered, according to the T, which means the bulk of the Red Line fleet is running with subway cars that are 55, 37, and 31 years old, even though the useful life of a subway vehicle is typically 30 to 31 years.


In March 2024, after nearly a year of negotiations, the MBTA and CRRC Massachusetts struck a deal to get the delivery of vehicles back on track. The T waived $90.6 million in penalties for previous late deliveries and agreed to waive $40 million in additional penalties if CRRC adhered to a new timetable calling for all of the new Red Line cars to be delivered by the end of 2027, which was still four years later than the original contract’s deadline.


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The Trump administration’s tax bill will likely hit hardest in the state’s Gateway Cities, which are home to a disproportionate share of the state’s immigrants and low-income population, as work requirements and Medicaid eligibility checks ramp up. Here’s how Gateway City leaders are responding.

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With federal roadblocks to clean energy, Massachusetts is eyeing Canadian offshore wind to meet climate goals and make the grid more affordable. But the switch could mean fewer local jobs and potential transmission infrastructure hurdles ahead.

 

Those in the cannabis industry are saying that the strict advertising laws on cannabis hurt their businesses while those on the other side say that the laws need to be more stringent.

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“Opportunity Zones” – now a permanent policy – offered major breaks to investors who pursued projects in low-income communities. But in Massachusetts and across the country, whether the program delivered much on its promise is still up for debate.

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This week on The Codcast, it’s the state angle on artificial intelligence. CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Sabrina Mansur, director of the Massachusetts Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hub. Mansur explains how she uses AI in her daily life and why keeping Massachusetts competitive means a $100 million taxpayer-funded effort to get into the AI race.

 
 
 
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