City Council Pushes for Safer Sidewalks at Commuter Rail Stations

After a winter of snow-covered sidewalks leaving commuters trudging through snowbanks and streets, the City Council is taking action to ensure safer travel for Boston residents.

Offered by Councilor Worrell, the resolution supports including sidewalk snow clearance in the MBTA’s upcoming commuter rail operator contract. This change is aimed at improving conditions at commuter rail-only stations, such as those along the Fairmount Line, where residents have reported unshoveled sidewalks for weeks.

The resolution highlights that sidewalk clearance has been a long-standing challenge that disproportionately affects commuters with disabilities and that current contracts, like Keolis’, do not assign this responsibility to the operator. City Public Works is already tasked with plowing hundreds of miles of roads and municipal properties, making it clear that this duty is better assigned to the MBTA or its contracted operator.

As the MBTA finalizes its choice of commuter rail operator by the end of 2026, the Council emphasizes the importance of including sidewalk snow clearance in the contract to ensure residents and commuters can safely navigate sidewalks after storms.