Legislators hear from riders on T

Lynn resident Frances Noone knows state Sen. Thomas M. McGee, and she was happy to hear McGee and fellow legislators got a close-up look at MBTA operations Thursday by riding the Blue Line and other trains.?If they are going to make decisions for the T, it?s best to ride it,” Noone said.McGee has sounded the alarm for years about the need for more money to pay for Massachusetts? roads, bridges and mass transit lines. He boarded the Blue Line at Wonderland station just after 8 a.m. to hear Noone?s and other riders? concerns.Fixing the MBTA and commuter rail lines after a winter that saw trains break down and service grind to a halt starts with managing the transit agency?s debt, said McGee.?Debt is the biggest challenge,” he said. “A lot of revenue that comes into the T goes to debt.”Noone rides the T from Wonderland to Cambridge almost every day, and February saw her spending up to three hours commuting from Lynn to Revere and into Boston.?It was so exhausting,” she said.She said Massachusetts voters missed an opportunity last November to pass a gas tax indexing referendum to provide money for transportation improvements. With a million people riding the MBTA every day, McGee said Massachusetts? economy depends on mass transit. The MBTA, in turn, should benefit from the economy.?The connection to transit is key,” he said.Saugus resident Trisha Caruso knows all about that connection. She works as a dental hygienist, and MBTA lines overwhelmed by February?s snow forced her employer to close on storm days.?It was horrible,” she said. “Our business relies on commuting.”Revere state Rep. RoseLee Vincent rode to the Blue Line?s State Street station with McGee Thursday as part of her effort to identify the biggest challenges facing the MBTA. Like McGee, she once took the subway from Wonderland to Boston every day. Now she is an infrequent rider, but the newly elected legislator knows Revere residents depend on the subway to get to work.?It?s important we have world-class transportation,” she said.Salem resident Nancy Peirce was aboard the Blue Line with McGee on Thursday and said she has seen public transit systems function during severe winter weather.?Chicago has more snow without the problems,” she said.Noone said the MBTA?s problem is its “funding structure” and she was glad to see McGee match his understanding of that problem with his interest in hearing riders? viewpoints.?I?m really happy to see him,” she said.