BOSTON, AUGUST 25, 2022 (State House News Service) – The federal agency that oversees the MBTA said the T was not required to conduct a stock analysis before closing the Orange Line for 30 days, despite claims by a civil rights group that the shutdown it was “illegal and discriminatory.” After Lawyers for Civil Rights on Wednesday criticized the uproar in communities of color and called on federal officials to review the MBTA’s compliance with anti-discrimination law, the Federal Transit Administration said the T’s approach was within bounds in terms of the consideration of disproportionate effects. An FTA spokesman told the News Service that companies are not required to perform stock analyzes for temporary line closures. While they are expected to do this research before major service changes to comply with Title VI, any changes lasting less than 12 months for construction, rehabilitation or emergency repairs are exempt, the spokesman said. LCR claimed that the MBTA failed to adequately consider whether shutting down the Orange Line would cause undue and excessive harm to riders of color. Gaps in service and other issues have been addressed “in a haphazard, last-minute fashion” by the T, the civil rights group argued. The other two federal agencies LCR contacted in its open letter, the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins, did not respond to The News Service’s requests for comment Wednesday. More
