The Newtonville Area Council hosted a meeting tonight at city hall with Rep. Kay Khan, MassDOT and the MBTA, primarily to discuss Commuter Rail service to the north side of the city. I wasn’t able to stay for very long, but for as long as I was there, everyone was in agreement — something quite unusual at City Hall! Everyone voiced hope for improved service, greater frequency, and accessible stations. Rep. Khan has been instrumental in efforts to construct accessible access for Auburndale station, with a $17M bond in the new budget. Hopefully other stations will follow. Will the state provide improved service to support transit-oriented development? Will DMUs ever run through Newton? Would there be sufficient ridership without related projects like West Station, the Grand Junction, Track 61, and the Riverside Spur? Can anyone who attended the full meeting provide a summary of what the state had to say?