> I'd love to see public transit's utility improved
Me, too. For instance, I'd like to see some modern effort to reduce the effects of the tinnitus-causing screeching of rail cars on the MBTA. For daily commuters who take particular routes, the noise pollution is a serious issue.
For another example, I'm reasonably sure regenerative breaking is not a thing for the light and medium rail, (might be for the silver line) because those systems are old enough designs that efficiency wasn't so much of a concern. Rather, I recall hearing they use big resistor packs to turn speed into heat, and maybe stink up a station when they fail.