Officials oppose MBTA cuts
Vote set for today
Transit advocates aren’t backing down from the fight against a series of sweeping cuts to bus, subway and commuter rail services subject to a vote today that MBTA officials say are necessary to make up for lost revues amid the pandemic.
“It’s clear that millions of Greater Boston residents oppose these MBTA cuts,” said Lee Matsueda, executive director of Community Labor United, the lead convener of the Public Transit Public Good coalition. “Our research shows that more than 70% of residents are concerned about the impact the cuts will have on safety for riders and workers.”
Matsueda will join U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch outside the State Transportation Building this morning ahead of the noon vote on the cuts. U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley will join remotely.
Scores of advocates and elected officials have criticized the transit authority for a lack of transparency and for failing to provide the public with an adequate opportunity to weigh in on a revised package of cuts.
MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak last week delayed a vote by the Fiscal Management Control Board on the initial round of proposed reductions following widespread criticism. He suggested pushing off some decisions about service cuts to next year given the emergence of a coronavirus vaccine and renewed hope for federal stimulus aid.
“I think there is room for a little more optimism around a federal stimulus package,” Poftak said at the time.
The board is expected to vote today and lay out its plan for the phased service cutbacks.
Changes announced last month would end service on the Red, Orange, Blue and Green lines at midnight on weekdays and Saturdays. Sunday service would run from 6 a.m. to midnight, and train frequency would be reduced 20%. Twenty-five bus routes would be cut, and others reduced.
Changes could be implemented as early as the coming spring, according to initial timelines.
Mayor Martin Walsh, the City Council, public transportation advocates and elected officials across the commonwealth have decried the changes, saying it will harm Boston’s recovery, especially in low-income communities, as the region struggles to emerge from the pandemic’s economic impact.