Riders seek full MBTA return
Janey, others to turn up at board meeting today
Transportation advocates — including acting Mayor Kim Janey — plan to turn up in force today to pressure MBTA managers to fully fund and resume subway, bus, ferry and commuter rail service “as soon as possible,” according to a press release.
Shortly before the
MBTA Fiscal Management and Control Board meets at noon today, transit riders, small-business leaders, and advocates will gather outside the state transportation building to speak out in support of reversing cuts and restoring service.
MBTA officials earlier this month agreed to backtrack on planned service cuts following a public outcry and pushback from Massachusetts’ congressional delegation. Officials are expected to formally lay out their plan today.
The transit agency is on track to receive nearly $1 billion from the latest round of federal COVID-19 relief funding. That’s on top of more than $1 billion already earmarked in earlier relief bills for Massachusetts transportation. U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch led the Massachusetts delegation’s efforts in pushing back on the cuts which he called an “anathema” to the will of Congress.
Like most public transportation systems across the nation, the MBTA has seen ridership plummet amid the pandemic, devastating its bottom line. Officials opted to move forward with cost-saving cuts this spring an effort to soften the blow of an anticipated operating deficit previous T estimates cautioned could balloon to $1.8 billion by 2026. But now, officials say the current and coming year budgets are “fully” funded.
“Through thoughtful planning and careful management of its limited resources, the MBTA has been able to fully fund both its current budget and next year’s budget,” T spokesman Joe Pesaturo said, noting “details” would come during today’s public board meeting.
Instead of cuts, Pesaturo said the T is enhancing revenue streams including real estate and advertising, managing its debt profile and hedging fuel prices, among other strategies.
The fiscal 2022 budget plan is expected to “fully fund pre-pandemic levels of service hours and also include funds for the start of service on the newly built Green Line extension,” Pesaturo said in an email to the Herald. The Green Line extension will bring the line into Somerville and Medford with six new stops slated to open later this year, according to the MBTA.