House budget to include ‘record’ MBTA funding
Proposal calls for new ‘MBTA Academy’ to deal with staffing shortages
When the House unveils their version of the fiscal 2025 budget on Wednesday, it will include “record” investment into the state’s beleaguered and aging transportation systems, according to House Speaker Ron Mariano’s office.
The budget coming out of the House Ways and Means committee later this week will include more than half a billion dollars for the MBTA and hundreds of millions more for regional transit.
“Ensuring that the Commonwealth is equipped with a safe and reliable public transportation system is critical for the prosperity of our residents and communities, and will be vital in our future efforts to grow the economy. That’s why the House is proposing a record investment in the MBTA, an investment that will allow the new leadership at the T to meet the immense challenges that they face head on,” Mariano said in a statement.
The MBTA will get $555 million, according to the House plan, and regional transit authorities $184 million.
Out of those funds, $314 million go to the MBTA’s operating budget, $75 million toward capital improvements, $65 million for “projects that address safety concerns at the MBTA related to the findings of the Federal Transit Administration’s Safety Management Inspection initiated in April 2022,” and $40 million would go to create a new MBTA Academy.
“Given the workforce recruitment and training challenges that have plagued the MBTA, I am particularly proud of the House’s proposal to establish an MBTA Academy that would help to bolster their workforce development efforts,” Mariano said.
A further $20 million would be spent to implement Gov. Maura Healey’s proposal for reduced fares for low income riders, $35 million to tackle capital improvements related to climate readiness, and $5 million in grants for ferry service.
Altogether, spending on transportation in the House’s fiscal 2025 plan represents an increase of 41% over fiscal 2024. The cost of the increased spending will come from the general fund and from money made off the state’s Fair Share Amendment, or
Millionaire’s Tax, which taxes incomes over $1 million an extra 4%.
“Having a well-run transit system is critical to the success of the Commonwealth. This record amount of funding shows the House’s commitment to improving our transportation infrastructure in every area of the Commonwealth,” House Committee on Ways and Means Chair Representative Aaron Michlewitz said in a statement.
The full House version of Gov. Maura Healey’s $56.1 billion spending proposal will be released Wednesday and go up for debate on April 24.
According to the MBTA’s general manager, the transit system will require $24.5 billion in capital improvements to reach a “state of good repair.”