Beantown's getting a big bucks boost for its buses and trains. The Massachusetts House of Representatives is going all-in with a budget that includes the fattest wallet ever for the MBTA and regional transit to the tune of $739 million, as reported by NBC Boston.
The fat check, intended to fix up and fuel the future of mass transit in the Commonwealth, is pushing $555 million to the MBTA alone—a major uptick from current funding levels. According to the Boston Globe, this money aims to not just keep trains running on time but to also make sure they manage to run safely. The House is keen to quickly address the MBTA's safety and training concerns, with a $40 million earmark to create a so-called "MBTA Academy" to pump up its workforce development efforts.
And it's not just about keeping the T on track. House Speaker Ron Mariano is particularly proud of the focus on the workforce, as he told Boston Herald, saying "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."
While the House is ready to roll out the dough, they're putting less into the kitty for the MBTA's new low-income fare program than the governor wanted—$20 million compared to Healey's $45 million ask. This got some folks wondering if it will cover the costs once the discounts attract more riders. In the year that starts in July, the MBTA itself guesses the tab for the low-income fare program will hit at least $27 million, ballooning to as much as $62 million by 2028, the Globe reports.
Despite the heaps of cash flashing, the long-term funding fault line at the T—it’s expecting a whopping $863 million chasm by 2028—remains. While the state's general fund and the new tax on the state's wealthiest residents, aimed at supporting transportation and education, back the budget boost, the fix is still far off for the MBTA's deep budget gaps, warns Mariano's office per the Herald.
With the full House version of the proposed spending plan set to be aired Wednesday and slapped on the debating table on April 24, eyes are peeled for what the future holds.
