Unsurprisingly in the pandemic era, MBTA finances are in a downward vortex as ridership has plummeted. Excerpts from attached Commonwealth Magazine article of 9/15/20:
WITH FINANCIAL CHALLENGES mounting at the MBTA, General Manager Steve Poftak joined transportation officials from across the country on Tuesday to press Congress to pass a stimulus package containing $32 billion of financial aid for the nation’s transit authorities.and
The amount is more than the $25 billion the agencies received under the earlier CARES Act and far more than the $15.75 billion the House included in a stimulus package that is currently sitting dormant on Capitol Hill. A $32 billion package could be worth $1 billion to the MBTA.
the T is only beginning discussions on how to deal with an expected $300 to $600 million shortfall expected to show up in mid-2021. Poftak said the T will likely have to curtail its capital spending and cut services, actions that he said will impact employees and third-party vendors in the long run.and
To preserve money for the maintenance of existing core assets, the [Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation] report recommends deferring or canceling many capital projects that are either planned or already on the drawing boards. Many of the projects already have a strong base of support.https://commonwealthmagazine.org/transp ... -agencies/
New Red and Orange Line cars will be purchased, but the Taxpayers Foundation report said initiatives to achieve service levels every 3 to 4 ½ minutes could go, at least for now. So could proposals for a new West Station as part of the Allston I-90 makeover; a subway connection between the Red and Blue Lines; an expansion of track capacity at South Station; a transformation of the commuter rail network to electrify it and provide more frequent service; expanded service to Worcester, Springfield, Greenfield, the Berkshires, and Cape Cod; and the so-called phase two of the South Coast Rail project to New Bedford and Fall River.
The Taxpayers Foundation report suggests the capital spending program needs to change to accommodate changing work and travel patterns. “What drove the demand for travel before the pandemic – real estate usage, health care services, education, business conferences, and tourism – may not drive future transportation needs,” the report said.
