February 06, 2023

Senator Warren, Massachusetts Delegation Celebrate More Than $550 Million In Federal Funding To Strengthen Massachusetts Public Transit

The funding — a 40 percent increase compared to FY2021 levels — will be used to improve and expand public transit services, including the MBTA, the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, and Berkshire Regional Transit Authority

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.), along with fellow Massachusetts congressional delegation colleagues Representatives Richard Neal (MA-01), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), and Bill Keating (MA-09), today celebrated news that Massachusetts will receive more than $550 million in funding through Federal Transit Administration (FTA) programs in the 2023 fiscal year. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, these FTA formula funds for Massachusetts have increased by nearly 40 percent since the 2021 fiscal year.

“I fought hard with our Massachusetts delegation in Congress to secure over $550 million in federal funding to support our Bay State transit agencies,” said Senator Warren. “These investments will help strengthen our transit system by making it safe, affordable, and accessible to all – and I’ll continue to make sure the federal government is a partner in developing the 21st century public transit network the Commonwealth needs and deserves.”

“I am proud to join my colleagues in celebrating more than half a billion dollars in federal funding for our Commonwealth’s transit agencies and authorities,” said Senator Markey. “Massachusetts families, students, commuters, and visitors deserve safe, free, accessible public transit. With this significant investment, we are one step closer to securing a brighter, more livable future for our Commonwealth that is powered by fare- and carbon-free transit.”  

“Our public transportation systems are what keep our communities moving forward and play a critical role in our nation’s fight against the climate crisis,” said Congressman Neal. “Thanks to President Biden, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is providing the financial catalyst needed to upgrade our aging infrastructure. Let this serve as a reminder of the role our regional transit authorities play throughout the Commonwealth and what completion of the East-West rail project would mean for our region’s economy.” 

“Investing in public transportation is a win-win for working families in Massachusetts and in the fight to combat climate change,” said Congressman McGovern. “Transit agencies and authorities in the Commonwealth no longer have to pinch pennies and risk commuter safety thanks to this award of $550 million in federal funding to reimagine our public transportation, made possible in part by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. I remain focused on fighting for equitable public transit projects, including the completion of East-West rail, a necessary economic connector for communities in the Second District and across Massachusetts.”

“Growing up in Lowell, my family didn’t have a lot of money, and my sisters and I routinely relied on Lowell Regional Transit Authority buses to go downtown, to school, and to work. Millions of families know what that’s like – to wake up early, walk to the bus stop or train station, and commute day in and day out. Making sure that public transit is reliable and efficient is critical to the ability of families to succeed,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “This federal investment, which includes funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will be instrumental in improving public transit options across Massachusetts. I look forward to working with Governor Healey, Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, and their administration’s transportation task force to secure additional competitive funding that will further bolster transit and other important infrastructure initiatives.”

"Investing in transit will help connect Bay Staters to jobs, services, and each other. As we implement the bipartisan infrastructure bill, prioritizing public transportation helps create walkable downtowns and a cleaner planet,” said Congressman Auchincloss.

“A game-changing, half-billion-dollar investment in our public transportation system is heading to Massachusetts,” said Democratic Whip Katherine Clark. “Secured through our historic Infrastructure Law, this funding will help bolster public transit options, slash commute times, and cut air pollution. I’m proud to have fought alongside our entire delegation to bring this vital investment home to the Commonwealth, and I remain committed to building the cleaner, greener future that Massachusetts families deserve.”

“It’s no secret that Massachusetts’ public transit system needs a wholesale makeover. The MBTA is failing our residents, who have no other option but to sit in gridlock traffic. With this funding, though, we have an opportunity for transformational change. It’s time to finally get more cars off the roads and provide people with the affordable, accessible options they deserve. We must take this opportunity to truly invest in 21st century public transit system. This includes committing to remake the T into a true regional rail system and start critical projects like the North-South Rail Link. Public transit is not only better for the environment, it will fuel our economy by connecting more people to job and housing opportunities,” said Congressman Moulton.

“Public transit is a public good. We must make meaningful investments that affirm it as such,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “This new funding will go a long way toward that goal by making our transit more accessible, and helping to create safer, healthier, and more connected communities in the Massachusetts 7th and beyond.”

"The MBTA and our regional transit authorities provide a lifeline to hundreds of thousands of residents of the Commonwealth, and this FTA investment will help ensure transit riders can make it to school, work, and beyond," said Congressman Bill Keating. "This is another example of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law making an impact in our local communities, and I am proud to have joined my Massachusetts colleagues in supporting this historic legislation."

Senator Warren has long advocated for improvements to national and state infrastructure with an emphasis on creating green, union jobs: 

  • In February 2023, Senators Warren, Markey, and Representative Keating sent a letter to Jamey L. Tesler, Acting Secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) regarding the need for MassDOT to act quickly to take the necessary steps to obtain funding for the Cape Cod Bridges and to closely coordinate with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to submit a more competitive federal grant application in fiscal 2023. The lawmakers also sent letters to Michael Connor, Assistant Secretary for Civil Works at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Shalanda Young, Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, urging the Corps to provide significant funds to replace the bridges.
  • In January 2023, Senators Warren and Markey sent a letter to Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) Chair Matthew Nelson following up on the DPU’s repeated failures as the State Safety Oversight Agency of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and requesting information on the DPU’s timeline for corrective actions.
  • In January 2023, Senators Warren, Markey, and Representative Keating celebrated two new federal grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation for Cape Cod Gateway Airport, totaling $9.8 million. $5.3 million was granted to modify 3,000 feet on the airport access road to increase access, and $4.3 million was granted to construct a new aircraft hangar and improve existing buildings, helping the airport to be as self-sustaining as possible by generating revenue.
  • In December 2022, Senator Warren and the Massachusetts congressional delegation announced that the delegation secured an estimated $225 million in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) in the Fiscal Year 2023 spending bill for projects across the Bay State.
  • In November 2022, Senators Warren, Markey, and Representative Moulton announced that the City of Salem would receive $34 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to redevelop a vacant industrial facility into a marshaling area for offshore wind energy projects. The federal DOT Port Infrastructure Development Grant awarded to Salem positioned the city to be a national leader in offshore wind as it builds a new facility that will sport a 700-foot-long wharf and bulkhead for the assembly and transportation of offshore wind components.
  • In October 2022, Senator Warren delivered remarks about the leadership and safety failures at the T by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, following years of dangerous and deadly collisions, derailments, accidents, and delays while chairing the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Policy.
  • In December 2021, Senators Warren and Markey, along with Representatives Neal, McGovern, Lynch, Keating, Clark, Moulton, Pressley, Trahan, and Auchincloss announced Massachusetts airports had been allocated over $48 million in federal grants under the Airport Infrastructure Grants under the recently enacted Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
  • In May of 2021, Senator Warren and Congressman Levin introduced the Buy Green Act of 2021, which would establish $1.5 trillion in federal procurement commitments over the next ten years to purchase American-made clean, renewable, and emission-free energy products for federal, state, and local use. The bill also establishes a grant program for U.S. companies to invest in clean energy manufacturing.
  • In March 2021, Senator Warren and Congressman Levin, along with Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), unveiled the BUILD GREEN Infrastructure and Jobs Act. Modeled after the Department of Transportation's successful BUILD grant program, BUILD GREEN would invest $500 billion over ten years in state, local, and tribal projects to jumpstart the transition to all electric public vehicles and rail and help modernize the nation's crumbling infrastructure.
  • In April 2021, Senator Warren made the case for the need to tackle climate change by investing in our nation's clean energy infrastructure, including the replacement of buses powered by diesel with electric buses at a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing.

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