May 30, 2024

Warren, State Leaders Celebrate $67 Million Federal Grant to Improve MBTA Green Line Accessibility

Boston, MA — Today, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), together with Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Governor Maura Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, and other state and local leaders, celebrated a $67 million grant awarded by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to improve accessibility for passengers on the Green Line. The funding comes from the All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The project will make 14 ground-level stops along the B and C branches of the Green Line fully accessible in the neighborhoods of Allston, Brighton, and Brookline.

“Making the Green Line more accessible for people with disabilities is the right thing to do and a big win for everyone who takes the T,” said Senator Warren. “I’ve fought hard to deliver more federal funds for Massachusetts, including over $20 billion in national investment from the Biden administration, and the result is more opportunities in our local communities. I commend Governor Healey, Mayor Wu, Senator Markey, and General Manager Eng for their close partnership to secure these federal resources to improve the T.”

“An accessible, just public transit system allows anyone, including seniors and people with disabilities, to call themselves a rider. This funding represents a critical step toward transit and disability justice, allowing riders to take advantage of the Green Line and the wealth of opportunities it provides,” said Senator Markey. “I am grateful for the partnership with our federal delegation, the MBTA, and state and municipal leaders to secure this funding, and we will continue to work to ensure the accessibility of all stations across the MBTA system.” 

“This funding will be transformational for improving accessibility to the Green Line and the ridership experience for all passengers,” said Governor Healey. “A critical part of modernizing and improving our historic transit system is ensuring that every rider is able to use the system with ease and comfort. These federal awards are critical to our efforts to make the upgrades necessary to deliver this for our residents. We’re grateful to President Biden, our partners at the Federal Transit Administration, and our Congressional delegation for supporting this work here in Massachusetts.”  

“This is an exciting step forward in carrying out our administration's commitment to providing equitable, accessible public transportation for all riders,” said Lieutenant Governor Driscoll. “This funding will be a game changer for making critically important changes to 14 MBTA stops to bring them into ADA-compliance and ensure passengers with disabilities or limited mobility can access them. Thank you to all of our federal partners for helping us advance our goals.”

The Green Line is the nation’s oldest light rail subway line and serves more than 70 stations with an average weekday ridership of more than 100,000 in the Boston area. Nearly all Green Line stations were built before the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the proposed project will support MBTA efforts to ensure equity across the transit system by making the stations fully accessible to people with disabilities or limited mobility. 

Specifically, the project will make the 14 B and C branch stops more accessible by raising platforms to remove the current 14-inch step that makes boarding and alighting at these stops difficult or impossible for passengers with disabilities, elderly riders, and people with strollers or carts. The requested project will also widen, level, and illuminate the platforms to ensure safe and accessible navigation for all riders, including those who use wheeled mobility devices. 

Senator Warren has led the charge to bring federal investments back home to Massachusetts that strengthen communities and improve the lives of residents, including:

  • In April 2024, Senators Warren and Markey, with members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation, celebrated the announcement that General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport in Boston received $22.1 million in federal funding for infrastructure improvements. These projects were made available under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Airport Infrastructure Grants (AIG) program. 
  • In March 2024, Senator Warren, Governor Healey, Mayor Michelle Wu, and the Massachusetts congressional delegation secured $335 million in federal funding for Allston’s I-90 project.
  • In March 2024, Senators Warren and Markey, with members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation, announced $213.4 million in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) in the Fiscal Year 2024 spending bills for projects across the state. 
  • On March 4, 2024, Senators Warren and Markey, along with Congressman Keating, applauded the inclusion of $350 million in federal funding for the Cape Cod Bridges in the Fiscal Year 2024 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act. This followed a December 2023, announcement from the lawmakers that the Department of Transportation had awarded the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and Army Corps a $372 million grant to start replacing the Cape Cod Bridges under its Mega (National Infrastructure Project Assistance) grant program.
  • In February 2024, Senator Warren released a report, The Economic Impact of Federal Investments in Massachusetts, detailing over $50 billion in federal funding that Senator Warren has fought for and helped win for Massachusetts families since taking office in 2013 — funding and investments that have helped build and maintain roads and bridges, improve broadband access to all corners of the Commonwealth, invest in public transit and energy infrastructure, supply electric school buses, fund research and innovation, support firefighters, and enable community projects.
  • In February 2024, Senators Warren and Markey announced $151 million in federal funding for Massachusetts from the Environmental Protection Agency, which invested in drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure upgrades across Massachusetts. In December 2023, Senator Warren announced the Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC) a $480,000 grant for their Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Regional Action Plan and the Worcester Main South Demonstration Project. 
  • In October 2023, Senators Warren and Markey, along with Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) celebrated the Department of Transportation awarding nearly $4 million, through the  Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program, to make safe bike paths accessible by developing critical transportation infrastructure, including pavement markings, signs, and bike lanes, which bolster roadway safety and connectivity in Somerville. 
  • In October 2023, Senator Warren highlighted how historic federal infrastructure funding she has fought for has benefitted Massachusetts and its residents at a field hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Policy

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