The MBTA and the state

The MBTA, even with all of the negative press over how badly managed it is, it is still a better value especially now if you have to drive into Boston and more specifically Downtown Boston when dealing with fuel costs and daily parking since downtown parking is through the roof for paid parking.

The state signed off on mandated expansions for the MBTA, and forced the MBTA to absorb the costs of the expansions on top of redoing how state money is allocated for the MBTA. Those two things along with the contracts that were signed when they were on much more stable ground has put the MBTA on track with major financial problems

If we do not take measures now to remedy each of the major issues that would inevitably force the MBTA to raise fares to the point that it would cause the bulk of the daily commuters to rethink whether they can afford to use the services provided by them especially coming from cities and towns serviced by the commuter rail.

What is needed is a viable financial restructuring plan for the MBTA that would have the state take on all mandated expansions that, the state itself should have picked up from the start, that the federal government insisted on the state to do for the federal funding for the big dig.