By Tiffany Williams –
On Thursday at Brookline Town Hall. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, along with Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, celebrated a $67 million federal grant awarded by the Federal Transit Administration to the MBTA to improve accessibility for passengers on the Green Line.
“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.”
The funding comes from the All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by President Biden in 2021.
“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.”
ASAP funds projects that upgrade older transit-systems to make them accessible to people with disabilities or limited mobility.
“The MBTA has made great strides in improving accessibility, and we are deeply committed to building a fully accessible system,” said MBTA General Manager Eng. “The Green Line’s street-level stops are some of the most challenging segments of the system for riders with disabilities to traverse. This critical funding allows us to enhance safety for all with vital improvements and upgrades to five B Branch and nine C branch stops so they can be easily accessed by riders of all abilities. Under the leadership of Governor Healey and her Administration, we are aggressively pursuing federal funding grants where available. Thank you to our federal and state partners within the Biden Administration, the FTA, the delegation, and our dedicated Planning and System-wide Accessibility team at the MBTA for making these advancements possible.”
The project will make 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.
“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,” Senator Elizabeth Warren said. “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 Manger Eng for their close partnership to secure these federal resources to improve the T.”
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 of these Green Line stations were built before the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the proposed project will support the MBTA’s effort to ensure equity across the transit system by making the stations fully accessible to people with disabilities or limited mobility.
“This investment will greatly improve the daily experience of commuters with wheelchairs, scooters, and strollers who deserve accessible and comfortable public transportation,” said mayor of Boston Michelle Wu . “The City of Boston is grateful to our federal and state partners for needed upgrades to the oldest subway line in the country.”