MBTA Awarded $67 Million Federal Grant to Improve Green Line Accessibility

The commitment to make the Green Line fully accessible was greatly boosted this past May when the MBTA was awarded a $67 million federal grant by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to improve accessibility for passengers on the Green Line. The funding comes from the All-Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by President Biden in 2021. ASAP funds projects that upgrade older transit systems to make them accessible to people with disabilities or limited mobility. The project will make fully accessible 14 street-level stops along the B and C branches of the Green Line in the neighborhoods of Allston, Brighton, and Brookline.

Governor Maura Healey, Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt, MBTA General Manager Phil Eng, and Director of Federal Funds and Infrastructure Quentin Palfrey celebrated the award at the Brookline Town Hall. They were joined by Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Ed Markey, Federal Transit Administration Regional Administrator Peter Butler, Brookline Town Administrator Chas Carey, City of Boston Chief of Streets Jascha Franklin Hodge, and other elected officials, advocates, and riders.

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.

"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 riders of all abilities can easily access them. Under Governor Healey's and her Administration's leadership, we aggressively pursue 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."

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