MBTA electrification and safety reporting requirements feature as the most prominent parts of an infrastructure bond bill Gov. Charlie Baker wants to change with an amendment he returned to the Legislature.
Baker approved all of the bond authorizations in the nearly $11.4 billion bill (H 5151) he signed Wednesday, including $400 million for immediate safety improvements at the T and $275 million as a down payment toward a western Massachusetts passenger rail expansion, and several of the outside sections packed into the major legislation.
He struck language from a few line items, vetoed four outside sections and sent back five proposed amendments, many focused on additional guardrails lawmakers sought to impose around the MBTA amid upheaval at the agency.
One of Baker’s amendments would rework a section of the bill in which lawmakers called on the T to outline short-, medium- and long-term plans to transform the commuter rail system.
Instead of working to roll out “electric locomotive” service or pursue “electrification” on several lines in the near future, the MBTA would instead be ordered to implement “battery electric locomotive” service and “battery electrification” under Baker’s amendment.
“I support this planning to make the commuter rail system more productive, equitable and decarbonized,” Baker wrote in his amendment letter. “I am proposing changes to ensure the plans incorporate the most up to date technology.”
The original bill also called for “no agreement to purchase commuter rail trains” to involve diesel locomotives after Dec. 31, 2030. Baker’s amendment dropped that requirement.
The bill aims to maximize the impact of a new federal infrastructure law, which will steer billions of dollars to Massachusetts in the coming years and make more available via competitive grants, while upgrading transportation resources across the state and accelerating the transition toward electric vehicles.
It features $2.8 billion for projects on the interstate and non-interstate federal highway system, $1.375 billion for transit and rail improvements, $1.27 billion for non-federally aided road and bridge projects and tens of millions of dollars more for multimodal transportation planning, regional transit network improvements and Complete Streets funding for municipalities.
“MassTRAC will invest $11.4 billion in the Commonwealth’s roads, bridges and environmental infrastructure through proven, existing programs, including Complete Streets and the Municipal Small Bridge program,” Baker said in a statement Wednesday. “The bill will also advance major projects in cities and towns across the state by providing matching funds that will allow Massachusetts to compete for funding through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The MassTRAC bill includes many of the proposals our administration included when first filing the legislation, and I am grateful to our partners in the Legislature for continuing to support infrastructure investments in Massachusetts’ cities and towns.”