The MBTA CIP: Explained

What is the CIP?#

Every year, as a new spring begins, transit advocates around the commonwealth anxiously await the start of CIP season. It's the part of the job we all love the most: downloading a 140-page PDF, grabbing our second coffee of the day, and getting to work.

The T has had a long offseason. A new owner came into the picture and his big changes were starting to take effect. Each rapid transit line was benched for portions of the year; set aside to work on their fundamentals (track, signals, etc). And the bus took a big step forward with their game, adding big service increases to the northeast of the Charles. The team is looking pretty good now, and we will finally get to see how ownership plans to invest for the upcoming seasons.

The MBTA Capital Investment Plan (CIP) outlines the projects the T will take on over the next five years to improve the system. These projects consist of funds for upgrades to stations, new bus and train purchases, technology improvements, and much more.

The CIP is called a "rolling" plan. This means the plan is always on the move. The T updates the CIP annually to assess the next five years. At the beginning of every year, the oldest year is dropped off, and a new year is added to the end of the plan. This allows the plan to stay current and relevant to adjust for fluctuations in priority. For example, in the past few CIPs, T has used the opportunity to shift away from potential expansions towards much-needed State of Good Repair (SOGR) investments.

Funding sources#

The funding itself comes from a swath of state, federal, and local sources. This money shapes not only what gets funded, but also when and how fast it moves. The graphs below break down where the money is coming from, and how it compares to years past.

The T relies heavily on its own financing mechanisms (bonds, loans, and pay-as-you-go capital) for approximately 45-49% of its capital funding. Federal funding represents the second-largest source at around 38-40%, while state funds contribute approximately 11-14% of the total. Reimbursable sources like Amtrak, etc. make up a small but decreasing portion of the overall funding.

The total capital funding has remained relatively stable across these three CIP periods at approximately $9.7 billion, but the composition has shifted slightly with state funding increasing and reimbursable funding decreasing in the FY26-30 plan.

Program Types#

The MBTA operates an extensive multi-modal transportation network connecting 177 towns and cities in Massachusetts. Rapid Transit (the Red, Orange, Blue, Green, and Silver Lines), bus, Commuter Rail, Ferry, and Paratransit all have large fleets of vehicles running daily service to support roughly 5 million people. And these vehicles, along with the infrastructure, signals, and power that support them, are often in desperate need of upgrades to maintain a state of good repair for reliable service and to be able to help Massachusetts meet its medium and long-term climate and resilience goals. There's also a massive demand for new technology and innovations, additional and upgraded maintenance facilities, and continued support for everyday operations. Let's get an overview of how the T plans to spend $9.8 Billion over the next 5 years to address its most pressing needs.

In 2024, the T's major rail extension projects, the Green Line Extension and South Coast Rail, concluded and freed up millions of dollars to spend on other needs across the system.

The MBTA plans to spend the majority of funds on 5 major program categories:

Vehicles ($2,822 M): Vehicles across the MBTA network are in a critical state: subway cars, Commuter Rail coaches, and locomotives have been working long past their life expectancies and in some cases have literally been falling apart. The T plans to overhaul, modernize, and in many cases replace its aging vehicles across the system. For rapid transit, this initiative will help improve travel times and headways now. For bus and Commuter Rail, the T has an opportunity to begin electrifying, and thereby improving, both service and greenhouse gas emissions.

Guideway, Signals, and Power ($1,971 M): This is a subtle, but important category. Guideway, signal, and power infrastructure is critical for everyday operations. Guideway and signals make sure that trains run safely and without collisions. If this infrastructure fails, trains don't run. Aging signal and power infrastructure are sensitive to extreme temperatures, and outages cause staggering delays. As the MBTA looks to begin electrifying some of its key bus and Commuter Rail lines, upgrading the power infrastructure to support future vehicles is of utmost importance.

Passenger Facilities ($1,307 M): Like its fleet of vehicles, the MBTA's passenger facilities, including stations, public spaces, and infrastructure that center around people's experience taking the T, are aging and out-of-date. Spending on these facilities involves making the places we interact with safer, more accessible, and more comfortable for everyone.

Structures ($1,269 M): Recently, a Boston Globe article announced that more than 400 bridges across Massachusetts are structurally deficient. This number includes road infrastructure beyond the T, but even the bridges, tracks, and support infrastructure that the system relies on are also aging and in need of repair. Structures don't naturally hold up forever, and much of the infrastructure built in the mid-Twentieth Century has or is beginning to come due for improvements and replacements. Now is the time to repair and replace this stuff to keep the T running.

Maintenance and Administrative Facilities ($1,097 M): The buildings that support operations are important for keeping transit running smoothly. Increasing service, preparing for electrification, and bringing in additional, modern fleets of vehicles will require more facilities equipped with the technology required to meet increased everyday maintenance demand.

🚍 Bus#

Despite carrying nearly 40% of the MBTA's daily riders, the bus is frequently overshadowed by conversations about rail. This CIP continues to affirm our belief that the bus is worth investing in. Major investments in bus facilities, fleet electrification, stop accessibility, and transit-priority infrastructure, including bus lanes and signal prioritization, are outlined in the plan.

December of last year saw the inaugural phase of the Bus Network Redesign. With many phases to come, this CIP continues to fund the program's capital needs to add more frequent and all-day service.

In tandem with BNR, the T continues to invest heavily in bus priority infrastructure. These bus lanes, shared bus/bike lanes, and transit signal priority infrastructure will continue to reduce delays and improve reliability.

Additionally, the MBTA is continuing to invest in accessibility improvements. More solar-powered E-ink signs with real-time information are coming. And more bus shelters will be upgraded, giving riders a break from the weather and a place to relax while waiting for their $780,000 extra-large Uber.

🚆 Rapid Transit#

Last year, we all felt it—that disorienting moment when we left the house for a sports game, a hangout with a friend, or class, only to arrive at a familiar train station and realize: no trains were coming. The only indication? A small sign— or a slightly ripped sticker in an elevator, possibly referencing last week's shutdown.

There is a reason we all have a story, the numbers help us show it: there were 67 shutdowns in 2024, with 25 lasting five days or longer. That's enough to make anyone grimace. But here's the thing—they actually worked.

The T eliminated over 220 slow zones and replaced 250,000 feet of rail through the Track Improvement Program last year— no small feat.

But the underlying problem remains: the rapid transit system is old, really old. The recent uptick in maintenance has helped, but the T still has many analog systems and old trains left to upgrade, so slow zones continue to pop up and there is much work left to be done.

What's Being Fixed#

The CIP is bringing MBTA Rapid Transit into the 21st Century by continuing major investments:

Track & Infrastructure: Building on the recently completed Track Improvement Program that fixed all speed restrictions, new projects like the Red Line Hi-Rail Access Tunnel will enable shorter, less frequent shutdowns. No more surprise weekend-long diversions to shuttle buses (hopefully).

New are on the way!: The new Type 10 vehicles arriving in 2027 aren't just bigger and fully accessible—they'll run on a completely upgraded system with new collision-prevention technology and modernized signals in the Central Tunnel.

Power & Signal Upgrades: Aging electrical systems across Red and Orange Lines are getting replaced, which should mean fewer mysterious delays and breakdowns.

The Bottom Line: These aren't just cosmetic upgrades—they're fixing the fundamental problems that cause those weekend shutdowns and daily delays. The goal is fewer unpleasant surprises when you show up at your station, and more reliable service that actually gets you where you need to go.

🚅 Commuter Rail#

The first half of 2025 has been a huge moment for the Commuter Rail and the MBTA. In March, the T launched the all-new "South Coast Rail," bringing Commuter Rail service to Taunton, Fall River, New Bedford, and adjacent communities. It's the first time the South Coast has had regional rail-style service in 70 years, and is a critical step towards strengthening Greater Boston's regional economy. Now, the Commuter Rail network connects to all corners of eastern Massachusetts—as far south as New Bedford, as far north as Newburyport, and as far west as Worcester. And whether you want to hike Mount Wachusett, hit the beach on the North Shore or Cape Cod, or explore Boston or Providence—there's a Commuter Rail that'll take you there.

The focus now has to be around improving Commuter Rail service. Even though the Commuter Rail reaches many key places in Greater Boston, riders frequently get left behind—hour-plus headways, reduced service during midday and night-time hours, equipment problems and rolling stock shortages causing massive delays, even outright cancelled trains—these issues are unacceptable and often make the Commuter Rail unreliable for everyday riders.

We've seen how improving service, like decreasing headway times and reducing fares have dramatically increased the popularity and reliability of the Fairmount Line, and now the MBTA is showing that it plans to invest in improvements across the board to re-envision world-class regional rail that's modern, accessible, and reliable.

Investing in the Future of Regional Rail#

The FY26-30 CIP prioritizes the Commuter Rail's most pressing needs to improve service—beginning with electrification and bringing on new equipment:

Rail Modernization: This step entails making targeted infrastructural investments across the system to plan for future electrification. A decarbonized fleet will transform service, making trains faster, quieter, cleaner, and bring headways down to 20 to 30-minutes while helping the MBTA and the State of Massachusetts meet its climate goals,

Fairmount Line Infrastructure for Decarbonized Service: Emerging technology in battery-powered trains (Battery Electric Multiple Units—BEMUs) enable locomotives to start and stop much faster and will allow the MBTA to achieve 20-minute headways on key Commuter Rail corridors. The MBTA is investing in a pilot on the Fairmount line to prove this technology on the system to further advance its decarbonization and rail modernization goals.

Newburyport/Rockport Line Decarbonized Service: The Newburyport/Rockport Line needs critical infrastructural improvements to continue safe and reliable service. Investing in signal and power upgrades will also pave the way for 20-minute electrified service on this line.

Coaches and Locomotives: The oldest single-level Commuter Rail cars lack automatically opening doors, and the existing hodgepodge of aging locomotives frequently experience maintenance issues, which delay service. The T plans to replace all remaining single-level cars with bi-level cars featuring automatic doors, which will improve rider capacity and dwell times at stations, making more frequent service possible. As plans for decarbonization get underway, the aging fleet of trains will be replaced with cleaner and more reliable electric locomotives.

North Station Draw One Bridge Project: The drawbridge over the Charles River connecting North Station to the northern Commuter Rail Lines is deficient. This project will make the bridge safe for continued operations for the foreseeable future and will expand station tracks, making it easier to run increased service to the Fitchburg, Lowell, Haverhill, and Newburyport/Rockport Lines.

⛴️ Ferry + Paratransit / The RIDE#

Smooth Sailing: Boston's Ferry System and The RIDE Today#

Another component of Greater Boston's transportation fabric is experiencing a revival: the longstanding ferry system. Dating back to the 1630s, Boston's ferries once were the primary means of connecting communities along the harbor, and currently offer year-round service to the South Shore communities of Hull and Hingham, in addition to Logan Airport and Charlestown Navy Yard. The MBTA is finally providing ferries the recognition they deserve by upgrading infrastructure and expanding access to help commuters view it as an increasingly viable mode of transit.

On deck are $52.6M in improvements for FY25-29, spread across eight projects focused on updating docks, walkways, gangways, site terminals, and everything in between. Overhauls for the agency's two catamarans and a new backup vessel for the Lynn ferry are also in the works. This total rises to $57M in the FY26-30 window, reflecting additional investments in capital maintenance, accessibility improvements, lighting enhancements, and engine repairs.

The bigger vision here is bold. The MBTA hopes to build a ferry system that is not only functional, but higher capacity, fully emissions-free, and thoughtfully integrated into the broader transit network. While it won't replace the commuter rail or bus routes, it offers a promising, climate-conscious alternative for waterfront communities and a subtle nod to the city's maritime roots.

Paratransit is also seeing meaningful investment, with $36M set aside in FY26-30 window to modernize The RIDE, the MBTA's door to door service for riders that can't use fixed route transit. The bulk of this funding goes towards replacing aging vans and sedans to maintain a reliable fleet. New scheduling software and a planned move to Quincy to consolidate key operations round out these improvements.

🔩 Systemwide & Multimodal#

The nuts and bolts#

The systemwide and multimodal section of the CIP covers the most broadly applicable projects. The T defines systemwide initiatives as "projects with impacts across all modes". They describe multimodal as "projects that can be equally attributed to more than one specific mode".

The bulk of the money in this category targets the inspection, repair, and upgrade of the T's assets (e.g., facilities, bridges, tunnel, track power, and fleet. It also includes various climate investments like flood mitigation and resilience measures to harden the system against extreme weather.

Compared to FY25-29, the T is investing more in systemwide infrastructure projects, but has cut back substantially on multimodal initiatives. FY25-29 contains 64 "multimodal" projects while FY26-30 has 16. That's a big drop. Some projects fell off the CIP because they were completed. Many, including the Red Blue Connector and contracts related to the Track Improvment plan, were reclassified under Rapid Transit.