MBTA Repair Costs Explode In New Assessment

Estimates Say It Will Cost $25 Billion To Fix Everything

MBTA officials put an eye-poppingly high new price on infrastructure needs across the system Thursday, estimating that it would cost nearly $25 billion to fix everything that is not in a state of good repair.

The T rolled out its first new capital needs assessment since 2019, when officials under the Baker administration projected a roughly $10 billion cost to replace all outdated MBTA infrastructure with modern alternatives.

The new estimate is nearly two and a half times more expensive than the last capital needs assessment, which officials said is driven by a combination of factors including stinging construction inflation and MBTA assets aging faster than they are being replaced.

Officials also updated their methodology this time around. As a result of changes to the T’s asset management systems, the latest study counted 83,683 individual assets to produce its cost estimate, compared to 59,073 assets in 2019.

MBTA General Manager Phil Eng plans to discuss the new assessment at a board meeting Thursday, one day after Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt described the need for a “hard, hard discussion” about financing the transit agency.