Aiello, the chair of the control board, said he was concerned about the high level of borrowing by the MBTA for capital projects, which shows up on the transit authority’s operating budget as debt service. “This is shooting up at a rate that is worrisome,” he said, inviting officials from the…

The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation has estimated the system will see a $308 million deficit.

The second report suggests the authority’s success over the last few years in addressing long-standing maintenance and modernization needs may come to a halt in four years. The report describes an “impending chasm” between the billions of dollars needed to bring the transit authority’s assets into…

This report, which examines the MBTA’s sources and planned uses of capital funding, finds “an impending chasm” between the costs to maintain and modernize the Authority’s existing infrastructure and available sources to pay for these investments. At the same time, the MBTA must address two…

Taken together, the MBTA is staring down a staggering budget deficit in the fiscal year that starts next July, according to an analysis by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. That’s assuming fare revenue rebounds to 75 percent of its previous levels. While some bus routes have…

Aiello declined to comment on any discussions he had with Gov. Charlie Baker, but it’s likely the governor wanted to avoid a disruption in oversight of the agency at a very uncertain time. The MBTA balanced its fiscal 2021 budget using federal COVID-relief revenues, money that is likely to…

The blow the coronavirus delivered to the MBTA may have long lasting financial impacts. By fiscal year 2022, the MBTA could have an operating budget deficit of more than $400 million, according to a new analysis released by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, a business-backed group that…

The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation in a recent report also praised the work of the control board, but pointedly said the impact of COVID-19 has put the T in a worse financial position today than when it was formed in 2015 in the wake of a snowmageddon that shut the system down for days.

The MBTA faces "existential" long-term budget challenges as the pandemic's impact on revenue exacerbates existing trends, a fiscal watchdog group warned in a new report. By fiscal year 2022, the T could have an operating budget deficit of more than $400 million, according to a new analysis…

“Even before the pandemic hit, the MBTA’s operating costs jumped by 5.3%, a five-fold increase over previous years. Combine that steep rise in expenses with a $240 million loss in fare revenues due to the pandemic, and the T’s balanced budget has gone off the rails,” the Massachusetts Taxpayers…