BOSTON (AP) — The board overseeing the Boston-area transit system has approved a nearly $2 billion budget that officials say will further reduce chronic operating deficits.
The spending plan for the fiscal year starting July 1 calls for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to seek savings in several areas including bus maintenance, commuter rail, and the MBTA’s paratransit service known as The Ride.
Officials dropped an earlier proposal to eliminate weekend commuter rail service.
The T’s Fiscal and Management Control Board on Thursday pegged the current budget deficit at $30 million, down from what had once projected to be a $335 million shortfall.
The remaining operating shortfall is expected to be covered by $187 million provided by the state, with the remaining money going toward capital improvements for the aging transit system.
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