Meetings The MBTA Advisory Board will meet on Tuesday, September 1, 2009 at 9:30 AM in the State Transportation Building for the purposes of reviewing and acting upon the MBTA’s requested Program for Mass Transportation, and an FY2010 supplemental budget request. Information to members and the public to follow. The MBTA Advisory Board met Thursday May 28, 2009 met to consider the MBTA’s FY10 budget. For more information click here. In the Media MBTA struggles to deal with massive debt -Daily News Tribune (Waltham), July 28, 2009 The voice of T riders at risk under reform -Boston Metro, June 25, 2009 Official: Advisory Board will lose power -Boston Metro, June 25, 2009 Lawmakers’ plan seems to shrink public’s role in overseeing T -Boston Globe, June 21, 2009 Some questions and answers on fare hikes, long road to addressing MBTA’s financial challenges -Boston Globe, June 14, 2009 MBTA Board Votes To Cut Budget By $160 Million -WBUR, May 29, 2009 Officials finish T budget review -Boston Metro, May 28, 2009 MBTA Budget To Cut 1,200 Jobs -WBUR, May 28, 2009 Deadlines loom for MBTA, Turnpike -Boston Globe, May 28, 2009 Report: Debt ‘strangling’ T: Board blames state strategy for budget gap, calls on Mass. to claim responsibility -Boston Metro, April 6, 2009 John R. Buckley: Gas tax plan is fairest way to fund transportation -Patriot Ledger, March 20, 2009 ‘A long time coming’: MBTA unveils plans for 500-space garage -Salem News, March 19, 2009 MBTA Part of National Transit Funding Crisis -WBUR Radio, March 12, 2009 MBTA rolls in budget plan with eye on $160m bailout -Boston Globe, March 12, 2009 MBTA Budget Contains Record Deficit -WBUR Radio, March 13, 2009 T approaching dire financial straits -Boston Globe, Dec. 14, 2008 Tough times could test loyalty to public transit -Boston Globe, “Starts & Stops” Dec. 7, 2008 Pump It Up: The Bay State's debt-ridden transportation agencies preside over networks that are literally falling apart. New gas tax revenues may be the only way out. -CommonWealth Magazine, Summer 2008 News Paul Regan, Executive Director, testified before the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation at its hearing in Boston on Senate bill 10, and Senate bill 13. Last summer, Advisory Board reached out to every legislator whose constituency is inside the MBTA service district. Each member received two letters (#1, #2). Staff also met personally with most members or their staffs. Throughout this process staff informed legislators of the MBTA’s dire financial condition and called for debt relief for the MBTA. The Executive Director also wrote to and addressed the MBTA Board of Directors on the topic of the MBTA’s dire financial condition. A copy is available here.