A Field Hearing for the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Policy was held in Boston on Friday by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey to discuss the current state of the MBTA following a report by the Federal Transit Administration regarding 53 problem areas.
Senator Elizabeth Warren spoke with Administrator Nuria Fernandez, of the Federal Transit Administration.
Fernandez was specifically asked about what role the State Department of Public Utilities played in ensuring it ran smoothly.
DPU Chairman, Matthew Nelson, was asked to respond to the report’s findings.
Senator Warren directly asked MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak about efforts to address those 53 problem areas.
Among those appearing before the committee was Jarred Johnson, Executive Director of Transit Matters, who discussed proposals to electrify more modes of transportation in the system.
Johnson also addressed some specific initiatives he thinks should be addressed.
Fernandez also said the Federal Transit Administration has no plans to try to take over the MBTA or withhold funds from the agency.
