Draft Focus40 Plan Available for Public Comment

Updated July 31, 2018

Focus40 is a proposed investment plan to allow the MBTA to meet the needs of the Greater Boston region in 2040.

Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack and MBTA General Manager Luis Ramírez today announced the release for public comment of a draft of Focus40: The 2040 Investment Plan for the MBTA.

MassDOT and the MBTA are seeking feedback on all aspects of the Plan prior to its final release in the autumn. The public comment period will be open through September 21, 2018. A public feedback form is available at mbtafocus40.com.

Overview

Focus40 provides a roadmap for the development of future MBTA 5-year Capital Investment Plans. By investing in families of key system upgrades—called "Programs"—the MBTA will be able to better serve its customers and the communities through which it runs. Focus40 also identifies "Priority Places" for new or improved service. These are places that have the greatest likelihood of delivering ridership and other meaningful benefits to the region.

Focus40 was developed through data analysis, public input (including more than 100 hours spent interviewing customers at transit stops and stations), and engagement with experts and other key stakeholders. It is also informed by the MBTA’s Strategic Plan.

Focus40 utilizes scenario planning, a decision-making framework, to better understand what the Greater Boston region might be like in 2040. As the MBTA looks to the future, and considers factors that impact the future of transportation, including issues such as autonomous vehicle technology, commuting patterns, housing costs, and a changing climate, scenario planning can help ensure that the MBTA makes prudent investments that will support a reliable, robust, high-capacity, and resilient transit system.

Investment Programs

Focus40 is comprised of 12 investment Programs categorized into We're Doing, We're Planning, and We're Imagining phases:


Category	Timeline	Description
Category	We're Doing	Timeline	Commitments through 2023	Description	Investments already underway or in the 5-year Capital Investment Plan
Category	We're Planning	Timeline	Next priorities	Description	Important investments that meet the needs of the region in 2040, to be planned and phased over time
Category	We're Imagining	Timeline	TBD	Description	Potentially transformative investment ideas, the feasibility, benefits, and costs of which must be better understood before the MBTA can make a decision about how and whether to move forward

The contents of each of these 12 Programs range from specific project ideas to broader concepts. They are organized the following way:

8 programs focus on existing MBTA modes and services (Red Line, Bus, Commuter Rail, etc.)
3 programs focus on systemwide needs (customer experience, resiliency, and accessibility/paratransit)
1 program focuses on possible future expansion projects and services, with an emphasis on Priority Places

Notable priorities include:

Capacity improvements for each rapid transit line, including a capacity expansion of at least 50% on the Green Line
Exploration of ways to speed boarding times, improve safety, and reduce delays
Investments in resiliency and "greening" the fleet with vehicles running on different and cleaner fuels

While some near-term improvements for Commuter Rail are identified in Focus40, the MBTA Rail Vision will be looking in more detail at capital investment needs for alternative rail service models and system electrification, as well as other possibilities.