A concept for an electrified MBTA commuter rail train from rail manufacturer Stadler. Image courtesy of the MBTA
Harvard professor and gubernatorial candidate Danielle Allen unveiled her transportation platform in an announcement to the press today.
The state, she argues, needs to plunge head-first into changing how Bay Staters get around, from expanding bus service statewide and piloting congestion pricing to splitting the MBTA’s commuter rail system off from the transit agency and growing it into a dedicated statewide rail transit system.
“Great transportation helps all of us connect the dots: between home, work, our loved ones, and services like getting to the doctor. And whether it’s opening up job opportunities or getting us transitioned off fossil fuels, affordable, electric-based transportation is the missing link,” Allen said in a statement. “I’m pushing to reimagine our transportation systems across our state, for healthy communities, climate resilience, and a connected Commonwealth.”
Allen faces state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz and Attorney General Maura Healey in the Democratic primary. Former state Rep. Geoff Diehl and Waltham businessman Chris Doughty are competing for the Republican Party nomination.
Allen’s transportation platform includes many ideas transit advocates have pushed for in recent years, along with new ones that go even further, including connecting transit expansion with land-use planning and economic development initiatives.
The campaign said Allen wants to form a “One Commonwealth Rail Division” to oversee the development of “next-generation” rail infrastructure and let the T focus more tightly on its subways, buses and ferries to help address safety and reliability problems at the agency. That new agency would prioritize creating a network of fully electrified, frequent trains on the current commuter rail system and proposed East-West Rail service, plus coordinate with the state’s transit agencies statewide to help integrate their services together.
Allen’s transit platform also promises to prioritize pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, boost funding for regional transit authorities and grow regional bus service, including in rural areas. The platform also includes promises to create statewide transit planning bodies to help these regional transit authorities grow and improve.
The platform does not include specifics on how she would fund her vision, but suggests the “Millionaires Tax” income surtax on the state ballot this fall and public-private funding via business improvement districts could provide the necessary money.
