Jarred Johnson
Imagine if the replacement of the Tobin Bridge included a high-capacity rail line that directly connects Chelsea, Revere and the North Shore to downtown Boston. Such a project could relieve overcrowded bus routes and unlock significant development potential in these rapidly growing areas.
Picture a robust bus rapid transit network linking emerging mixed-use districts and office parks to the Woburn commuter rail station, transforming commutes and spurring economic growth.
Envision a new subway line that would cut travel time from Kendall Square to the Longwood Medical Area to just 10 to 15 minutes instead of the current 30-minute struggle.
These are the kinds of essential projects for the future of our communities and the commercial real estate sector. As the MBTA drafts its next Program for Mass Transportation (PMT), a 25-year blueprint, we must envision what this region can become by 2050. Our broader regional transit system has been left to wither, creating a fragmented and inequitable system that undermines our economic potential.
We’ve made significant investments in our core: Assembly Row, the Green Line Extension and the Silver Line Extension highlight how transit can catalyze development. However, we now face critical challenges – climate change impacting infrastructure, a severe housing crisis with skyrocketing costs and a traffic situation that ranks among the worst globally.
With 25 years to tackle these issues, let’s seize the opportunity to invest in projects that enhance the value of our developments and create a sustainable, interconnected region.
Boston Being Lapped by Competitors
While we debate whether to plan big at all, Seattle – a city with far less inherent walkability than Boston – has built a light rail system where riders can travel a distance equivalent to riding from Natick or Danvers to downtown Boston in just 30 minutes for about $2, with trains running every 10 minutes.
Notoriously sprawling Sydney’s new Metro City & Southwest line moves 40,000 passengers per hour in each direction with automated trains every four minutes, transforming formerly car-dependent areas into transit-oriented communities.
Paris is building 125 miles of new metro lines through the Grand Paris Express project. And Dublin, Stockholm and Los Angeles are all delivering major expansions within the decade.
It’s a mistake to frame these investments as competing with system repair.
In fact, transformative projects often solve longstanding state of good repair, or “SOGR” issues along the way. On the commuter rail, for example, a huge share of the SOGR backlog is aging stations. A modern regional rail program addresses that by design, with accessible platforms, improved electrification and safer, faster service
We might have reasons to doubt the T’s ability to execute transformative projects without cost overruns. However, we can overcome these challenges through public-private partnerships, reformed procurement and management structures that maintain accountability. The Green Line Extension’s troubles will be a distant memory by 2050 if we learn from those mistakes rather than surrender to them.
Even when projects encounter difficulties, the benefits overwhelmingly justify the investment. London’s Crossrail was billions over budget and years behind schedule, yet today, 1 in 8 rail journeys in the entire UK happens on this line. No one regrets that investment now.
Why CRE Sector Must Lead
Transit doesn’t just serve existing demand – it shapes where and how we grow. As housing and job centers increasingly shift beyond the urban core, we need transit solutions that enable density without gridlock.
Every suburban town center fighting to create walkable, mixed-use developments needs reliable transit connections to succeed.
Without coordinated transit investment across the region, we’re enabling the sprawl that undermines our climate goals, housing production and economic competitiveness. A transit system built for the 1980s cannot serve a region competing for talent in the 2050s.
Developers, financiers and planners understand where growth is happening and what infrastructure is needed to support it. The MBTA needs your expertise, and the industry needs a transit agency that plans for future markets, not just current ridership.
The CRE community can advise the T and shape its next PMT with real market intelligence. The region needs advocacy for service expansion that aligns with housing and job growth centers. The CRE community should push for transit-oriented development incentives with teeth, not just aspirational guidelines.
We know that championing public-private funding models can help accelerate infrastructure near major developments. The people shaping the region’s future should have a seat at the table for capital planning decisions, not just during brief comment periods after plans are already drafted.
Our Economic Future Hangs in the Balance
If we continue prioritizing short-term caution over long-term vision, we’ll watch as other regions with less wealth but greater ambition surpass us.
Each development professional – whether in real estate, finance, law, planning or economic development – has a stake in this conversation.
The MBTA’s next long-range plan will shape how Greater Boston functions for the next quarter-century. It’s being written now. If you want a region with affordable housing, sustainable mobility and genuine economic competitiveness in 2050, this is your moment to demand more.
Let’s build the future we all want to live in. Stronger transit means stronger development – and a stronger region for generations to come.
Jarred Johnson is the former executive director of TransitMatters.
