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25m ago

Duffy Puts CTA and MBTA on Notice Over Crime, Threatens Federal Transit Funds

The orders set firm deadlines linking safety reporting to continued federal support.

Oct. 21, 2024: Foliage frames Boston’s oldest MBTA trolley line near Milton. The Mattapan/Ashmont line started in 1929.
Commuters ride the Red Line. In-train stop announcements on Red Line cars tend to underperform compared to trains on other lines, according to MBTA data.
Governor Healey and MBTA General Manager Phil Eng gather to celebrate the progress made by the MBTA to eliminate slow zones on the Orange Line at Haymarket MBTA Station. (Libby O'Neill/Boston Herald)

Overview

  • The transportation secretary directed the CTA to deliver within 14 days a plan to deter crime and curb fare evasion or risk a loss of federal support.
  • The MBTA must submit by Oct. 2 a written accounting of security spending and concrete steps to reduce crime, vagrancy, and fare evasion.
  • The letters cite recent attacks, including the killing of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte and separate August and September assaults on MBTA buses.
  • USDOT criticized local bail policies and warned of consequences up to redirecting or withholding grants, while urging use of federal funds for security at South Station.
  • The action extends a broader federal crackdown on major transit systems as the CTA also contends with state funding gaps that officials say could force service cuts.