Testimony: MBTA April Board Meeting
May 1, 2026
On April 30, Amir Wilson testified at the MBTA Board of Directors Meeting, commenting on the funding process for MBTA climate resilience capital projects, and inquiring further into FIFA World Cup strategy to encourage the use of the Commuter Rail to get to and from the stadium. See the full testimony below:
Amir Wilson, Transportation Policy & Data Manager, A Better City
Chair McGee, Members of the Board, Secretary & General Manager Eng, thank you for the
opportunity to speak today.
My name is Amir Wilson, Transportation Policy & Data Manager, delivering testimony on
behalf of A Better City. As you may know, A Better City represents a multi-sector group of
more than 130 business leaders focused on creating a more vibrant, competitive,
sustainable, and equitable city and region for all.
A Better City would like to comment on two items set for the agenda today: the Resilience
Roadmap, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
First, on Resilience, we’d like to thank the entire MBTA team for its efforts to put together a
comprehensive roadmap to protect the system against the hazards of climate change, and
especially for considering employee and rider exposure to extreme heat as a key area,
which has been a central focus of A Better City’s Equity in the Built Environment work. As
the MBTA moves forward to deliver on the priorities of this plan, it would be particularly
helpful to understand the total cost estimate of the capital projects in the resilience
pipeline. We would encourage the CIP to include a category for Resilience spending, so
that this can easily be monitored and measured against this need. We’re looking forward to
the release of the Roadmap later today and continuing to support this critical work.
Second, we look forward to hearing the April update on 2026 World Cup preparation.
Especially because the $80 ticket price is of some concern, we would like to better
understand ticket sales trends, as well as the broader strategy for promoting the train as
the best way to get to the stadium. Our expectation and hope is that these trains will be
full—the more people on the trains and off the roadways is a major benefit to the entire
region. We are eager to partner on this and other summer priorities.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.
