Boston – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today celebrated successful efforts to secure more than $6.6 million for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and $4.2 million for MeVa – Merrimack Valley Transit (formerly the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority) to better connect families, visitors, and commuters in Greater Boston and the Merrimack Valley through resilient and improved passenger ferry service.

“Whether traveling by bus, rail, train or ferry, Massachusetts families and visitors deserve safe and resilient public transportation that connects our towns and cities,” said Senator Markey. “I am proud to announce federal grants to the MBTA and MeVa, which will support passenger ferry service and upgrade infrastructure on the waters of our Commonwealth so that it’s smooth-sailing for our riders.”

In September 2022, Senator Markey led his colleagues Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Stephen F. Lynch (MA-08) in writing to the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Transit Administration in support of the MBTA’s Passenger Ferry Grant Program application, stressing the need to rehabilitate the Hingham Ferry Dock to ensure reliable ferry service between Boston, Logan International Airport, and the towns of Hingham and Hull. With this grant, Senator Markey has now secured $660 million in federal funding for the MBTA in the 2022 fiscal year.