Senate Passes $51 Million Bailout for the T

The Senate passed a $51 million bailout for the MBTA but decided against a proposed control board that would oversee the agency's finances. 

The senate voted 26-9 in favor of the bailout Tuesday. The vote falls in line with a similar measure passed by the House, and Gov. Deval Patrick is expected to sign the bill by the June 30 deadline, according to the Boston Globe. The plan would head off more fare increases and wider service cuts than those scheduled to start next month, according to the Globe article.

The proposed oversight board would have taken control of the T's finances for three years and was favored by senators representing towns outside of Boston. 

“There’s a lot of frustration, mainly from legislators outside the MBTA service area whose constituents are forced to subsidize the operation of the T,” Sen. Robert Hedlund (R-Weymouth) told the Boston Business Journal.