MassDOT awards $10M to expand regional transit across Massachusetts, New England
Image credit: MassDOT
Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) awarded $10 million in funding in December 2025 to Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs) to support 16 projects that increase connections between towns, including to neighboring states. Grants will allow RTAs to pilot new expansions, continue promising pilots, and improve existing connections.
Notable new pilots include three grants for transit service that crosses state borders, facilitating access for Massachusetts residents to key destinations in neighboring cities and towns in New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
- Lowell Regional Transit Authority will pilot year-round service of its seasonal route to Nashua;
- Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority will provide connections to Salem, New Hampshire; and
- Southeastern Regional Transit Authority will partner with the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority to increase frequency on the route connecting Fall River to Providence and Newport.
Even within Massachusetts, crossing service area boundaries can be difficult. Some awards reflect collaborations among multiple RTAs to facilitate these trips. For example, the Franklin Regional Transit Authority (FRTA) and Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) collaborated on a project to expand mobility in the FRTA towns of Southampton and Southwick, offering connecting service to the PVTA communities of Westfield, Easthampton, and Northampton.
Source: MassDOT
