Economic group’s priority for lawmakers: Help us get around
Expanded public transportation options are key to MetroWest’s growth as an economic engine, according to legislators and officials from the 495/MetroWest Partnership, a Westbor-ough-based public-private collabora-tion between businesses and munici-palities. Currently, the 36-community re-gion is accessible by the MBTA Com-muter Rail line and car, but no town or city in MetroWest is served by MBTA bus or subway service.
With 495/MetroWest Partnership of-ficials visiting Beacon Hill for their an-nual State House Day, Senate President Karen Spilka stated that better public transit options is crucial.
“Corporations look to put their global headquarters here, and parents look here when they want to settle down and start a family,” said Spilka, emphasizing she is in constant communication with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation about projects to in-crease public transportation.
One priority is to expand Commuter Rail access in the region while keeping train fares competitive with — and, ideally, more affordable than — commuting by car.
Spilka addressed concerns regarding how the Allston Multimodal Transportation Project — which would reconfi-gure the Mass Pike and Soldiers Field Road along the Charles River — will af-fect the region’s transportation patterns. The partnership has proposed forming a group that would focus on alleviating the impact of travel constraints arising due to construction.
“MetroWest’s interests in any sort of mitigation cannot be an after-thought to this project,” Spilka said. “They have to build it in from the get-go.”
Supporting rail, expanding regional transit
The partnership supports maintain-ing rail services along the Framingham/ Worcester Commuter Rail line to the greatest extent possible during con-struction, which includes eventually building a West Station stop in Allston.
The partnership has proposed that developers create a potential future connection from West Station to Kendall Square to allow easier access to Cambridge via Commuter Rail. Also key to the future is coordinated transit efforts, another legislator pointed out.
“I think the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority is really ready to grow,” said state Rep. Kate Hogan, D-Stow. MetroWest is served by five regional transit authorities, with the majority of communities under the operation of the Framingham-based Met-roWest Regional Transportation Authority.
In December, the Healey-Driscoll administration released $10 million in new funding for regional transit authorities. The MWRTA will receive funding to improve service on its 495 Connector Route. The investment will connect MBTA Commuter Rail stations in South Acton, Southborough and Forge Park. There will also be downtown service in Hudson, Marlborough and Hopkinton, according to StreetsBlog Massachusetts.
Hogan emphasized a need for more than one public transportation option to serve the region’s 36 municipalities as a way to advance economic growth.
“As we’re able to welcome companies and economic growth, the more we have to be able to provide for and understand energy costs, water infrastructure — those things are so vital,” she said.
Partnership calls for increased investment in Clean Water Trust
Some say a lack of reliable water in-frastructure is an issue that has pre-vented the construction of housing and commercial buildings in some municipalities.
The partnership — created in 2003 after several regional officials com-plained that MetroWest was frequently overlooked by policymakers — has called for increased state investment in the Clean Water Trust, which helps mu-nicipalities build or replace water infra-structure to ensure the safety of clean drinking water as well as groundwater resources. In addition, the Legislature passed a$4 billion economic development bill in 2024 to invest in the life sciences and climate tech sectors. The bill also sup-ports the infrastructure to grow these industries across the state.
“Everyone keeps telling me about getting people into Boston … I have to say I’m equally focused on how to get people from Boston to MetroWest to the many corporations,” Spilka said.
State Sen. Jamie Eldridge, D-Marlborough, emphasized that beyond life sciences and climate tech, investment in the region’s clean energy sector is vital to the future of sustainable energy.
“We have a lot of clean tech and environmental companies and firms in the district, and it’s really important to highlight their contributions,” he said.
Solect Energy in Hopkinton was ranked as one of America’s top 10 commercial solar developers in 2025. Resi-dential solar, clean energy investment and environmental consulting are also prominent throughout MetroWest.
Reduced federal funding presents a challenge
But in just the last year, $34.8 billion in clean energy projects were canceled, and 38,000 jobs were lost in the indus-try nationwide, according to E2, a national, nonpartisan group of business leaders, investors and professionals who advocate for smart economic and environmental policies.
Declines in investment in these sec-tors, coupled with reductions in federal funding for states, have created a strain for states as they allocate their budgets.
Spilka emphasized that Massachusetts is managing to “do OK” despite federal cuts. But she warned that if a ballot initiative pushing for a state in-come tax cut proposal passes this fall, “there would be no way to get around cuts. Every line item would be affected.”
The proposal calls for Massachusetts to cut its income tax from 5% to 4%. If passed, income tax collection would fall by approximately $5.1 billion, according to the Tufts Center for State Policy Analysis. This would create an even greater strain on the Massachusetts state budget after federal funding cuts caused a $3.7 billion loss, according to the Healey-Driscoll administration.