MIT/Transit Professional Development Program: Transit Policy, Finance and Strategy

The program faculty, led by Frederick Salvucci, former Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, has extensive policy and finance leadership credentials. The research team has actively participated in the development, design and construction phases of major capital investments such as San Juan’s Tren Urbano rail transit system, Chicago’s proposed Circle Line and Airport Express projects, and Boston’s MBTA Silver Line bus rapid transit project, as well as in numerous transit improvement projects in the Boston area while in previous positions.

A key contribution of the team has been its ability to position an agency’s capital program to attract Federal ‘New Starts’ funding and to maximize the local impact of these Federal funds. The MIT team has undertaken a variety of policy and strategic planning projects including organization studies, contract management analyses, development impacts of transit improvement projects, fare policy reviews, and examination of the appropriate mix of state and local funding sources. An ongoing focus in this area has been to identify innovative funding strategies for the operating budget to relieve the pressure on traditional funding sources.