The staff of CommonWealth magazine and MassINC would like to thank those who attended “Newsmakers” on November 27, which provided us with the opportunity to connect headline-makers to headline-readers in discussing the future of the MBTA. We would also like to extend our gratitude to those who gave generously during our fundraising campaign. We are thrilled to announce that because of your donations we were able to match the $25,000 gift we received!

If you were unable to attend you can listen to an abridged version of the conversation below.

“We’ve got a pretty radical transformation going on,” Joseph Aiello, Chair of the MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board, told the packed room.

Gathering inside WeWork’s ideal space, Aiello joined Carolyn Ryan of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and Chris Dempsey of Transportation for Massachusetts for a truly news-making conversation led by CommonWealth Editor Bruce Mohl.

Jim Smith of Smith, Costello and Crawford asks a question.

Aiello confirmed the agency is doubling the capacity of the Red and Orange lines that will double their capacity and committing to an annual maintenance schedule that will prevent the sort of deterioration of service that occurred the last time the two lines were upgraded. Other plans, like doubling the capacity of the Green Line and re-imagining the commuter rail, were addressed in the context of their potential need for more revenue.

While Aiello noted the agency has enough money for the next five years, he hopes to see a signal from the Legislature indicating its support for a project as big as a Green Line overhaul. Dempsey suggested putting a price on driving to both improve commutes and to raise more money for transit.

Happy holidays!