So the article is partially right and partially wrong. The MBTA's operational annual budget is 2.5 Billion. They have the resources. But that money is not being spent correctly. They categorically piss that money away on construction contracts. It was one of the major findings from both the state and the feds. Its death by feature creep and incompetence. You don't add a bunch of stuff to your already badly broken foundation when your ridership is down 40% and all your shit is on fire. The reality for the new GM is the state is likely not going to give him more money and he realizes that the case Day 1 on the job, His only option is to hope they allow him to reconfigure how the MBTA operates as a business.