As infrastructure windfall approaches, transit agencies wonder how to spend it

BOSTON—Federal money for major transit projects is on the way, and with it a new problem for transit agencies: balancing the need to repair with demands for service expansion, while still ensuring that a bargain is not wasted.

The $1 trillion infrastructure act has raised hopes among agencies for new railcars, new buses and new lines extending into underserved communities. But figuring out what to invest in could be harder than ever, with generations of neglect to deal with and commuter habits warped by the pandemic.