THE FEDS ARE WATCHING
T board to discuss safety probe
The MBTA Board of Directors plans to formally address federal transportation officials’ plans to take a more active role in overseeing operations at the T.
An “FTA Safety Management Inspection update” is at the top of the agenda for today’s MBTA Safety, Health and Environment subcommittee meeting, which will be held virtually at 11 a.m.
The Safety Management Inspection is one of the immediate measures the Federal Transit Administration said it planned to take as part of its increased safety oversight role at the MBTA.
In an April 14 letter to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority General Manager Steve Poftak, the FTA said it was “extremely concerned with the ongoing safety issues” at the agency, following last month’s passenger death on the Red Line and recent MBTA derailments, collisions, and grade-crossing fatalities.
“MBTA Chief Safety Officer Ron Ester will be providing a high-level update on the SMI to the subcommittee,” said MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo.
The findings of a National Transportation Safety Board report on the April 10 death of Robinson Lalin, 39, who died after his arm became trapped in a Red Line train’s door and he was dragged about 105 feet, will also be discussed. The report was released on May 2, Pesaturo said.
Gov. Charlie Baker, in an interview late last week with WBUR’s “Radio Boston,” said he supports the FTA’s planned safety inspection at the MBTA, which falls under his purview, but does not intend to take an active role in the investigation.
He said the FTA will work with officials from the MBTA, Department of Transportation and Department of Public Utilities. Baker said he expects the federal inspection will bring national knowledge to the T’s safety policies.
Baker said that while the MBTA has been “wildly underinvested”
In an April 14 letter to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority General Manager Steve Poftak, the FTA said it was ‘extremely concerned with the ongoing safety issues’ at the agency.
for many years, he defended his administration’s recent investments and management of the T, citing the agency’s increase in capital spending, which increased from $600 million in fiscal 2014, to a record $1.92 billion in the last fiscal year.
“We’ve spent close to $5 billion since we took office, maybe even $6 billion,” Baker said. “You just won’t find any administration that’s ever spent as much on investing in the core system as we have.”
While the MBTA and Baker have both expressed their support for the federal probe, one transportation advocacy group has said that they are not entirely on board.
Transit Matters, in a statement released last week, said that while it acknowledges the importance of the safety review, it believes that “MBTA safety begins with ensuring that the agency has the resources, both financial and personnel, it needs to do the job.”
“The stakes are high, the statement said. “A full FTA takeover could result in forced fare hikes and service cuts, and put the federal government in charge of setting priorities. This is unacceptable and would be a significant setback for priorities like Bus Network Redesign, low-income fares and more.”