ENG REFLECTS ON ‘WHIRLWIND’ YEAR

T boss says there has been a ‘culture shift’ at the agency, more work ahead

There has been a “culture shift” at the MBTA in the 366 days that have passed since he took the helm of the state’s beleaguered transportation network, MBTA General Manager Phil Eng said.

Speaking to the MBTA Advisory Board on the last day of his first year managing the MBTA, Eng told the Board it’s been a “whirlwind” ride but that things are starting to turn around at the oft-troubled transit system.

“It has been a tremendous amount of change in one year, and at the same time, there’s so much more that I know we can continue to improve and deliver differently,” Eng said. “A lot of this is about the culture shift of the MBTA, the workforce, and the management team, on how we are looking to do things differently.”

Eng, who also served as interim president of the New York City Transit system, was announced by Gov. Maura Healey and then-Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca as the much anticipated new chief of the MBTA in March of last year. An engineer from New York (and admitted Yankees fan) with four decades of experience in mass transit, Eng relocated to Massachusetts to take his $470,000-a-year job that April 10.

In the time since, the T has undergone a hiring blitz and commenced with a flurry of very public improvement programs at its stations and along its tracks. Shutdowns have been frequent, but they’ve been well announced, firmly scheduled, and have allowed contractors to get into the tunnels and do their jobs, Eng said.

As a result, bids for work on the T are coming in lower than expected, Eng told the advisory board. The transit companies see an engaged transit agency in Boston, he said.

“The industry is seeing that it’s a much more engaged owner, an owner that is making field decisions, timely decisions, and allowing them to get in and do the work they need to. And then when we’re done, deliver the results that we’ve promised to the public.”

Advisory Board Chair and Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch praised Eng’s work to turn the ship around at the MBTA, noting his experience in rail makes him a relatively novel person in the politically-appointed role.

“I think he’s the right guy at the right time. There’s an old saying that the times make the man or woman, or the man or woman make the times. I think there’s probably a combination of both there, Phil,” Koch said. “It’s great to have a true railroad guy at the helm with all the challenges we have.”

While acknowledging the work already done and stressing the changes that have been made and projects completed on time or ahead of schedule, Eng said the MBTA is nowhere near finished making itself better.

That became clear immediately. When Eng opened the advisory board meeting to questions, he was inundated with comments and concerns from local officials.

The Mayor of Haverhill complained of a MBTA station closure in her town and affiliated construction work, and an official from Boston wondered what could be done to enforce the city’s new bus lanes. Parking for the Fitchburg commuter rail line is filling up, and pedestrians are walking around trains in Whitman.

Eng told the board that as long as he’s running the MBTA, when they identify a problem they will find a solution, and stay committed to fixing what’s wrong for as long as it takes.

“As long as it’s forward progress, I’m really excited about the future,” Eng said to close his remarks.

NANCY LANE — BOSTON HERALD MBTA GM Phil Eng, seen here at North Station in February alongside Gov Maura Healey, said his first year on the job has seen a change in the way business is done at the MBTA.