MBTA employees fired amid criminal investigation

The MBTA has terminated four employees as the agency continues to investigate suspected criminal activity at the Cabot Yard maintenance facility.

MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng confirmed the firings at a press conference Wednesday, adding that another employee has also been placed on leave, bringing the total number of employees involved in the investigation to 11. Seven remain on leave.

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“ I've talked a lot about the need to focus on our workforce grow the workforce and then deliver the results for the public. These are the types of actions that we don’t condone," Eng said Wednesday. "As management, I need to take responsibility as well to make sure that we are ensuring that our employees do not doing these types of actions. We’re going to continue to focus on this piece because this is not acceptable.”

Ten MBTA workers are under criminal investigation for allegedly working on private vehicles while on the clock at the facility where the T fixes and stores buses and Red Line trains.

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The Cabot Yard facility is used to store and maintain Red Line vehicles and buses, and it’s where Red Line track workers and inspectors are based.

The ongoing investigation involves the alleged misuse of resources for non-work related activities.

The allegations are that these employees were working on private vehicles at Cabot Yard during work hours. It’s unclear how this alleged criminal activity was discovered. Specific details have yet to be released.

"This alleged misconduct does not reflect the values of the MBTA community, and it has not and will not impact the progress we are delivering across the system. We are taking these allegations very seriously, as we have an obligation to the public we serve and to our workforce to ensure that every employee meets the highest standards of conduct. We will continue to take all necessary actions to ensure accountability based on the findings of the investigation and prevent a situation like this from happening again," Eng wrote in a media statement after making his comments Wednesday.

The T has said it will take all necessary disciplinary actions regarding this matter. Management also plans to increase site visits.