The MBTA launched a podcast Thursday morning -- apparently by mistake -- in what it called "a step toward increasing transparency." The premiere episode featuring General Manager Phil Eng discussing the system's challenges and his goals was available only briefly before vanishing.
In a since-deleted tweet at 8 a.m., the MBTA announced that it was launching "Spilling the T" and that Eng was the special guest on the episode "available wherever you get your podcasts." TransitMatters board member Chris Friend reposted a screenshot of the T's announcement, which had been deleted by about 9:30 a.m. Pages for the podcast were still up at SoundCloud, Google Podcasts and other platforms, but the audio itself was no longer available.
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The MBTA said the podcast was mistakenly posted Thursday morning and that the agency looks forward to bringing the project to the public soon.
Google Podcasts said the first episode of "Spilling the T," which was listed as 28 minutes long, would feature Eng detailing "his innovative roadmap for success that will increase safety and reliability, and get riders where they need to go."
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"Welcome to Spilling the T, the podcast that takes you behind the scenes of the MBTA. Hosted by Andrew Cassidy of the MBTA's Customer and Employee Experience department, each episode takes a deep dive into the inner workings and issues the T is facing," a description of the series said. "At the MBTA, we believe in transparency, open communication, and continuous improvement. That's why we've created this podcast -- to give you a firsthand look at the challenges we face, the innovative solutions we're implementing, and the dedicated people working tirelessly to keep our transportation system running smoothly."
Gov. Maura Healey, who hired Eng this year to revive the moribund transit system, has pledged to be up-front with the public when it comes to the problems, shortcomings and challenges at the MBTA.
"I'm not gonna sugarcoat anything," Healey said about the T earlier this year. "I told you from the outset: we will be transparent with whatever the facts are."
A Healey spokesperson did not respond Thursday morning to questions about any governor's office involvement in the decision to pull the T's podcast after it had been launched.
