The MBTA has revealed the changes it intends to make to improve safety as required by the Federal Transit Administration.
The MBTA has submitted a revised worker safety plan to federal regulators after the transit agency's initial plan was rejected. The new plan still needs the approval of the Federal Transit Administration, or workers could be banned from working on the tracks.
You can see the revised work plan and a letter from MBTA General Manager Philip Eng below.
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Earlier this month, the T submitted a Right of Way Rules Compliance and Safety Work Plan to the Federal Transit Administration to address concerns, but the FTA deemed the MBTA’s Work Plan insufficient.
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A T spokesperson said Monday that significant work has already been done to improve safety, and that the new plan highlights immediate actions for the next 60 days, which was a key requirement from the FTA. Those include implementing new communications protocols and overnight work procedures, among other steps.
"The MBTA will continue to collaborate with the FTA in order to implement the most effective safety procedures for its workforce, and will continue on a short- and long-term path to improve the safety of the system and its safety culture," a statement from the agency reads.
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In an accompanying cover letter, MBTA General Manager Philip Eng noted that the agency started making changes back in March and efforts have been ongoing. Some of those changes included increased radio log audits, emphasizing repeating radio communications back, and introducing a pilot program on the Blue Line that creates power maps for dispatchers to help track workers on the tracks, among other things. He also emphasized that both the MBTA and FTA agree too many changes at once can be risky and that some plans will require further analysis before they can be put into action.
The MBTA's original plan, submitted in May, laid out long-term safety improvements with completion dates at the end of this year and into 2024. The FTA responded that it wasn't soon enough, calling for revisions that can be applied within the next 60 days.
Documents show that during a one-month time span between March and April, the MBTA had five close calls and one serious employee injury. They were described by the T as "near-miss events."
This all comes on top of critical MBTA staffing shortages. The FTA is also asking for weekly updates on hiring.
