Two months into what some consider the toughest job in state government, NBC10 Boston sat down with new general manager of the MBTA, Phillip Eng. During the conversation, Eng highlighted the progress, acknowledged the problems and discussed the work that still needs to be done.
“It’s been exciting times and obviously very challenging times,” Eng said when asked how his new role is going.
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Eng said his priority has always been improving service and reliability, and on the MBTA, that means doing what it takes to lift the speed restrictions that still plague a lot of the system. While the MBTA plans to lift the slow zones on the Blue Line by November, NBC Boston asked Eng why there is still no schedule for when the rest of them will be lifted.
“There’s a lot of moving parts to this right? We are trying to tackle the ones that are most impactful first,” Eng said.
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Eng said riders on all lines can expect more transparency from the MBTA including more announcements on trains during delays.
“I think real information to a rider about a delay, even if it’s just a few minutes, is important because right now, with the confidence, levels, you’re sitting there wondering if it’s something bigger,” Eng said.
Eng also knows the problems at the agency are hard to ignore, from falling infrastructure to another derailment, this week on the Green Line. NBC Boston asked how Eng plans to build public trucks when incidents seem to continue to occur.
“What we have to do is stay vigilant about what we’re doing. I know the public deserves this to be done sooner rather than later, but at the same time, we need to do it right,” Eng said.
Eng said a big part of doing it right is doing it safely. The MBTA is currently working with federal officials to make sure close calls do not happen to T employees, especially as they desperately try to recruit more of them.
“We’re not going to do anything unsafe for our workers, that’s first and foremost,” Eng said.
He admits there is still a long way to go to get the T back on track, but he is up for the challenge.
“We’re starting to change the culture. It’s not going to happen overnight, but we’re starting to show people how we can do things better,” Eng said.
