MBTA general manager apologizes for failure to communicate Orange Line issues
BOSTON -- At a federal safety hearing on the MBTA Friday, General Manager Steve Poftak apologized and agreed that the Orange Line is not providing faster service post-shutdown as he promised it would be.
According to Poftak, all the work that was scheduled to take place during the month-long shutdown was finished and the discussed slow zones were lifted.
"What I failed I think to fully comprehend and then fully communicate in a way that was digestible to the public was that our track engineers... in the course of doing their work, they identified other areas that they wanted to work on and they felt like it was important to work on those areas previous to the winter where a track repair is significantly more difficult," Poftak said.
Slowdowns need to be in place where work is being done, even if that work is conducted overnight.
"I failed to properly communicate that," Poftak continued, though he said he was glad the engineers feel they can prioritize safety.
Sen. Ed Markey criticized Poftak for not clearly stating in September that work still needed to be done.
"My only point is you should have just said that. People of Malden could understand that. You need more fasteners, you need more machines to be able to ensure that the tracks are settled, just tell them that, you didn't do that. They were assuming it was going to be faster because you said it was," Markey said.
Poftak would not provide a date for when the work would be completed on the Orange Line. "If I put a date in place, it doesn't prioritize safety it puts pressure on field staff to make a decision that is not based on what is the safest condition in the field, it forces them to make a different decision. I regret that I can't give you a date."
The MBTA agreed to release data on average ride times.
Senator Elizabeth Warren led the hearing, where Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Federal Transit Administrator Nuria Fernandez also testified. Fernandez said there is no plan to take over the MBTA, even though some state lawmakers called for a federal receivership.
Wu said the most devastating impact of the MBTA's safety issues has been rider injuries caused by derailments and the death of a Red Line passenger.
"Riders should not have to wonder when you're getting on the T in the morning to go to work or trying to get home, whether there's a question of if you'll make it back to your family. That has daily quality of life impacts for our residents," Wu said. "When our confidence is shaken, when our ridership is down, that means more traffic for everyone, that means the entire region is paralyzed so any question of safety hurts our residents and it hurts our economy."
In August, the Federal Transit Administration found that the rates of derailments and collisions on the MBTA far exceed the industry average.
"The interesting thing is I don't think you can necessarily just blame the leadership of the T in this administration. This goes back many, many years, going back into the late 80s and the 90s," said T rider Greg Vasil.