New MBTA GM Phillip Eng promises 'meaningful' changes, progress soon
BOSTON - Gov. Maura Healey's pick to lead the MBTA says the "status quo is not acceptable" at the troubled transit agency and is promising that T riders will see changes soon.
"My pledge to the people of Massachusetts is that you will see meaningful, measurable steps being taken and progress being made in short order," said Phillip Eng, the former Long Island Rail Road president, at an introductory news conference on Monday.
Eng led the LIRR, Long Island's commuter rail, from 2018 to early 2022 before he retired. He was born and raised on Long Island and lives there with his wife, their two sons and twin daughters.
Eng, who has an engineering background, says making sure the T is safe and reliable is his top priority. He also wants to make sure riders have accurate information for their commutes.
"It's clear that MBTA service is not at the level that it needs to be, and it has been that way for far too long," he said. "It's time for a new way of doing business at the T."
Former MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak left in January after serving for four years. Jeff Gonneville is currently the acting general manager.
Some of the challenges the T has faced in the past year include the death of a rider who was dragged by a Red Line train as it pulled away from a station, an unprecedented month-long shutdown of the Orange Line for repairs, a scathing federal report that said the MBTA has not prioritized safety and recently implemented speed restrictions amid an investigation into missing or inconsistent documentation.
Healey said Eng is the "proven leader that the T needs to improve safety and reliability across the entire system, and also to restore the public's trust."
"What really stood out to all of us in the search process is that he has a proven track record of taking on challenging problems, taking over the reins of transit systems in times of crisis and turning them around," Healey said.
Eng said he is a commuter, and expects to hear from riders on the T in person.
"I heard this may be taboo here in Boston but I genuinely welcome people to talk to me if you see me on the subway, on the bus, on the train," he said.
On Monday, Eng took a ride on the Green Line from Riverside to Boston, and heard from some concerned riders.
"It's a little disheartening that our mass transit systems are in such disarray," Carrie Frederick told WBZ. Frederick happened to pass Eng and told him that herself.
He responded, "We can bring this back and we will bring this back."
Eng will earn a salary of $470,000 a year, plus he gets a retention payment of $30,000 in July of 2024.