'We can and will do better,' MBTA plans to improve safety
BOSTON — The Joint Committee on Transportation held a hearing on Monday surrounding MBTA safety.
Secretary of Transportation, Gina Fiandaca, was joined by MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng and the interim Chief of Staff Katie Cho as meeting members asked questions, with the majority pointed at Eng, on how to improve the MBTA.
"It cannot be overstated that there is a sense of urgency to improve the safety and reliability of our transit system," said Secretary Fiandaca.
In response, Eng said that the "system is safe to use but we can and we will strive to do better."
On Monday, the MBTA set nearly 600 action items to the Federal Transit Administration, identifying things that need fixing and how they plan to do it.
"What I want is to make sure that when we go in, it's not just a band-aid that it's something that we know we know will address the issue at hand but also address the root cause of the issue," he said.
The MBTA is currently under continued review by the Federal Transit Administration for a series of safety issues focused on riders and workers of the troubled transit system.
Eng also said that the MBTA is making progress on lifting slow zones that have been plaguing passengers.
State lawmakers also questioned the MBTA on its spending. The MBTA has spent less than a third of the $380 million allocated to the agency by the state.
"As important as it is to spend it all quickly, it is important to make sure I spend it all in the right place," said Eng.
Eng also reinstated his idea for creating a Chief Stations Officer — a position would allow for someone to streamline and oversee the maintenance and inspection process of the MBTA's stations — after numerous incidents of parts of the ceiling falling on passengers at Red Line Stations.
The FTA was invited to today's hearing but declined, stating that they do not publicly testify on agencies currently under review.