New reports reveal MBTA employees didn't understand job responsibilities, complete jobs right
BOSTON - Two new reports released Thursday shed some light into systemic failures at the MBTA.
This past winter, the MBTA imposed a system-wide slowdown on all lines due to missing or incomplete paperwork regarding track maintenance and safety. The insufficient paperwork was discovered when oversight groups began investigating the T and needed the paperwork as part of the investigation.
As a result, all lines were put on speed restrictions. Since then, the T has worked gradually to repair the tracks and pick up speed – though, data shows many rides are slower now than they were a year ago.
An independent investigation by Carlson Transport Consulting, LLC reveals two major causes for the insufficient safety paperwork: a "...lack of complete clarity regarding the roles and responsibilities...regarding track inspections" and "individuals...not completely fulfilling the responsibilities detailed in the Track Maintenance and Safety Standards."
A lack of communication between management and lower-level positions, as well as inadequate staffing and training, and lack of standard operating procedures contributed to the paperwork failure.
In a news conference Thursday, MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng said no one will lose their jobs as a result of this investigation.
"This is not about a single person," Eng said. "This is about the organization, and this is why one of the things that I have looked to do is to have clear lines of authority… I think what happens in agencies is the practices and procedures have developed over decades and they're working until they stopped working and I think what happens is this is the way we've done it for 10 years; we've done it for 20 years and it's been fine."
Eng hired several new managers in response to the investigation.
"As an agency we need to evolve," he said. "The status quo is unacceptable."
In response to the new information, TransitMatters, an MBTA watchdog organization told WBZ the news is a "good first step for transparency. It also highlights why the Legislature's failure to give the T adequate operating funding, often waiting until there's a deficit, is not working."
TransitMatters Executive Director Jarred Johnson also said, "What's missing here is real accountability. While the problems may have been systemic, the failure to make staffing changes undermines credibility in the system."
Eng encouraged the public to be patient, and to see that upcoming closures and slow track progress means workers are doing the job right, rather than quickly, to ensure better service for the long run.
