FTA to release MBTA safety report Wednesday morning
The Federal Transit Administration is set to discuss the findings of their Safety Management Inspection of the MBTA on Wednesday morning.
The inspection, which began in June, was prompted by a rash of dangerous incidents on the MBTA, including the death of a Boston man who was fatally dragged after getting stuck in a Red Line door in April. In January, a Wilmington woman died when a commuter rail train hit her car. It was later determined that the crossing gate failed to close at the intersection.
The FTA levied safety policies for the MBTA to implement related to operating control center staffing, general safety operating procedures, delayed critical maintenance, and lapses in staff safety certifications.
In July, MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said the overhaul was going well.
“Following the FTA’s initial safety review, the MBTA was asked to implement changes to the system to improve the way it is run and operated,” said Poftak. “I am pleased that the MBTA has completed many of those updates and continues to make progress on many more. These recommendations will make the T safer and more reliable for both our riders and our employees. Over the coming weeks, we will continue to work closely with these safety experts to improve the MBTA system.”
Just days after Poftak’s remarks, a packed Orange Line train transporting commuters on a bridge that runs over the Mystic River in Somerville caught fire, sending hundreds of people scrambling for safety. About 200 people were forced to evacuate the train, including a woman who jumped into the river and others who climbed through smashed windows.
Later that month, the FTA ordered a “safety stand down” following a parade of runaway train incidents. The order forbade workers that had not completed a safety briefing from operating trains in MBTA railways and storage areas.
“There is a continued failure to sufficiently prevent unintended and uncontrolled train movements by disabled trains,” said Joe DeLorenzo of the FTA at the time. “There have been three uncontrolled train movement incidents since May 28, 2022, including on July 25 when MBTA experienced an uncontrolled train movement at the Braintree Station. While no injuries have resulted from the recent incidents, uncontrolled train movements, especially on the mainline, are exceptionally dangerous, can result in collision or derailment, and pose a substantial risk of injury or death to employees in the path of the train.”
FTA Associate Administrator Paul Kincaid will address the media at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. Documents available for public consumption will be released following the press conference.
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