BOSTON (WHDH) - Governor Charlie Baker said he thinks the MBTA can quickly make improvements required by a scathing report from the federal government, even as the T significantly cuts service across subway lines.
The Federal Transit Administration is investigating the T following the March dragging death of Robinson Lalin and numerous other safety issues, and issued four special directives Wednesday calling for immediate action before they release their final report. The directives criticize operations control center employees working 20-hour shifts and returning to work after only 4 hours off, along with 80 percent of heavy rail subway dispatchers having lapsed safety certifications at one point.
“One of the things they said was you need to find or train up some people who have particular skills around dispatch, because you need more dispatchers,” Baker said Saturday. “I think that’s going to be a big focus of the T from this point forward.”
As part of their response to the federal orders, the MBTA is slashing service across subway lines starting Monday because they don’t have enough dispatchers for regular operations. The new timetables are:
Red Line: Ashmont and Braintree branches will run every 14 to 15 minutes instead of 9 to 10, and trains between Alewife and JFK will run every 7 to 8 minutes
Orange Line: Will run every 10 minutes in the morning, every 8 to 9 minutes throughout the day, and every 11 minutes at night
Blue Line: Wil run every 7 minutes until 9 a.m. and then every 8 to 9 minutes the rest of the day.
Also starting Monday, the B Branch of the Green Line will close between Boston College and Kenmore for 12 days, with shuttle buses carrying riders.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)