BOSTON (WHDH) - Federal officials are investigating the MBTA in the wake of a man dying after being dragged by a Red Line train and other high-profile cases of injuries at T subways and stations.
MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said Tuesday that the Federal Transit Administration will be investigating the agency, and that MBTA officials will work with federal overseers.
“The MBTA is safe and we are working every day to make it safer, and if they identify gaps we will solve those gaps,” Poftak said. “We have an extensive record of things we’ve been doing and we look forward to sharing that with the FTA and getting their feedback.
The federal National Transportation Safety Board is already investigating how Robinson Lalin, 39, was dragged 105 feet at the Broadway MBTA station and killed when a Red Line train’s doors closed on his arm last month. The T has seen major injuries in the past year, with a Green Line crash sending dozens to the hospital and and escalator malfunction at Back Bay Station causing numerous injuries.
Poftak said the Red Line train moving after the door closed on Lalin’s arm was caused by an “anomaly” that is not in any other trains, and said the T has spent millions on new equipment and nearly doubled the size of its safety department. He said the MBTA will start meeting with federal officials this week.
“We want to engage and cooperate and collaborate with this process,” Poftak said. “If we identify any shortcomings related to safety, we will mitigate those immediately.”
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)