BOSTON (WHDH) - The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) said Friday it has completed its years-long safety review of the MBTA, and it has given oversight of the authority back to the state of Massachusetts.
The FTA took over in 2022 following a number of safety incidents across several MBTA routes, including an Orange Line train that caught fire over the Mystic River in Medford that year. More than 200 passengers had to evacuate, and one woman jumped into the river to escape the flames.
A comprehensive FTA report found the MBTA focused more on long-term capital projects than the day-to-day safety of passengers and workers.
“It demonstrates that with the right investments, and the right training, right personnel, the MBTA can deliver safe, more frequent, more reliable service,” MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng said. “We’re digging out of a hole we were in in 2022. But we are making dramatic improvements for the public, and it is all about safety for them.”
Since that report, the FTA said the state has hired more full-time staff members, implemented a comprehensive training plan, and updated its processes for overseeing safety measures on the MBTA, satisfying the goals laid out by the agency.
“I don’t know if many people believed that in three years we could make this much progress, though having said that, we have much more to do and we’re committed to that,” Eng said. “At the end of the day, we want the public – which we are seeing them come back to using the MBTA – to continue to build their trust, to maintain their confidence in us, so we can keep serving them, the businesses, and the communities that really rely on Mass. transportation options.”
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