THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, JAnuARy 5, 2024 Page 9 MBTA | FROM PAGE 8 prove Commuter Rail operations through new facilities that allow for train storage and maintenance activities near South Station for nine of the T’s 14 Commuter Rail lines, accounting for two-thirds of all Commuter Rail service. Safety Department Restructuring: The safety division was restructured in September with the creation of a Safety Department focused on managing Investigations and Corrective Action Plans to drive timely resolution of cases. Work is underway to actively reduce the number of open safety incident investigations. Since July 1, the number of open Corrective Action Plans to the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) has declined from 29 to 13, and the number of overdue Corrective Action Plans to the DPU has dropped from 12 to five in the same time frame. There has also been a reduction in open Department of Labor Standards cases from nine to three over recent months. Railroad Safety Improvements and Upgrades: The MBTA’s Commuter Rail system has 246 surface grade crossings. Efforts are underway to enhance safety at these intersections through improvements to road infrastructure as well as technology partnerships with companies like Waze. Crews have added features such as new lane and fog lines, reflective bollards and road markers, and brighter LED lights on crossing gates intended to make crossings more visible to drivers. The MBTA has also collaborated with Waze so that Commuter Rail crossings now appear on the Waze application’s maps. Drivers using Waze are alerted in advance when they are approaching a railroad crossing. These efforts improve visibility and driver awareness around Commuter Rail grade crossings. Rebuilding the Workforce: Appointment of General Manager Phillip Eng: In March 2023, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced the appointment of Phillip Eng as MBTA General Manager. A transit industry veteran with nearly 40 years of transportation experience, General Manager Eng has already demonstrated a new way of doing business at the T, from bold infrastructure improvement programs to an emphasis on transparency and culture change to continuous safety improvements and more. Established Full Leadership Team: Under the direction of General Manager Eng, the MBTA’s leadership team was restructured in 2023 with transit industry veterans to supplement and build on the institutional knowledge of the existing management. Some new appointments are responsible for stations, infrastructure, engineering, capital program enhancement, operations, quality, compliance, and safety. Surpassed Hiring Goals: In 2023, the MBTA exceeded Governor Healey’s hiring target of 1,000 workers, welcoming nearly 1,500 employees and underscoring the transformative impact of the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s critical $20 million investment in the supplemental budget. This crucial funding boost provided the necessary resources to fuel ambitious recruitment efforts and built upon the MBTA’s other hiring efforts, like an increase in the signon bonus to $7,500 for eligible applicants. Through intentional recruitment efforts targeting Black, Latinx, and Asian American communities, over 50% of the MBTA’s current personnel and recent hires also reflect these groups. These efforts all ensure the MBTA builds a stronger, more diverse workforce that reflects the communities the T serves. Union Contract Agreements: The latest agreement with Lodge 264 builds upon other recent collective bargaining agreements reached between the MBTA and its workforce, including an agreement with Boston Carmen’s ATU Local 589 in August 2023, which represents over 3,000 MBTA transit professionals and the Transit Police Association in November 2023, which represents frontline patrol officers. In contrast to past contract negotiations that took MBTA | SEE PAGE 14
10 Publizr Home