MBTA Official Says Fed Are Happy With Safety Progress

The FTA prescribed a 38-point corrective action plan to the T following a safety management inspection in 2022, which criticized staffing shortages, a backlog of maintenance and a lackluster commitment to safety culture.

"I'd never presume to speak for the FTA, but the high-level headline was that I think they believe that the MBTA has started to turn the corner in terms of safety culture and our approach to responding to both safety incidents in specific and also our longer-term planning capabilities, and seem very pleased with our progress to date and what we're projected for the next calendar year," Sandberg said Thursday during a MBTA Board of Directors Safety, Health and Environment Subcommittee meeting.

An MBTA spokesperson did not respond when asked Thursday for any documentation of the FTA's appraisal of the T.

Sandberg said the FTA officials she met with did not express any specific concerns over the T's performance addressing the safety issues, but said "it's important that we then stay on track, literally and figuratively."

The 2022 FTA investigation tied the safety risks to staffing shortages, as well as communication failures and a pattern of underinvestment in deferred maintenance.

Over the last year, the MBTA has been on a hiring spree, pushed by Gov. Maura Healey who has said it is among her priorities to get more workers at the T. The hiring blitz has been fueled in large part by labor agreements that boosted wages and rolled out retention bonuses, as well as sign-on bonuses for new hires.

As of Thursday, Chief Workforce Officer Ahmad Barnes reported the T has hired 1,493 new employees and internally promoted 543 people since Healey took office in January 2023. During that same time period, 598 employees have left the MBTA -- leading to a total increased headcount of 895 employees.

Seven months into the fiscal year, the agency has brought on an additional 640 people, Barnes said Thursday.