Democratic gubernatorial candidate Maura Healey launched a transportation plan that features a full overhaul of management on the MBTA and would strengthen the oversight roles of MassDOT and the T’s Board of Directors.
“The MBTA’s general manager must possess both inspirational leadership and the ability to manage a large, technical transit organization,” the plan launched Tuesday states. “Maura will appoint an experienced and respected leadership team and create a governance structure at the MBTA to meet the challenges of safety, reliability, accessibility and affordability.”
Healey, if elected governor, mentioned she would appoint a common supervisor who can ship on these targets. She additionally plans to nominate two deputy common managers, of operations and capital planning.
Healey mentioned she would strengthen and make clear the oversight roles of each the MBTA Board of Directors and MassDOT, to offer the board extra energetic authority to supervise the overall supervisor and “make tough decisions,” coordinate capital planning between MassDOT and the MBTA and make sure that the division of duties between the 2 businesses is “crystal clear.”
The plan states that Healey’s appointments to the MBTA board would have demonstrated expertise in transit, security, organizational administration, customer support and disaster communication.
It additionally commits to conducting a security audit of the beleaguered company, which might be carried out by a Healey-appointed transportation security chief, who would “work across the relevant transportation agencies” to conduct a full evaluation of the state’s rail and bus operations, and roads and bridges.
“This will include an analysis of the root causes of safety failures,” the plan provides. “Paired with the Federal Transit Administration’s report, the results of this audit will provide a framework and inform her transportation work.”
Healey, now the state legal professional common, mentioned she would additionally prioritize beefing up subway dispatcher staffing within the operations management heart, implementing low-income fares, rising commuter rail frequency and “harnessing federal and state funds to update infrastructure and fund capital projects.”
Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Doughty, a Wrentham businessman who launched his plan for the MBTA final month, mentioned “career politicians” like Healey will not be geared up to repair the issues plaguing the T.
“Healey cannot sue to fix the issues,” Doughty mentioned. “Our team has the best plan for putting the MBTA back on track.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”