In a brand new report, the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation beneficial a structural change that would depart the MBTA in cost solely of subway and bus operations, stripping it of Commuter Rail, ferry and building tasks.
The committee additionally beneficial shifting state security oversight of the company from the Department of Public Utilities to a brand new entity, with each chairs favoring a transfer to the Inspector General’s workplace, citing its independence from the governor.
The 78-page report, launched Tuesday, is the results of three MBTA oversight hearings held by the committee, and is supposed to tell potential laws for the way forward for the company, together with the panel’s foremost said goal of “consistent safe and reliable service at the T.”
“The hearings demonstrated a consensus that the T needs to do better, particularly when it comes to prioritizing safety, recruiting and retaining a well-trained workforce, and addressing deferred maintenance and bringing the system into a state of good repair,” the report stated.
Both committee chairs, state Sen. Brendan Crighton and Rep. William Straus, raised “ideas” about approaches that may be taken to enhance the MBTA, however these broached by Straus would symbolize a whole overhaul.
“One idea for consideration is that the MBTA be allowed to focus on its core mission of serving as the metropolitan region’s bus and rapid transit service agency, thus allowing the authority to become a more responsive and efficient agency with an improved safety record,” Straus stated.
Straus stated duty of the Commuter Rail and oversight of the MBTA’s contract with Keolis Commuter Services could possibly be transferred to MassDOT’s Rail and Transit Division, or one other workplace, underneath direct supervision of the secretary of transportation.
He additionally urged that the Fairmount Line, which aside from a small portion in Milton operates virtually solely in Boston, be transferred from a Commuter Rail to subway operation, and thus stay underneath the management of the MBTA.
Much just like the Commuter Rail, which operates exterior of the Federal Transit Administration’s jurisdiction, the MBTA’s ferry service could possibly be transferred to a brand new water transportation division inside MassDOT or a brand new ferry-based regional transit authority, Straus stated.
Large capital initiatives is also managed by MassDOT, by way of its newly-created “high performance project” unit, Straus stated, citing the success the MBTA has had with eradicating itself from direct involvement within the Green Line Extension and South Coast Rail.
Citing the termination of the MBTA’s previous chief security officer and whistleblower Ron Nickle in March 2019, Straus stated it was essential for the CSO to be shielded from retaliatory motion when reporting security issues “up and out of the authority when disagreements with MBTA leadership exist.”
The report additionally highlighted notable security incidents from 2015-22, an absence of transparency from the MBTA, and reiterated the committee’s disappointment with an absence of cooperation from the Federal Transit Administration.
The committee was tasked with holding oversight hearings after the FTA launched its security administration inspection of the T, which was prompted by a fatality on the Red Line.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”