MBTA General Manager and Interim Transportation Secretary Phil Eng stands between members of the public on the roof of a ferry in Boston on July 14, 2026. Photo by Ella Adams | State House News Service
Almost one year into Phil Eng’s stint as both MBTA general manager and interim Department of Transportation secretary, the Healey administration will not say if there is an active search for someone to relieve Eng of either role.
Eng’s job as T general manager began in April 2023 under former transportation secretary Gina Fiandaca, who left the helm of MassDOT that September. Fiandaca’s undersecretary, Monica Tibbits-Nutt, took over as secretary until she stepped down in October 2025. Eng replaced her on an interim basis, and nine months later he is still pulling double duty leading both the DOT and the T.
The state’s online employment portal, MassCareers, does not have a secretary position posted, nor does it have an MBTA general manager position posted. The T’s jobs site is also not advertising a general manager position.
Gov. Maura Healey did not reply directly last week when asked at a scrum if the state is hiring for either the role of MBTA general manager or MassDOT secretary, but said Eng is “doing a terrific job.” Healey spokesperson Jacqui Manning referred the News Service back to the governor’s scrum audio when asked if the state is actively searching for someone to fill one of Eng’s roles. MassDOT did not address a question about whether the department has advertised for the secretary role.
Eng said last Tuesday that he has “no timeline” as to when his double duty will come to an end. His contract with the T runs through April 10, 2028, representing a five-year employment agreement. Eng made more than $586,000 last year at the T, making him the highest paid state employee outside of the UMass system in 2025. His predecessor Tibbits-Nutt was paid just over $196,000 in 2024. Eng is not taking a salary for his work as transportation secretary.
Healey has often touted Eng’s work at the T eliminating slow zones and establishing new Commuter Rail lines, and she reaffirmed her confidence in him in June after it was reported that he pulled an employee’s hair at an event two years ago. Eng has said he apologized for the incident at the time, and the T has offered little information about it, according to the Boston Globe.
Asked if the MBTA is actively hiring anyone to help out while Eng has taken on two roles, MBTA Communications Director Joe Pesaturo wrote, “As he has stated several times, GM Eng has been building out the workforce, including his executive team and other managerial positions since 2023, putting a very strong leadership structure in place.”
Eng’s base salary is $484,206 as of July, Pesaturo said. His 2023 contract set his base at $470,000 with a slated 1.5 percent increase each Sept. 1 beginning in 2024. Eng’s contract stipulates that he’s entitled to receive a $30,000 “retention payment” every July 1, starting in 2024, if he remains employed with the T. Eng is also eligible for an “annual success bonus,” as determined by the secretary of transportation. That bonus on or before July 31, 2024 was not to exceed 10percent of his annual base salary. On or before that date in 2025, the bonus couldn’t exceed 15percent of his base, and on or before that date in 2026 and beyond, it can’t exceed 20percent of his base.
Asked who determines Eng’s annual bonus at the T since he has assumed the role of transportation secretary, MassDOT shared an addendum to his contract, which states, “For so long as Eng is serving as both Acting Secretary of Transportation and General Manager and CEO of the MBTA all functions described in the Agreement dated April 10, 2023 to be performed by the Secretary of Transportation shall be performed instead by the Chief of Staff of the Governor or her designee.” Chief of Staff Kate Cook, MassDOT General Counsel Carrie Wicker and Eng signed the addendum.
