Rick Dimino
The MBTA’s new Fiscal and Management Control Board is off to a promising start. Gov. Charlie Baker has appointed five capable and knowledgeable individuals to the board and all signs indicate that they are approaching the task of righting the T with creativity and dedication. As the board begins to roll up its sleeves and consider improvements to the operations, management and finances of the MBTA, the following are some priorities that ought to be given careful consideration by the board members.
Our economy cannot afford another prolonged shutdown of the T this coming winter. The governor has taken the important step of setting aside over $80 million in capital funds for winter preparation efforts. The MBTA should issue a public report next month that outlines the steps the agency has taken to better operate transit service in severe storms, including system upgrades, repairs, operational improvements and improved communications procedures. The public and the business community should have a full understanding of what has been planned and implemented well in advance of the first snowfall of the season.
Currently, the MBTA has estimated a $6.7 billion backlog that needs to be addressed to bring the system into a state of good repair. That figure does not include assets associated with the Commuter Rail and other systems. The MBTA should work as quickly as possible to complete its asset management database, which will be able to provide a full accounting of the agency’s backlog and help the T’s staff better prioritize ongoing maintenance projects in the capital planning process. The Baker administration should also work with the control board to file legislation that allocates the resources necessary to dig the T out of this hole.
The control board should also examine ways to strengthen the procurement, design and construction process to ensure quality, speed project delivery and control costs. The reforms recently enacted by the legislature, temporary relief from the Pacheco Law and the ability to make greater use of design-build procurement, should help in this regard. However, the T’s design and procurement teams also need significantly more staff capacity to deliver high-quality projects in a reasonable amount of time. The MBTA also needs to better coordinate its procurements so that each project’s full utility is realized. For example, the Red Line and Orange Line vehicle replacement should be accompanied by power and signal upgrades to increase headways and improve capacity. The Red Line alone needs over $100 million in work to upgrade its power and signals beyond what is currently programmed. This investment would directly impact key economic centers such as the South Boston Waterfront and Kendall Square.
Communications And Customer Service Are Key
Other than transporting riders safely every day, one of the most important functions that the MBTA performs is customer service and communications. Before, during and after the recent weather events, the MBTA and Keolis failed to communicate in a timely and effective way with riders, often leaving them confused and stranded. During typical days with a full service schedule, and especially during times with reduced or suspended service, the agency must develop, implement and ensure communications plans that will keep riders informed about service changes and what they can expect. MassDOT should also invest in new equipment that will enable more precise tracking of commuter rail trains by customers.
Finally, the control board should oversee an analysis of the T’s capacity to serve future ridership in the coming years, as the economy continues to grow. Recent analysis conducted during the Boston 2024 bid process indicated that the T could be more than 50 percent over capacity during rush hour in less than a decade. The T should act now to plan for the future, identifying gaps in future service and capacity and estimating the capital and operating resources that will need to be addressed to meet this future demand. Now that we have a team and tools in place to fix the T, all parties need to come together and put in place a revenue and investment strategy for the future.
The T is a cornerstone of the region’s economy and the control board will play a critical role in not only ensuring this winter goes smoothly, but that the T is fixed for the long-term and is able to meet the region’s needs. The business community looks forward to collaborating with them as they begin their work. .
