Monica Tibbits-Nutt Steps Down as MassDOT Head
Gov. Maura Healey office said Tibbits-Nutt “plans to return to private industry,” but the departure comes amid allegations of misconduct in a failed effort to pick a new state rest-stop operator.
Gov. Maura Healey office said Tibbits-Nutt “plans to return to private industry,” but the departure comes amid allegations of misconduct in a failed effort to pick a new state rest-stop operator.
The MBTA has not had any federal grants rejected or revoked amid a major belt-tightening campaign by the Trump administration, according to the T’s top boss, who also warned that tariffs could impact costs for materials purchased by transit agencies around the country.
The MBTA expects fare gates to be operational at two more Boston commuter rail hubs later this year, the T’s general manager said after a state watchdog criticized the agency’s approach to fare collection.
MBTA budget-writers have warned the agency could run out of cash in the first quarter of fiscal 2026 amid a roughly $700 million gap, but the agency’s leader is feeling “optimism” about the prospects of addressing the shortfall.
The speed restrictions that have plagued the MBTA for years should be gone by next month, and agency leaders will then turn their attention toward similarly important work on signals and station improvements – work that will still require small shutdowns.
MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng is beginning to make the case that the transit authority is a reliable transportation option.
With ancient Red Line trains and not enough Orange Line trains causing reliability problems, MBTA officials opted to accelerate deliveries.
The last week shows progress is likely to be two steps forward and one step back given decades of neglected maintenance at the T and the NIMBY backlash to the Healey administration’s housing plans.
While a new panel of government officials, business leaders transportation activists and commuters prepare for another round of investigation into how the state should fund roads and transit, Gov. Maura Healey will keep an open mind – including around the possibility of new or increased taxes.
Gov. Maura Healey called a dramatic slowdown of the Green Line Extension “incredibly frustrating,” but declined to provide any details about how the nearly brand-new tracks fell into such poor condition so quickly.
With the agency struggling to improve subway service and facing heightened scrutiny from federal regulators, MBTA General Manager Phil Eng on Friday reshaped the T’s management hierarchy.
Poorly trained staff, a breakdown of communication between T leaders and employees, and missing documentation of inspections are among the reasons the MBTA’s tracks have deteriorated to the point where it is not safe for trains to operate at full speeds, according to a new report.
A slew of recent good news coming out of the MBTA should give the state’s business leaders confidence the agency is on the mend. But huge challenges still loom that need immediate attention.
MBTA officials are making some progress in their campaign to staff up, but it’s still not clear when the agency will hit the levels needed to fully restore all weekday subway service from the cuts that have persisted for more than a year.
Leave it to the local press to miss the significance of the first big management move by new T chief Phillip Eng. His new hires aren’t cronies, and they’re not “reinforcements,” either.
Facing a long list of necessary safety, service and reliability improvements, the MBTA general manager is bringing in former colleagues from his time turning around the Long Island Rail Road.
People will see a “different T one year from now,” but T board chair Tom Glynn and General Manager Phil Eng indicated the public won’t see a difference in just two months’ time.
MBTA chief Phillip Eng pledged on his first day on the job Monday to prove that the agency can “turn it around” after a dismal string of disruptions have eroded faith and pushed riders away.
If the MBTA is ever to win a modicum of respect and understanding from the public, it needs to shift its approach to communications from trying to gloss over or outright hide bad news, to speaking honestly about the challenges it faces.
Incoming MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng’s bet is that a focus on the “basics” and empowering the agency’s stretched-thin workforce will begin to turn the tide. But some transit advocates caution against expectations that his appointment alone will be a game-changer.