Photo: Madison Rogers (WBZ)
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Gov. Maura Healey and other officials toured the MBTA's Operations Control Center in Boston Thursday.
Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll rode the Red Line and toured the control center with MBTA interim General Manager Jeff Gonneville and Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca.
Healey's tour comes as the MBTA continues to struggle with long wait times, safety concerns, aging infrastructure, and a shortage of staff.
"We simply don’t have enough trained workers to carry out essential operations," Healey said in a speech Thursday. "We’ve got to figure out a way to make this work."
During her speech, Healey pledged to pump money into hiring and training workers, as well as greater transparency between the MBTA and the public. This will include a response to a 2022 Federal Transit Administration report that outlined significant deficiencies in MBTA staffing, training, and safety. The response will be posted online.
"In a month or so, we expect that the T will be able to publish a response to the FTA’s report," Healey said. "This site will be regularly updated to show the progress. Riders will be able to stay completely up to date on how we are responding to safety concerns."
Healey also noted the issue of faulty subway cars built by Chinese rail company CRRC at its Springfield plant, which has caused delays in the delivery of new Red and Orange Line cars. The governor said the MBTA will hire an independent firm to look into CRRC's "manufacturing, management, operations, delivery schedule, market conditions as well as existing contractual terms."
Healey also pledged that there would be a new general manager of the MBTA in the coming weeks.
WBZ's Madison Rogers (@MadisonWBZ) reports.
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