The MBTA’s revised work plan addressing road worker safety has received conditional approval from the federal government as it will be given 60 days to implement it, and restrictions will otherwise apply.
The review was submitted to the Federal Transit Administration on June 5, and a letter dated June 9, addressed to MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng, informs the agency of the FTA’s conditional approval.
As for the conditions attached to the approval, the FTA said in its letter that if the MBTA “fails to properly implement the Work Plan within the next 60 days, access to the ROW (right-of-way) will be restricted.”
“Until the work plan is fully implemented, FTA is concerned that there is a potential for continued risk of unsafe conditions and practices in the ROW and will therefore continue its monitoring until all elements of the work are closed.” action,” said Associate Administrator and Chief of Office of Safety in the Office of Traffic Safety and Supervision Joe DeLorenzo in the June 9 letter.
The MBTA’s first version of its right-of-way rules and enforcement work plan was deemed insufficient by the FTA, prompting the new version of the plan. The feds wanted to see processes and procedures that would improve security within the next two months in the redacted plan.
Documents show that during a one-month time span between March and April, the MBTA had five close calls and one serious injury to an employee. They were described by the T as “near misses.”
One such incident was captured on surveillance video in March, showing a worker on the tracks leaving the right-of-way, while the lights of an approaching train can be seen in the tunnel.
All of this adds to the critical staffing shortage. The FTA also requests weekly updates on hiring.
