What local transit advocates think of the MBTA's new leader
“This is not about flashy announcements and ribbon cuttings. This is about someone who can hire people, build a team, operationalize repairs and literally get the trains back on track. It’s that behind-the-scenes hard work. And he’s got decades of experience.”
Read moreTransit advocates praise Governor Healey’s GM pick of Phillip Eng
“You can go to ribbon cuttings, you can make big announcements, you can talk about innovation. But what makes a system run is the stuff behind the scenes you never want to think about.”
Read moreNew leader for MBTA is announced: Phillip Eng, engineer who put New York rail on a better path
“This is progress,” Livable Streets executive director Stacy Thompson said. The work will be slow and it could be a “bumpy summer,” but she sees Eng as the right pick.
Read morePhillip Eng, former LIRR president, will be the next MBTA general manager, Healey announces
“It’s not the sexy stuff, it’s not the ribbon cuttings. It’s literally getting the trains running on time,” she said. “And that seems to be what his specialty is.”
Read more"A herculean task": Transportation advocates say new MBTA GM faces challenges
"It's the kind of nuts and bolts experience we want to see in the T," said Thompson. "This isn't about ribbon cuttings, this isn't about announcements, this is about literally getting the trains back on track. You want someone who is going to prioritize that in the weeds, behind the scenes operations work that he seems to have many, many years of work in."
Read moreDebris Falls, Water Leaks From Ceiling at Forest Hills
Thompson said the frequent nature of the MBTA's problems does not make them acceptable. She says they are the result of decades of neglect, adding that investments are needed now.
Read moreTwo months in, Healey faces a familiar challenge for past governors: an MBTA in disarray
“There is a false narrative that the T is an impossible thing to manage,” said Stacy Thompson, executive director of advocacy group LivableStreets Alliance. “Maura Healey does not have an insurmountable challenge. She has a choice.”
Read moreMBTA problems impact quality of life and economy, transit experts say
"There is really no major city globally that has a thriving economy without a transit system," she said. "It really comes down to people can't get downtown to go to a great restaurant, they can't go downtown to go to work, they can't get across town to get to a doctor's appointment."
Read moreThe T is getting slower. 83 speed restrictions cover 10 miles of track.
Stacy Thompson, LivableStreets executive director, said she expects slow zones to persist for a “couple of years” across many different lines.
Read moreThe MBTA is scheduling spring bus service that it knows it can’t deliver
“They should be aiming for people to have the information they can revolve their lives around,” she said. “That’s better than having an ambitious plan they know they can’t meet.”
Read more