MBTA general manager deletes tweets: ‘No system in North America is designed for Siberian temperatures’
The tweets came amid criticism of the transit system's performance during this weekend's record cold.
Humans aren’t the only ones unsuited for the record deep freeze that braced the East Coast this weekend.
Trains aren’t either, at least according to since-deleted tweets Saturday night by MBTA General Manager and CEO Luis Ramirez.
In response to criticism blaming “lousy equipment,” “old systems,” and “chronic disinvestment” for the commuter rail’s performance during the recent storm and cold, Ramirez tweeted, “Actually, it is about temperatures that are the lowest since 1896.”
“No system in North America is designed for Siberian temperatures that last more than a few hours,” he continued. “In fact, fire hydrants are freezing, house pipes are bursting. All local infrastructure is impacted.”
Ramirez later added that “investments made to improve the system are both encouraged and appreciated,” but reiterated that this weekend’s frigid conditions were unprecedented in the transit system’s history (Boston tied its all-time low temperature record Sunday morning, which was set in 1896).
Within roughly 90 minutes of his first tweet Saturday night, Ramirez deleted the two posts, but not before they were captured in a screenshot by MassINC pollster Steve Koczela.
The MBTA General Manager @LMRAMIREZCEO posted, then deleted these two tweets. “…transit systems in North America are not designed for Siberian temperatures.” pic.twitter.com/cuoHmtucZd
— Steve Koczela (@skoczela) January 7, 2018
The tweets came just one day after the recently appointed general manger reportedly scolded Keolis Commuter Services, the company that runs the MBTA’s commuter rail, over the system’s “disappointing” performance following Thursday’s snowstorm.
Asked about Ramirez’s deleted tweets, MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo told Boston.com in a statement Sunday that hundreds of employees and contractors are working “tirelessly through these unprecedented conditions.”
“Whether it’s replacing vital components on trains or clearing critical track switches, everything we do is geared toward providing riders with consistently reliable service,” Pesaturo said.
According to agency officials, Ramirez’s tweets were an attempt to convey the challenge the extreme cold presented for public transit equipment and how hard MBTA personnel were working under the difficult circumstances.
This weekend was hardly the first time the MBTA has struggled in extremely cold weather. Single-digit temperatures were also cited as a contributing factor in the issues the aging train cars encountered late last month during the cold spell that continued into this weekend.
Fortunately, for both commuters and trains alike, warmer temperatures are on the way.
