Local News

More T troubles: Workers almost hit by trains in 4 recent incidents

In some of the close calls, a breakdown in communication led to workers straying beyond the area where they had been authorized to work.

The MBTA said trains came close to striking workers on the tracks four times in recent weeks. David L Ryan/Boston Globe Staff, File

By Abby Patkin

April 14, 2023

2 minutes to read

MBTA trains came dangerously close to hitting workers on the tracks four times over the past few weeks, MBTA leaders said Thursday.

The four “near miss events” happened on March 13, March 21, March 24, and April 7, Chief Safety Officer Ronald Ester shared during a meeting of the MBTA Safety, Health & Environment Subcommittee. In some of the incidents, a breakdown in communication led to workers straying beyond the area where they had been granted access to work, Ester explained.

“How does that even happen? How does that happen, in this day and age?” MBTA board member Bob Butler asked. “With everything going on at the MBTA, that could have killed people out on the tracks.”

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MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng said he had discussions with the Federal Transit Administration and the state Department of Public Utilities — which oversees the T’s rail safety — about the near misses, the most recent of which happened just days before he took office on Monday.

“These are avoidable, and they should not be happening,” Eng said. “At the end of the day, it’s about employee safety, it’s about getting the work done safely and making sure everyone who came to work goes home to their family at the end of the day. And then ultimately, that will result in improved safety for our riders, and the service and reliability that they all expect and deserve.”

Ester outlined some of the steps transit officials have taken following the close calls, including a “safety stand-down” and a safety directive prohibiting access to the right of way until dispatchers and personnel were briefed on the incidents and proper procedures.

“We will be enhancing our observations that we perform at [the Operations Control Center],” Ester said. “We are also doing audits to radio communications. We have members of the safety staff that actually monitor, not on a daily basis, but regularly monitor communications with OCC, and we’re going to put an emphasis on right of way access as a result.”

He said the DPU also sent an “immediate action letter” to the T following the series of close calls. Boston.com has contacted the DPU to request a copy of the letter.

Eng underscored the need for safety improvements at the T, especially in light of the recent incidents.

“We’re not going to let these near misses go by without not only learning from them, but improving how we do things moving forward,” he said. “It’s absolutely imperative.”