An ‘emergency snow desk’ will keep Bostonians informed about transit delays
The T has also launched a public information campaign after last winter’s mess.
Transit officials detailed on Wednesday a newly created “emergency snow desk’’ that will be staffed around the clock during winter storms, helping the MBTA provide a stream of service updates for commuters.
The desk will produce a “situational report’’ every two hours for the T and the commuter rail during winter weather, and is similar to a structure used by the state’s highway division during snowstorms, said MBTA General Manager Frank DePaola. DePaola said the T will also have an “emergency operations center’’ where executives will group together to make decisions related to the weather.
DePaola and other T officials joined Gov. Charlie Baker at a press briefing to say things will be better this winter after last February’s transit mess, in which the T and commuter rail operator Keolis were criticized not just for poor performance but for poor communication.
Baker said the new emergency response structure will make communicating with customers more timely, by allowing officials to coordinate the gathering and distribution of information.
“The T and the folks at the commuter rail … have spent a fair amount of time working on communication strategies both internally and externally, so we will be better suited to provide the traveling public with status updates,’’ Baker said.
Wednesday’s briefing came after the T began a public information campaign, aptly titled “Winter Happens.’’
The campaign directs riders to visit a website, mbta.com/winter, which recommends 13 apps that track T service, directs users to follow the T on Twitter for updates, and suggests that people sign up for T service alerts through email or text message, a system DePaola said has been improved since last year.
This year’s winter plans also call for putting more employees at station platforms to inform riders about the state of service, DePaola said.
The communication plans are part of a broader winter preparation effort introduced by Baker earlier in the year at a cost of more than $80 million. It includes new snow removal equipment and infrastructure improvements.
The MBTA has been eager to tell the public it thinks it’s ready to handle snow. Wednesday’s press event was the third held by transit leaders to talk about their winter plans since late September, and the second to feature Baker.
Despite the horror of last year and public doubt about the T’s ability to handle the snow, Baker and other officials have practically dared winter to hit them.
“We all feel a little bit like the guys in the Dunkin’ Donuts with the plows in the driveway, waiting for the first snowflake to fall, just so we can prove how ready we are to deal with it,’’ the governor said last month on WGBH.
Baker sounded confident again Wednesday, but added a hint of caution that there’s only so much that can be done to prepare.
“I believe we are far better prepared for this winter than last winter. I believe people have done a tremendous amount of work to position us to serve the public adequately when the snow starts to fall,’’ Baker said. “But obviously Mother Nature may have other plans, and we’ll have to wait and see how that plays out.’’
Last winter on the T, in pictures:
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