Press Release  Safety Audit of MBTA Identifies Areas for Improvement Around Inspections and Maintenance

Boston — Today, State Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s Office released an audit report of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, reviewing the period from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2022.

This audit is one of a series of reports that the Office of the State Auditor is issuing as part of a performance audit of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). It marks the second report related to ensuring the safety of MBTA riders and employees, with the first report earlier issued on July 7, 2024.

Among the audit’s finding is that the MBTA did not ensure the timely completion of preventative maintenance (PM) work orders for visual inspections of its subway tracks. Open work orders can skew the accuracy of the MBTA’s enterprise asset management system, on which it relies to monitor the condition of its infrastructure. This makes it difficult to track whether these PM tasks have actually been carried out and whether any potential maintenance trends and/or backlogs exist. This undermines the reliability of the MBTA’s enterprise asset management system. Further, not performing inspections on their scheduled date increases risks to people and MBTA’s physical assets and increases the risk of non-compliance with regulatory requirements, particularly those related to inspection frequency.

The audit also found the MBTA did not ensure that defects identified during inspections of subway tracks were remediated in accordance with its Track Maintenance Standards. Recent incidents involving derailments on the MBTA’s Red and Green Lines, which caused injuries and significant delays for passengers, highlight the importance of promptly remediating track defects to prevent future occurrences. The MBTA may be unable to effectively prioritize and address safety hazards if it does not address track defects discovered during inspections according to its Track Maintenance Standards, or if it does not subsequently verify that the defects have not deteriorated further. This could ultimately lead to safety hazards for both MBTA riders and employees.

Moreover, the MBTA did not always perform PM inspections on its subway cars at the required intervals. Regular inspections of subway cars are critical to ensuring the safe and efficient operation of the MBTA’s subway system. Without timely inspections, mechanical issues could go unnoticed, increasing the likelihood of equipment failures, potentially leading to accidents or derailments. This could jeopardize the safety of riders and the general public. Failure to conduct timely inspections can also increase the complexity and cost of addressing problems that exist.

The audit also found the MBTA did not consistently document deferred defects found during subway car inspections and did not always accurately record their associated severity codes. If the MBTA does not accurately and consistently document deferred defects and their associated severity codes found during subway car PM inspections, it cannot ensure that all deferred defects are monitored and addressed in a timely manner and in accordance with its PM Inspection and Documentation Policy. In addition, if the MBTA does not ensure the accuracy of this information, the MBTA’s ability to evaluate the effectiveness of its employees’ efforts to identify and address maintenance needs is limited.

Furthermore, the MBTA did not ensure that visual inspections of its subway station facilities were performed. A lack of regular inspections increases the risk that safety hazards and maintenance needs will not be identified in a timely manner, affecting the safety of the MBTA’s riders, employees, and the general public.

The audit also revealed the MBTA did not ensure that all of its information system users completed cybersecurity training. If the MBTA does not ensure that all of its information system users complete cybersecurity awareness training, then the MBTA is exposed to an elevated risk of cybersecurity attacks, which may cause financial and/or reputational losses.

Moreover, serious issues pertaining to pedestrian safety at MBTA commuter rail stations with at-grade crossings were identified. In recent years, there has been an increase in safety incidents occurring at MBTA Commuter Rail stations that have pedestrian at-grade crossings.  These incidents have led to serious injuries and, in some cases, fatalities.

The MBTA is required to maintain an inventory of its railroad crossings and report the information to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). This inventory includes details about the location, type of crossing and existing safety features such as lights, signals, gates, and signs. The Auditor’s Office requested that the MBTA provide an inventory of its at-grade pedestrian crossings at Commuter Rail stations. It took the MBTA more than a month to supply this information raising concerns about the adequacy of its record-keeping practices. When the MBTA was able to provide the inventory, discrepancies were found between the MBTA’s inventory and the data we found in the FRA’s grade crossing database.

During the audit, a public record was found indicating that the MBTA Commuter Rail Safety Department was, in April 2020, provided with a list from Keolis train engineers that identified the top 20 most problematic stations containing at-grade crossings in the Commonwealth. According to this public record, the MBTA Commuter Rail Safety Department had identified low-cost safety improvements that it could implement at these 20 most problematic stations and then implement them at all Commuter Rail stations with at-grade crossings. The MBTA Commuter Rail Safety Department believed these safety improvements would be installed in August 2020. However, as of the time of audit fieldwork, these safety improvements had still not been implemented.

As part of this audit, visual inspections were performed of 35 at-grade pedestrian crossings located at MBTA commuter rail stations to document the type and physical condition of the safety features existing at each location. The following issues were observed that could increase the risk of accidents and fatalities: crossings with worn-out or faded pavement markings, making it difficult for pedestrians to recognize; crossings with signage that was obstructed, reducing its visibility to approaching pedestrians; and crossings with “Look before crossing” signage only on one side of the crossing.

Additionally, MBTA officials advised that the FRA requires a diagnostic site review be performed for “high-risk” crossings. The FRA has identified high-risk crossings as those that have five or more accidents over a five-year period or two or more fatal accidents over a five-year period. During a diagnostic review of a crossing, representatives from the FRA, the MBTA, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety, and Keolis identify potential hazards and vulnerabilities at the crossing, determine the adequacy of existing safety measures, and recommend improvements to reduce the risk of future accidents or incidents. According to MBTA officials, there was only one diagnostic review conducted of one station during this audit period.

“It is imperative that the public have faith in the MBTA as a safe and reliable mode of transportation,” said Auditor DiZoglio. “Our latest audit of the MBTA has revealed critical gaps around inspections and maintenance that put the safety of riders, employees and the public at risk. We will be revisiting the MBTA’s response to our recommendations in roughly six months as part of our post-audit review.”

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