Phillip Eng, the former president of Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), has been appointed by Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey to be the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) general manager. Eng will begin April 10 following a relocation to Massachusetts from New York state.
Interim General Manager Jeff Gonneville, who has been leading the authority since the Jan. 3 departure of Steve Poftak, will remain with the MBTA and assist with the transition.
Gov. Healey and Lieutenant Gov. Kimberley Driscoll noted Eng’s track record and service focus as reasons why he is the right leader for MBTA.
“Phil Eng is the proven leader the MBTA needs to improve safety and reliability across the system and restore the public’s trust,” said Gov. Healey. “He understands that a functioning transportation system is essential to a functioning economy, and he has a track record of taking the reins of struggling public transit systems and dramatically improving service. He also takes a collaborative approach to his work and maintains open lines of communication with customers, workers, businesses, local officials and communities.”
“What impressed me the most about Phil Eng is that everything he does is driven by his commitment to customer service,” said Lieutenant Gov. Driscoll. “He understands the success of our public transportation system relies on the trust of the public, and that transparency, communication and reliability are the keys to earning that trust. I’m confident he is the right leader for this transformative moment for the MBTA.”
Eng, an engineer with a 40-year transportation career, retired from his role as president of LIRR in February 2022 and joined The LiRo Group as executive vice president, where he worked across the company’s business sectors and counted MBTA among his clients. At the time of his hiring, LiRo CEO Rich Cavallaro noted Eng’s reputation as a team builder and problem solver.
Eng’s time at LIRR, the largest commuter railroad in the U.S., was marked by several achievements, including overseeing a $1.6 billion operating budget and working toward delivering a $6-billion capital program to modernize and expand LIRR’s system through several large projects, including the Double Track, Main Line Expansion, East Side Access, Jamaica Capacity Improvements, new M9 fleet and centralized train control.
He also served as chief operating officer of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), where he oversaw successful efforts to improve performance and efficiency across all agencies, led the procurement and awarding of a $540 million contract to modernize the MTA’s mobile ticketing system and improved the MTA’s contracting methods to better ensure projects would be completed on time, with reduce costs and with improved quality and durability.
“Phil has excelled at finding solutions to challenging problems. It’s clear he is focused on customer satisfaction, operational excellence and championing a safe, reliable transportation system,” said Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca. “We look forward to having Phil guide and support improvements and innovations at the MBTA.”
Eng will have his work ahead of him as he is arriving at an agency with a reputation that has taken a few hits over the years. The authority’s focus on service over maintenance, particularly for rail service, was called out by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for contributing to a lacking safety culture at MBTA. In June, FTA issued four special directives to MBTA, and the state agency tasked with safety oversight of the system, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, requiring them to take immediate action to remedy safety concerns.
FTA published its full Safety Management Inspection report on MBTA in late August, and the authority established an oversight office tasked with addressing the findings of report.
TransitMatters, Inc., a group advocating for better transit in the commonwealth, has developed a slow zone tracker of MBTA’s Red, Orange and Blue lines. Since the start of the year, total delay from slow zones has increased significantly on all three lines, with the Red Line being the worst offender.
“It’s time for a new way of doing business at the MBTA. As an engineer, a transportation professional for 40 years and a commuter myself, I’m laser focused on finding innovative solutions to complex problems and approaching them with a sense of urgency that always puts the customer first,” Eng said. “I’m also committed to supporting the hardworking employees who keep the MBTA running and ramping up hiring to ensure we have the workforce in place to deliver the reliable service that riders deserve.”
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
