MBTA releases 3-Year Safety Improvement Plan
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has released its 3-Year Safety Improvement Plan. The 3-Year Safety Improvement Plan incorporates several safety-related initiatives related to all modes of transportation operated by the MBTA.
The plan is centered on four categories:
- Workforce
- Data, system and communications
- Rules, policies and procedures
- Quality management
In each category and across all modes, the plan lays out a series of objectives that will result in improved service while prioritizing the safety of MBTA customers, employees and contractors at all times.
The MBTA’s 3-Year Safety Improvement Plan embodies a multitude of mandated requirements from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Federal Railroad AdministrationF United States Coast Guard and the Department of Public Utilities. It contains an overview of the relevant state and federal regulatory authorities, required safety plans, a description of each transit mode, safety objectives for the next three years and the safety performance targets for each transportation mode. This document also includes an overview of the FTA’s Safety Management Inspection (SMI), related Special Directives and MBTA’s targets for achieving compliance with the directives.
The Safety Improvement Plan is in addition to the FTA’s SMI report produced in 2022. That process involved a review of operations, training, vehicle maintenance, signals, train control and track access, among other items. As a result, the FTA issued eight special directives. In response, the MBTA developed 38 corrective action plans and 545 action items that detail how the agency intends to address each special directive. As of February 2023, the MBTA completed 36 percent of the total action items, with the expectation for 100 percent completion by the end of 2025.
The Safety Improvement Plan will be updated annually following an assessment of progress made based on measurable objectives within the plan. That assessment will include a variety of factors, including a summary of injuries and associated trends, an analysis of financial and human resources needed to continue progress and recommendations to maintain focus on the plan’s objectives.
