DeLeo: T needs more work than we thought
Count House Speaker Robert DeLeo among those who are questioning plans for new services and projects at the troubled MBTA.
WBZ-TV on Sunday aired part of an interview with DeLeo about the MBTA's dismal performance in the face of record-setting snow levels and prolonged cold temperatures, an interview that, ironically, was pre-empted by Feb. 15 storm coverage.
"When you have stories in terms of maybe things, new projects shall we say, that are being put online to get done, and we're not operating as we should be right now in terms of the basic service then we've got some things that we have to take a look at and study," DeLeo told "Keller at Large" host Jon Keller.
After first undergoing management reforms and then receiving an infusion of cash from the Legislature, the MBTA and other state and regional transportation agencies have been a primary focus of legislative attention on Beacon Hill in recent years.
Supporters of the reform and revenue measures claimed they would squeeze hundreds of millions in savings out of the bureaucracy while investing fresh dollars into it to pay for better maintenance and new equipment as well as service expansions and improvements. But now there are new calls for both additional reforms and revenues and policymakers are being dragged back into the debate.
DeLeo said the snowstorms had taught policymakers that "the MBTA apparently needs a little more work than we had anticipated" and suggested a "deeper look" was in order and that he'd talked about it with Gov. Charlie Baker and Senate President Stanley Rosenberg.
On Friday, a week after DeLeo's interview, Baker assigned former Boston Redevelopment Authority official Paul Barrett to lead a 30-day probe into the MBTA and its failures.
DeLeo didn't identify MBTA projects that he said "seem to be very questionable" but said he's read about some he'd put in that category.
The MBTA "just didn't seem prepared" to deal with harsh winter weather, DeLeo said, adding that he used the transit system to avoid traffic snarls during recent bad weather.
DeLeo also commented on the idea of placing the MBTA under the oversight of an appointed receiver to replace its board of directors.
"I don't think we're quite at that point yet. Hopefully we won't get to that point," DeLeo said.
Commuter rail still in ‘recovery’
The MBTA commuter rail system, run by the private company Keolis, told customers Sunday night it would continue on its "recovery schedule," which means riders should expect delays and cancellations all week due to signal, switch and mechanical issues with its locomotives.
"Keolis would like to thank passengers for their patience and to remind them that things will not immediately change overnight. Getting the system back up and running is Keolis' highest priority but will not happen quickly," the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) reported Sunday night in a recovery update.
According to MassDOT, Keolis over the weekend removed snow from tracks and switches north of North Station and from its maintenance facilities north and south of Boston to make it easier to move equipment. At an engine maintenance facility in Somerville, workers removed 20 acres of snow that was six feet deep, MassDOT reported, and washed the undersides of locomotives to remove snow.
Keolis usually has 65 locomotives ready on weekdays, but currently has 46, MassDOT said.
The snowstorms, which began in late January, led to emergency declarations and state officials are pursuing federal relief funds.
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