Report: MBTA Plagued by 'Serious, Deep-Seated' Issues

After the MBTA was crippled by a relentless rash of winter weather, Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker assembled a team to help avoid future transit disasters. That team released it’s first update Tuesday.

The issues plaguing the MBTA are even more “serious and deep-seated” than state officials originally thought, according to a report released by the T’s Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB).

The Fiscal and Management Control, a separate entity established to provide focused and dedicated oversight of the MBTA’s core functions, found “significant structural challenges” regarding the MBTA’s finances, operations and management.

“Without question, this report paints a bleak picture of the current state of the MBTA,” said FMCB Chairman Joseph Aiello. “But it provides the baseline we need to be able to move forward with actions to get the MBTA back on track.”

The report revealed the following issues:

• The MBTA’s operating budget (including debt service) is unsustainable, with expenses increasing at nearly three times the rate of revenue growth.
• Annual capital spending on deferred maintenance and capital investment – the “state of good repair” backlog – has historically fallen substantially below the $472 million annual spending needed to prevent the SGR backlog from growing greater. That backlog has risen to $7.3 billion.
• Absences by drivers are the leading reason for lost bus, subway, and trolley trips. Absences also account for $14 million of $53 million in overtime spent during the 2015 fiscal year.

Despite the negative finings, the report did highlight some positives within the MBTA. The winter resiliency program, which is currently under way, will enable the MBTA to better withstand major storms and extended cold. The MBTA is also doing a better job of spending available funds on capital projects and has taken steps to improve workforce productivity and reduce absenteeism.

Since its first meeting on July 21, the FMCB has met weekly and individual working groups have been formed to more deeply examine operational, fiscal and other issues.