Here’s how readers would grade Phillip Eng’s first year at the MBTA
“I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it's a brand new Orange Line car running without speed restrictions!”
Phillip Eng’s first year as general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority hasn’t been an easy one.
From near-miss safety incidents and pressure from the feds, to train derailments, service disruptions, and stations (literally) crumbling, there have been many challenges Eng and riders alike have faced since he began his post in April 2023.
But despite it all, Boston.com readers gave Eng an “A” for his first year with the MBTA.
Of the more than 300 responses to our poll, a third gave Eng A’s, followed close behind with just under a quarter of readers giving him a modest B. The other 42% of readers gave Eng below average grades in the C’s (14%), D’s (10%), and F’s (18%).
Many readers who gave Eng a high grade lauded him for inheriting a system “plagued by decades of neglect.”
“He inherited an unmanageable mess,” reader Chris from Somerville’s Winter Hill neighborhood said.
“Overall, the dude has done yeoman’s work and has my vote for local ‘Person of the Year’ in 2024 (with, admittedly, plenty of the year still to play out),” he added.
Others praised the transparency with which Eng executed his ambitious Track Improvement Program to update the T’s aging infrastructure. The plan aims to eliminate all speed restrictions by the end of the year by repairing and replacing miles of tracks and installing new signal and power systems.
To complete this work, Eng launched a yearlong series of shutdowns to give crews time and unrestricted access to fix the infrastructure. Several readers said despite the shutdowns, Eng’s transparency and communication with the public has been a “refreshing” change compared with former leadership.
“He is transparent about impacts, accountability and safety. The MBTA is immensely lucky to have him. Under previous leadership, I could easily have seen the MBTA go into receivership and the feds take over,” reader Eamon from Walpole said.
On the other side of the coin, several readers who gave Eng a low grade criticized the shutdowns and said their commute has been slower than in years prior.
“All work and no progress…T is slower than ever,” Claudio V. from Dorchester lamented.
Several readers criticized Keolis, a French-owned transportation company contracted to run the commuter rail, and voiced concern for some commuter rail union workers who protested for improved wages and benefits in February.
“Eng needs to settle the contracts with MBTA commuter rail workers! It’s absolutely wild that workers in Boston are struggling for parity with their counterparts in other municipalities and states like NJ and NY. Keolis is sending their profits back to France on the backs of Massachusetts workers,” reader C.J.D. from Boston said.
The MBTA first contracted Keolis to operate its commuter rail system in 2014 with an eight-year, $2.7 billion contract. In 2020, the MBTA agreed to extend Keolis’s contract through June 30, 2026, but said the T could opt to end the contract one year earlier to begin formally searching for a successor, according to WBUR.
Still, most readers had positive things to say about Eng’s handling of the ailing transit system. Below, see what readers had to say about the general manager’s first year with the MBTA and the grade they gave him.
Responses have been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.
What grade would you give Phillip Eng for his first year on the job?
“A”
“Eng has been transparent, candid, and realistic. I haven’t liked everything that has been done over the last year, but I at least understand why it had to happen. It takes a long time to turn around an operation like the MBTA, and it’s finally starting to move in the right direction.” – Blake G., Somerville
“Mr. Eng is the right man at the right time (in my opinion) because of his civil engineering/transportation background. Transit has been underfunded in this country for so many decades that many cities are faced with having to essentially rebuild their systems. The MBTA is much more than just a department that requires a cultural shift and organizational restructuring. It has been allowed to deteriorate for so long that it is now a major public works project on a massive scale. A project of this size requires a civil engineer at the helm.” – Tom O., Jamaica Plain
“General manager Eng seems to have done everything in his power to correct as many years of underfunding and mismanagement of the T as he can in under a year. I know there is only so much Eng can do in a year, and without more funding, drivers, dispatchers, and physical trains, but the improvements we have seen in the past year have me more optimistic about the T than I have been in a while.” – Zachary Y, Somerville
“Phillip Eng was saddled with the T in what might be the worst shape it’s ever been, and my expectations were genuinely very low…but that said, I have felt tangible improvements to trip speed and stability that I didn’t really expect to ever feel, much less in the first year of his tenure. The system is still far from a state of good repair, but the mileage he’s gotten out of just his first year makes me hopeful.” – Michael, Cambridge
“Phillip Eng has successfully disrupted the status quo and is finally moving the T in the right direction. Rider pain is the unfortunate payment we must make as a result of decades of deferred maintenance being addressed over a few years. Failed leadership over the past is forcing tough decisions. But I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it’s a brand new Orange Line car running without speed restrictions!” – Tyler, Somerville
“The T has been notoriously tight lipped about what, where, and when in the past. With Eng in charge we got a clear timeline in advance of work being done, clear goals, and a means to actually track the progress and keep the T accountable.” – Mike, South Boston
“He appears to be the first GM who knows what he is doing and has a proven track record of success. He is changing the culture and is a good manager with excellent leadership skills. He is solutions oriented. The legislature needs to support him by appropriately and sufficiently funding the MBTA.” – Arnie W., Shrewsbury
“He came on board with an excellent attitude and did not sugar coat the intractable problems with the MBTA. I like the fact that he takes accountability and creates a path of success – in terms of bringing on the right senior team. The first year is challenging for any new person but Mr. Eng clearly shows that he is a man of action. He formulated an action plan and executed it with his senior management team. We are very fortunate to have someone of his talents and depth of experience to take on a herculean job with aplomb.” – Cochise P., Foxborough
“I have been on the construction and maintenance end of the new repair work that is going on with the T. Everyone is talking about how the past commissions were only concerned with ridership and not maintenance. This new commissioner seems to have a greater focus on getting the trains running properly again. They are replacing tracks, overhauling stations, repairing failed concrete and removing slow zones. This type of work will likely help ridership with decreased commute times.” – Mason, Tewksbury
“B”
“I’m a daily rider and more has been done in the last year than in the last two decades. I’m not saying it hasn’t been incredibly painful or that I haven’t had to spend a ton of money on Uber when things fail, but you see the change happening around you.” – John D., Revere
“He has inherited a mess. This is a situation where things will get worse before they get better. I think he has been transparent and out-in-front. I personally have not noticed any improvements to the system at this point, however I think this is a classic scenario where you need to give them 3-5 years to get things in order.” – P.J.C., Boston
“I think there’s still a lot of work to do in regards to work on the Red Line, however, it’s great to see someone who is actually holding the MBTA accountable and who is serious about fixing the issues.” – Matt, Bridgewater
“I like the way he’s focusing on existing infrastructure, but real -time communication with riders is still stuck in the late 20th century and the T continues to do a poor job explaining the causes of constant, continuing equipment failures.” – Chris K., Dorchester
“C”
“This is more painful than it needs to be. During shutdowns, service to each stop should be provided. I spend a lot on Uber! Shutting down on Easter weekend? During the work week? How about express buses? Uber discounts?” – Ruth L., Quincy
“I feel his leadership is moving things in the right direction, but service is still woefully unreliable, with regular breakdowns and delays.” – R.Z., South Shore
“You have to go through lots of painful delays before things get better, but this is pretty ridiculous. The Red Line has issues every single day. Super annoying, as we have places to go and things to do, and rely on the T to get around.” – N.K.A., Quincy
“D”
“I feel like there’s just so much work that needs to be done and we have yet to see anything change. It honestly feels like there’s more issues happening (which could just be as a result from fixing things thus showcasing other issues) and it just makes it hard to have any sort of faith that things will get better.” – Jenny, Quincy
“Settle the labor dispute with the Commuter Rail workers! It’s absolutely wild that our Massachusetts workforce is struggling to get paid on par with other municipalities and states. Disgraceful.” – Lyndi H., Sandwich
“The work being done has lead to literally zero tangible improvements in my commute or the reliability of the Blue Line. The prediction accuracy numbers are almost certainly fudged or are just a misrepresentation of a statistic. The displays aren’t even functional half the time in stations, and when they are the estimates jump around adding and removing minutes constantly. The service keeps getting more expensive, and the product keeps getting worse.” – Noah, Revere
“F”
“Just ride the Green Line yourself. Multiple delays throughout the day and nonsense schedule adjustments in the middle of my journey that require me to get off the trolley during rush hour just to wait for the next one.” – Leo, Allston
“A year after and the T still running low even after so many closures. Stations are dirty with escalators not working. Shuttle buses running slow and disorganized. It just got worse and no improvements.” – Victor, Revere
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