The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has formally closed its years-long review of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities' (DPU) safety oversight of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), returning direct supervision of the MBTA’s safety equipment and management back to the agency. 

“When I took office, the MBTA was in a dire state. After years of underinvestment, workers and passengers alike didn’t feel safe on the rails. Today, the MBTA is safer, more reliable and more affordable for the riders who use it every day,” said Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey. “That’s in large part thanks to the investments we have made in the MBTA and the DPU, as well as strong leadership of [Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary and MBTA General Manager] Phil Eng, DPU’s [Director] Robert Hanson and their teams. Riders can now have confidence that there are dedicated leaders at both the MBTA and DPU working every day to keep them safe.” 

In 2022, after several major safety incidents at the MBTA under the prior administration, the FTA placed the DPU’s Rail Transit Safety Division under directives to make significant changes to its staffing, operations, funding and safety practices. The FTA found the agency was under-resourced and could not provide adequate safety oversight of the MBTA. The DPU was ordered to increase its oversight of the MBTA’s safety protocols, including track maintenance, uncontrolled train movements, management of the Operations Control Center and personnel training. 

“With the FTA’s role overseeing special directives concluded, we have officially closed the book on the serious safety issues we saw four years ago,” said DPU Commissioner Staci Rubin, who oversees the DPU’s transportation divisions. “We made a commitment to invest in the Rail Transit Safety Division, strengthen technical expertise and build more rigorous oversight processes—and we delivered. This was made possible thanks to our dedicated rail safety staff and support from the Legislature. The DPU is well positioned to ensure safer MBTA operations in the years to come.”  

The Rail Transit Safety Division conducts independent inspections of the MBTA’s subway cars, stations, and carhouses and produces external safety and compliance audits of the MBTA. 

“This is a huge accomplishment for the MBTA and the DPU, and I am extremely proud of this milestone. The closure of federal SMI oversight into the MBTA was no small feat and reinforces that the investments the MBTA is making in our workforce, service and infrastructure are paying dividends," Eng said. "We will continue to build off of the success of the last three years as we work with our state oversight partners at the DPU. The MBTA is a different agency than it was three years ago, and while we know we have more work to do, 99% of our [corrective action plans] have been submitted, and the safety of riders and the workforce continues to be at the forefront of everything we do. This achievement wouldn’t be possible without the tremendous support of the Healey-Driscoll Administration and Legislature, and I thank them for their leadership and support, which has enabled the MBTA to make these extraordinary strides in safety, more reliable service, better conditions for our workforce and so much more. As we take this moment to celebrate this achievement, we are grateful to showcase how important investing in our workforce, tracks, vehicles, and infrastructure is to ensuring the MBTA is the world-class system our region can be proud of."  

The DPU isn't the only adjustment the MBTA has made in recent years to comply with FTA standards. In 2023, the MBTA made two policy changes with its Operations Control Center to further ensure that employees have sufficient time off to recover between shifts and are not dual scheduled for dispatcher and supervisor duties.  

In 2024, the FTA gave the DPU a satisfactory report for its recent Triennial Audit and closed Special Directive 22-8 that same year. One year later, MBTA completed its Track Improvement Program and the removal of slow zones for the first time in 20 years.